Optimus Omnium
Premier Boston Real Estate Agent
We're a little past that now, but I thought this video was great. Another perfect example of Land Rover's amazing ability to relate to and build a relationship with their customers. Interesting that it's made by Tavistock Productions.
I spent 2 weeks in California, and came home to realize my apartment was a disaster. The apartment above mine has had some significant work done, which generated plenty of dust in my apartment. It was a good excuse to do a deep clean. Or at least start one. I started in the largest area and I'm moving inward.
I never thought I had that much stuff in my apartment. My friend said something to me about it when I listed it on AirBnb. And then one time someone messaged me asking if all my personal items would be in the apartment. I said yes. They did not make a reservation.
The blocks have become more of a side table as of late.
So there is a lot of stuff in my apartment, but each piece tells a story, for the most part. I also love books, and have a number of them. There are also some rocks from travels near and far.
Found that white chair on the sidewalk.
I also recently got a camera, so I'm trying to take more pictures.
I drew that picture my first and only year at Boston Architectural College.
“Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.”
“Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.”
“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.”
“It’s a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money.”
“Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it’s greedy or loving.”
“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”
“I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”
“I live for myself and I answer to nobody.”
If David Wilcock is the reincarnation of Edgar Cayce, you can call me Steve McQueen. I’ve always been a fan of McQueen, but I wanted to put together a style inspiration post. To begin my research, I google image searched Steve McQueen Style and found a plethora of photos. In doing so, I find some striking similarities. I will also note, he died before I was born. Here I will present my case.
Exhibit A:
We both look naturally stunning in jean suits.
Exhibit B:
We both have an affinity for Land Rovers
Exhibit C:
We both wore the turtleneck/blazer/jeans combo, and we didn't even plan it!
Exhibit D:
Both into motorcycles and constantly surrounded by beautiful women
Exhibit E:
We share a need for speed.
Exhibit F:
Both handy with a 12 gauge.
If you’ve never been to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, it’s worth the trip. The place is huge and there’s so much to see. On Wednesday, my friend Julia invited me to go with her. An it turns out, admission is free on Wednesday nights 4-10pm! We got there at 7:00, and went to the restaurant, which closes at 8. We sat at the bar; had a drink. $7 for a beer or wine. I don't think I would go for the food, even if I were hungry. I don't know if I trust museum food. Nothing personal, MFA. We finished up and went to see the original illustrations from Make Way for Ducklings and other McCloskey books. From there, we checked out the European wing. Here are some of my favorite pieces!
It’s totally worth going, because it’s free! There’s no downside. Maybe I’ll see you there next week!
“A lot of people get so hung up on what they can’t have that they don’t think for a second about whether they really want it.”
I spend more time than I’d like to admit online shopping. I don’t usually buy stuff, but I like to browser-window shop. One thing I’d like to do this year, is release my own product. But until then, the best way for me to share products with you, is to direct you to other brands that I feel carry the same values as my own. So, here are a few things that have caught my eye this season! You can click through the photos to the product’s page which will open in a new window, except on the desk. Click “Field Desk" for that.
Up top are 100% hemp sheets ($298) by Jungmaven. I like surrounding myself with natural, minimally processed fibers. Jungmaven is a great company. I've been a fan of their t shirts for a while and am happy to see them doing well and expanding. Once at a dinner I had the pleasure of chatting with, Robert Jungmann, the man behind Jungmaven. The reason I don't have these sheets, is because they're currently only offered in king and queen sizes. I have a full. So I'll wait. When I went to pull the picture of the sheets, I came across hemp towels ($55). Even in the picture, it looks so soft. So I threw it on the list.
I'm not sure how practical this is, but I love the idea of it. It's a Field Desk ($1850) by Best Made Co! I'm into this because I like writing things down by hand. I often find it's easier and faster when I'm trying to plan things visually or even just making a list.
As you probably know, I'm into Blundstones. I've had the same pair since high school. They are getting old and aren't even waterproof anymore. Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, shortly after I got my Blunnies, production was moved from Australia to Southeast Asia. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I've heard the quality has gone down. In the time that I've had my Australian made Blunnies, my dad is has gone through 2 and currently on his 3rd pair of Asian made Blunnies. These are R. M. Williams' Comfort Craftsman Suede Chelsea Boots ($495). Another Australian company! They have an interesting story. That's part of what draws me to the brand. To me, they seem like dressier Blundstones. I'll pull the trigger one of these days.
How fucking sick is this hat ($119)?! Don't get your hopes up, it's sold out. Unless you've got a big head. I think there were larges left, but not smalls. It's a night lightweight felt, in a deep green. It comes in other colors, but I love the green. It's just so simple. It's a collaboration piece between TOPO Designs and Westerlind. If you're not familiar with TOPO, it's worth checking them out. They offer some really well made, well designed products meant to withstand use and abuse.
I haven't used a CBD tincture since I lived in LA. I don't have a good excuse. There are a myriad of health benefits, some out there going as far as saying the nutrients are necessary for proper functioning of the body. It's time for me to re-introduce myself. I really trust Omica Organics. This CBD oil is CO2 extracted and mixed with raw hempseed oil, honey as well as a few herbs ($83.95). I use plenty of their products. They offer the best shilajit I can find.
I want a dash cam. This one by Waylens ($499.95) is exactly what I would make if I were to create my own. There's a piece that plugs into the OBD, and overlays your cars data on the video recording. You can then send the whole video directly to your phone. I knew that's what I wanted in a dash cam, so I googled something like "dash cam car data overlay" and found Waylens, which it turns out is based in Boston, like 1,000 feet from my apartment!
I first saw this Shinola power strip in their Prudential store. It feels so sturdy, and it's my favorite color. And there aren't enough plugs in my apartment because there are so many devices to charge. To me, this is one of those things you'll pass down to your grandkids and it'll still work.
Well, I hope you like what you've read! When I get my hands on these things, I'll be sure to submit reviews.
Let me know what you guys think! I’d love it if you subscribed and dropped a comment! But make sure you don’t subscribe to the comment thread. A few people have done that, I assume by mistake.
“If everything happens for a reason that means you made the right choice even when it’s the wrong choice””
My New Year's resolutions this year are:
So this yurt thing. I love Montana. I’ve been here 8 times in the last 8 years. Can’t get enough of the place. And because I’m always a houseguest, I’m always pushing the mooching/overtsaying limits. My solution is to buy some land and throw a yurt on it. I really don’t know what this entails, but I think that it can all be done for under $100,000.00. The biggest expense is the land. I built a yurt on Pacific Yurts, and figure it would cost me about $12,000 including a cement foundation and basic necessities like a stove. I haven’t looked into power or water sources yet. Ideally I’d find land with a spring. Power I’m not too concerned about. I feel like it would be pretty straightforward this day in age to get some solar panels and a battery. And a generator for emergencies. The only thing I'm concerned about is where the Aga Cooker will go.
If you’re reading this, you probably know that I sell a few products on this site. However, they’re not really mine. The chocolate bars are, but I’ve only had one order and it’s difficult for me to make them on a larger scale. I have, however, been working on T shirts. If you’ve been following my blog, you might have seen the write ups for National Reconnaissance Office Mission Launches. Well, I have several of those patches and have attached them to organic cotton shirts. As of now, they’ll be very limited and unique. No two are the same. Stay tuned.
When I accomplish goal number 3, I will feel so much more relaxed. That’s how I try to look at my goals. Not necessarily the thing itself, but how I’ll feel with the thing. I love traveling, but hate flying commercially. It’s always on the airlines schedule, they’re bound to fuck something up, and it’s such a waste of time. And time is all you really got so don’t waste it. I’m very lucky to have grown up with grandparents that had a plane, shared amongst family members. I’m not trying to brag. It was a hand-me-down from Ted Turner. The seats are made of bison leather and the cup holders have “Ted’s Montana Grill” coasters in them. Thankfully, there’s no wifi. And let me tell you, it is nice. You’re on your own schedule, there’s no Totalitarian Subjugation Acclimators (TSA), and you can bring bombs! I mean liquids, you can bring liquids. Like spring water for brewing gynostemma tea for a relaxing tonic while night flying across the Caucasus. Some of you may bitch at me for environmental reasons. Feel free, but I’ll save that argument for a different venue.
Bombardier Challenger 350
These are three of my goals, and are not necessarily in any order or represent everything I want to accomplish. They also have nothing to do with “New Years.” Every day is the beginning of a new year. If you want to accomplish something, as my old economics teacher in high school used to say, “get after it.” Do things as they come, in the capacity that you can work towards them at that moment. Don’t wait for an arbitrary date. If you do, to me, that means it’s not really a goal. January 1st is just an excuse for us to look at a new beginning. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s no reason to wait 365 days begin anew. Everyday is new. I saw my friend Robin put something on Instagram that said something like “Happy New Now.” She hit the nail on the head. It’s all now. Happy New Year!
“The majority believes that everything hard to comprehend must be very profound. This is incorrect. What is hard to understand is what is immature, unclear and often false. The highest wisdom is simple and passes through the brain directly into the heart.”
I’m a water snob. I don’t drink just anything. If Ben Franklin had access to a pristine spring, and didn’t have to make beer to get a potable liquid, he probably would’ve said, “Spring water is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy.” But he was working with what he had, which led to beer. Luckily, we’re past that and with a couple clicks of the mouse and keyboard, you can find a spring close to you, see pictures and read reviews, all in your pajamas. Or you could distill your own water. I used to be all about spring water, but right now I’m on distilled water and am really enjoying it. I’m going to mention some reasons why one might want spring water, and then I’ll cover why I like distilled and what I think the best method for conditioning is.
Why spring water? Because traditionally, it’s the best, most of the time, unless it’s raining. Rain was essentially distilled water, pre-industrial revolution. There’s a reason so many bottled water companies market their water as “spring water.” However, it’s important to note that “spring water” is a very loosely defined term, at least in the bottled water industry. Most bottled waters are from a municipal supply anyway. Most of these, like Poland Springs, are in plastic, so even if it were true spring water, it would still be best to avoid it. If I'm drinking bottled water, it's got to be true spring water in glass. My favorite is Castle Rock.
I’m trying to be a “glass half full (of spring water)” kind of guy, so I’m going to avoid writing about hydrofluorosilicic acid, chlorine, trihalomethanes, pharmaceuticals, barium, nitrates, nitrites, perchlorates, haloacetic acids and the multitude of other contaminants in tap water. I’d like to cover a few very basic points, that could inspire you do continue your own research.
“The upholder of the cycles which sustain all Life is water. In every drop of water dwells a deity whom indeed we all serve.”
A crystal is defined as a substance having a naturally geometric form with symmetrically arranged plane faces. A snowflake fits that description. Dr. Masaru Emoto shows that intentions can alter the crystalline structure of water, made visible when frozen. Positive, loving intentions result in more intricate and pleasing shapes while negative thoughts result in incoherent, asymmetrical structures. Different frequency vibrations (from a hum to a thought) also create different shapes and patterns. Placing sand on a plate, and introducing a specific sound results in a specific pattern. That visual pattern is a representation of information. Personally, I want my water to have positive, beneficial information. Growing up we had a well, and my dad always told me it was important to drink water where you live. He never gave a solid answer other than, “it just makes sense.” He was lucky enough to grow up with spring water flowing through the pipes of his house. I now understand why drinking your own local water is important. Water carries information about your immediate environment. It picks up the local vibes and delivers them to you!
Water is a very unique substance, in that it’s present on Earth in 3 forms: solid, liquid and gas. It’s also very special because it gets denser, until it hits 39.2°F, at which point it expands. It's at this point that is harnesses the most energy. It is the product of hydrogen from our Sun meeting oxygen from our Earth.
So let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. Water is living. The majority of your body is water. As we age, we dehydrate. An infants body is ~75% water, while an adult averages 50-60% water. From there it can be extrapolated that water is a youthening agent. Dr. Batmanghelidj, in his book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, argues that thirst is not the only sign of dehydration, but many common ailments are actually the result of dehydration. Dehydration can be caused by a few different factors: poor quality water, insufficient water or excessive water (ie. inadequate salt intake). The water you drink becomes your blood.
A good friend of mine once said “all water is created equal.” I replied, “that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” On second thought, she might be right. The water is merely a medium that responds to the environment. If we pollute the environment, we get less than ideal water. That doesn’t mean a million years from now fungus won’t use the water and remove radioactive particles, the water molecules could seep back down through the ground and then get pulled back up through a spring. I don’t know if I can conclusively say that water doesn’t make decisions, but follows (flows with) patterns of nature. It’s the ultimate intuitive, I guess.
In California at least, the best water I see people drinking isn’t water, but pressed juice. Juice is water with lots of other stuff in it. Water is foundational, vital. Plants use and store water. This gives it a specific, organized structure, just like a plant is deliberate and organized. Think hologram. The plant is organized on a macro level, ergo it’s organized on a micro level. Fruit and vegetable water contains within it countless compounds beneficial to us, including water!
“You’re not sick; You’re thirsty.”
Distilled water is immature water. It’s pure H2O, and it pulls to it whatever is around. It hasn’t been run through silt, tumbled through rocks (crystals and polycrystals), or vortexed (or dynamized, what a great word!). That is by no means a bad thing, but something to keep in mind. Distilled water is a blank canvas. Are you trying to pull stuff out of your body, or are you trying to push stuff in? I started by pulling. Straight distilled water. Loved it, I could feel myself opening up, calcification leaving my body. Within a month I had already noticed my flexibility improving. Now I alternate between drinking immature and conditioned water. That makes sense to me, because in the wild I would probably alternate between spring and rain water, depending on availability. Below I will spell out how I condition my water. The point of this is to try mimic as close to clean spring water as possible. I use the Waterwise 7000 Automatic Distiller. It works great. Auto-fills, auto-shuts off. It's very easy to clean, the chamber just pops right off.
“More energy is encapsulated in every drop of good spring water than an average-sized powerstation is presently able to produce.”
Drink up! I hope you enjoyed reading this!
“Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing ‘Embraceable You’ in spats.”
I love summer, because I love going to the beach. When I think of summer, I think of rawer foods, juice, berries, eating outside, going to the beach. I am a sun worshipper. The beach is my territory. There’s nothing better than getting some rays grounded in the ocean, breathing salty air. A good spring cleaning is necessary for a good summer. Spring is the perfect time to let go of winter, and prepare for a great, expansive summer.
Here is a list of some of my summer essentials:
I like to prepare for summer with juice. I find juice to be very cooling, and really cut it back in winter. Now that summer’s quickly approaching, I’ve been adding more green juices. It’s been slightly chilly recently, but I know it’s going to be beach weather soon so I’m incorporating more colored juices like carrot and beet. Eating more colors, I believe, helps protect you from burning.* *not approved by the FDA, or whatever.
I’m a huge advocate of the sun. Nothing makes me feel better than spending a few hours basking in the sun. I think we can definitely affect how sensitive we are to the sun through our lifestyle. Taking care of our skin and eating to nourish it are key. It’s our largest organ, and largest organ of elimination! And if you’re a Bruce Lipton fan, you’ll know that the intelligence of the cell lies in the membrane. I’m just as careful of what I put on my body as in my body. If I need some protection, I put on a shirt.
Once summer arrives, I love to indulge in berries. Berries are my favorite fruit. One thing to note about berries, it’s good to eat them with a fat, and really important they are well chewed. Try to break up the seeds. If you put them in a smoothie, blend to grind up the seeds, and chew it before you swallow it. This prepares your body to receive food. I generally use frozen fruit for convenience, but don’t like cold food, so blending for longer also helps warm it up a little. Berries are also a good source of nutrition! Full of colors, fibers. Did you know strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside? It’s a very unique fiber that glues them on, that’s great for your intestinal tract!
My summer wardrobe is dictated by what I find comfortable. Earth runners are my primary footwear. I’m hesitant to call them shoes, but I wear them beyond the point that sandals are appropriate. I’m on my second pair. Earth runners are barefoot running sandals (as the name insinuates), that electrically ground you to the earth. There are several different options when choosing them. I feel like I’m getting custom sandals when I order them. If you want to look further into it, here is their website.
The first pair I got just prior to spending a month at The Tree of Life with Dr. Gabriel Cousens, in Patagonia, AZ. They were perfect! They were the only shoes I brought with me and wore them hiking, walking, “cooking” for 30 consecutive days. I decided to upgrade to ones with conductive slip-on laces. Mine also have copper inserts that ground my feet at specific acupoints. I don’t even feel like I have shoes on, and they’re so flexible, walking on a tactile warning strip is like a free foot massage.
Grounding can also help you avoid burning in the sun. When you’re grounded, your body acquires the electrical potential of the earth, which provides many benefits. It’s a source of negatively charged electrons (anti-oxidants), has an anti-inflammatory effect and entrains your body with the Schumann Resonances. The Schumann resonances are a result of the difference in charge and distance between the earth and the ionosphere (another reason to discontinue H.A.A.R.P.). Think of the earth and the ionosphere creating a battery, with us in the middle. Since neither the earth nor the ionosphere are perfect spheres, there is variation, but it's generally around 7.83Hz.
A long sleeve white linen shirt is my go-to sunblock. I’m not an advocate of sunscreens. I’m not an advocate of burning either. Getting some sun is important. I feed off the sun, nothing makes me feel better. Getting just 15 minutes of unprotected sun will supply you with sufficient vitamin D for the day. One thing I think is important to note: Vitamin D is produced and left on the surface of the skin to be absorbed. Don’t take a shower after you go to the beach! Not right away. Wait as long as you can. I know, you’re going to say, "but that’s gross." Well whats worse, washing off all the vitamin D, or throwing on some strong essential oils. Back to the shirt, white reflects the most light so you won’t get warm. Linen is a breathable, comfortable, natural fiber.
As I’m typing this, I think I should mention sunglasses. I wear glasses sometimes, sunglasses too. Most lenses, clear or not, block UV light. Sunglasses have the potential to be more harmful, blocking UV and visible light. It’s important to get some sun in your eyes. People talk about sun gazing for a reason. Tanning actually begins with the eyes. When UV light enters through your eye, it stimulates the pituitary gland to produce melanocyte stimulating hormone, which does what it sounds like. Your skin also reacts, but significantly slower. So, when you’re in the sun wearing sunglasses, your body takes much longer to pigment the skin with melanin, increasing chances of burning. I recently came across some information arguing that the bacteria on your skin affects your sensitivity. I don’t know enough to comment, but that makes sense to me.
There are always certain songs I associate with summer. I have a few pretty regular summer activities with friends I only see on occasion, so I usually remember the songs they introduced me to, or that we played repeatedly, and those usually go on the playlist. There are others that just have a summery feel, a je ne sais quoi. I’m still working on my summer playlist, but this is it so far:
I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, but I like good sound. I’m usually pretty brand loyal to Bang and Olufsen. While it’s usually a bitch to deal with the store, and maintenance is required, it’s worth it for the supreme audio/visual experience. The A3? Genius, I don’t know why the discontinued it. I’m currently on the Beoplay A2 wireless bluetooth speaker. “Rays,” I know, but it’s a trade off. Ground yourself. The sound is spectacular. It’s got a pretty good range, 55Hz to 20,000Hz. On the other hand, Bose dose not disclose the range of it’s most popular bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Mini. I couldn’t find the wattage, but I’m guessing it’s up there. Battery life is a supposed 24 hours play time. I haven’t counted, but it seems great. You can also plug audio or USB right in. You can charge off the USB port, which is nice. And I got this sweet shoulder strap for it. Charles Eames once (or maybe twice) said, “The details are not the details. They are the design.”
I say a Land Rover is an essential summer and beach component because, how else are you going to drive on the beach? It’s so much fun. I love driving out as far away as we can get and setting up camp for the day. Feels just like a safari, but by the ocean.
1985 Land Rover 110, Cape Poge, Chappaquiddick
One thing a beach campsite requires is lemonade. I love lemonade. My usual is a squeezed lemon, a little grade b maple syrup and water, spring or distilled. In summer I like to get a little fancier. The best lemonade requires pressed lemon juice, with the rind. There is nothing like it. Living in California, I don’t have my Norwalk so I’ve been using option two. Squeeze a lemon into distilled water, and then drop the rind in and let it sit for a few hours, even overnight. The distilled water will draw the oils form the peel. Then I like to add a little MSM. It pairs well with citrus. Surthrival Schizandra Berry Concentrate is the best schizandra I’ve had, and adds a little zing to the lemonade. And turns it into pink lemonade.
For every 12 ounces of water:
This 2000mL Erlenmeyer Flask is great for vortexing and serving!
*You can cut down on the number of ingredients by swapping out water and maple syrup for maple sap.
Schizandra is one of the top tonic herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are countless reasons why someone might be interested in taking schizandra, it's great for the liver, is known as a beautifying tonic and in Chinese translates to "five flavors." Here’s a video of Brandon Gilbert describing the benefits of schizandra, he's more qualified than I am. Lucidera, the company that supplies Surthrival, was founded by Brandon.
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed it!