I've counted kitty noses, 1-2-3, and locked all the doors. It's time for season 3, episode 8 of Diplomat.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre the Epstein sexual victim, her book, Nobody's Girl, which only her brother and the publisher knows what is in it. Comes out Tuesday.

This president is unpopular.

Rally and march for No Kings in Modesto, CA. Still out there.

I've got a bruised foot, some little sciatica problem with my left hip, and allergies that kept me up most of the night. But I will show up and be counted for #nokings today. Please stand up for democracy today... even if it hurts.

Netflix's show Diplomat is like Madam Secretary noir.

Make it make sense. [Cartoon by Adam Zyglis]

I spent the day fixing little typos in one of my books and re-uploading it to KDP and Ingram. Tomorrow I am going to add a shopping cart to my personal website to sell my books and audiobook directly. Maybe even a t-shirt! (A long procrastinated task with the reward of sticking it to the man.)

Californian here. Wondering for the first time in my life whether my red county will count my vote (for Prop 50.)

I bitched here a lot last winter about the process of making a homespun audiobook version of my book Clearing the Way to Awakening. I'm happy to report that I've sold enough of them to say it was worthwhile: 66. Two good reviews and verbal comments to me from listeners that my voicing was appealing.

Outside at sunrise, waiting for the porta potties to arrive for our small non-profit's annual retreat. Nice light on Buddha and Kwan Yin.

🙏 💚

The companion workbook to my book about the foundation practices of Tibetan Buddhism just dropped. Clearing the Way to Awakening Companion Workbook: Your Ngondro Journey a.co/d/eYmFVid

I'll be offering workshops about Dakini in the Catskills this weekend. It's beautiful and peaceful here. Care to join us?www.bodhivastu.org/events

What ever happened to the Libertarians? Where are they now?

Even the New York times is sounding alarmed these days about Trumps threats to silence liberals and progressives. Fascism is on the rise in the U.S. Let's be brave and strong together.

If today goes well, I will have my workbook available for presale online by 4 pm. I would prefer 10 am. I think it is ready, but I want to see a proof first. Just in case.

This is the southern approach to my town. I hardly know anyone here, but I love the natural world and the quiet.

I view myself as not very religious compared to other followers of Tibetan Buddhism. But anyone else would view me as extremely religious because of my faith in karma, rebirth, the bardos, the possibility of awakening with a capital A, and the power of the practices of Dzogchen. Nutcase right here.

Got called a do-gooding liberal by a leftist today, and it wasn't intended as a compliment.

I will be offering two Vajrayana workshops, ceremonies, and personal consultations at the Bodhivastu center in Big Indian, NY, for a week, starting next week. us2.campaign-archive.com?u=5200fe7b22...

We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.

The blow of discovering that I drove 6 hours round trip to a cancelled appointment was softened by listening to a good audiobook. The free Libby app had the book assigned by my book group. Yay. Which one...

Driving to San Francisco to see my old dentist was hard this morning--maps app took three hours--eventually taking me to Marin and across the olden Gate Bridge. I live due East from the City. I got to the neighborhood, looked at my phone, and the dentist had canceled the appointment while I drove.

I just told Junior, one of my cats, that we have metaphors in the English language. But, actually, the example I used is more of a simile.

Someone I don't know took the time to find me on Facebook and tell me how much she enjoyed my audiobook. As a novice narrator/sound engineer, it really made my day.

Later, I will be coating tormas, sculptured Tibetan Buddhist dough offerings—that I dried in the oven—with firm molding paste. It is a paintable and sandable product from Golden that will fill in cracks and smooth the surface. I've tested it. It works.

Now, I'm out on the deck with my three cats, enjoying the cooler evening air and the view of the very same mountain that hosted a scary wildfire, just a couple of days ago. Now the charred area has exposed light gray boulders that I never knew were there.

This afternoon, I finished up my latest pen and ink edits (mostly formatting) for the forthcoming companion workbook to my ngondro book Clearing the Way to Awakening. Pen and ink because it is easier on my body than doing the pondering in my office chair.

A guy from a center that has invited me to teach called me through FB this morning. The telephone ring of the Messenger app is completely unfamiliar, so I initially thought someone else's in my house.

Put three layers of clear coat spray on the twenty pieces that will make up our new stepped shrine that will represent the black wrathful dakini practice. Had to do that outside between sunrise and about nine when it hit 90.

TLC is thrilled to welcome back Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo to teach about Bringing Adversity to our Spiritual Path. Join us Sunday October 5 from 10-12 PDT on Zoom. Go to TLCserves.org for more information and to register.

After dark, one of the closest wildfires is glowing beautifully. This is taken from the elevated deck of my hillside house. #CalaverasCounty

It's been a long day for us here in my small town in the Sierra foothills. 1,000 lightning strike and about a dozen fires. But it is also Guru Rinpoche day, so we offered tsok and there were rainbows.

Those pictures of Modi with Xi and Putin turn my stomach.

I'm on Day 8 of a thirty day strength and muscle building program. Only 15 minutes a day. I hate exercise for exercise sake, but I appreciate the efficiency.

Before I unsubbed from Audible some time ago, I apparently downloaded Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Sci Fi, no violence, no sex. Science, adventure. Great voice acting. It was a totally immersive audiobook from beginning to end.

I applied for Social Security today. Just so you know, it was easy and quick online, unlike the process with Medicare. I wonder whether angels will sing when the first payment is deposited into my checking account in December, to let me know it is there. 😇

Fire Kash Patel. He is totally unqualified for the job and it shows. Embarrassing.

Wouldn't Yelp would be so much better if you could delete restaurants that you have already been to and didn't like or knew you would never go to in a thousand years?

I wrote promotional material for an east coast Dharma center about a couple of workshops I'll be doing there next month. It was ridiculously time-consuming. But, I guess in the process I planned the workshops. So, there's that.

TIL: ‘Afro-Appalachian’ is a thing, and when its done by Mon Rovîa, it’s like heaven

I've had sciatica this week, making it difficult to sit. I usually prep for the classes I teach while sitting at a desk. Instead, I have been lying on my back, or a little walking or stretching, then going to my desk to write when I am one hour from deadline. It works!

My relationship with BlueSky seems to be to pop on and share my day to day. Substack so far is about my observances on Buddhism in America right now... at least as much as a I know from my experience.