visions of green

aaron mcmanus - green life, real estate, and everything in between

Friday, March 16, 2007

Ode to the Wishy-Washy Washer Woman

Come clean, now, washer woman
Elbows-down in suds
How much of the past can you scrub away
While you think about tomorrow?

Dreaming of time spent,
Longing for love lost,
Hoping to be rescued while
Turning to a prune.

There's always more to do
The pile won't stop growing
It doesn't matter how fast you move
You'll never be done.

It's up to you to drop the rag,
No one's going to pull you
From the tub
You've got to walk away.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Today is Let's Face It Day

Tiffany would like me to face 2 things today:

1) Vegan food sucks. "It made me fat and bloated."

2) I am crazy. "Watching your whims and actions change every ten minutes is like watching someone with ADD channel-surf."

I was beginning to think that I was sampling from life like a smorgasboard, but now I know that in reality, I am insane.

Running back to my handy mac dictionary, insane is "a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction". Normal is defined as "conforming to a standard", and I don't want to be that.

Tiffany prefers the second definition of crazy, which is simply "extremely enthusiastic".

Let's face it: I don't want to be normal, and dairy makes things tasty.

Friday, March 09, 2007

The search for sustainability

What is a sustainable lifestyle?

Sustainability is getting a whole lot of press, and the word gets bandied about without giving clear definition to the terms. Since the Macintosh comes with a built-in dictionary, I looked up the terms.

sustainable |səˈstānəbəl| (adjective)
able to be maintained at a certain rate or level : sustainable fusion reactions.
• Ecology (esp. of development, exploitation, or agriculture) conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.
• able to be upheld or defended : sustainable definitions of good educational practice.

lifestyle |ˈlīfˌstīl| noun
the way in which a person or group lives : the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
• [as adj. ] denoting advertising or products designed to appeal to a consumer by association with a desirable lifestyle.

A sustainable lifestyle is a way of living that is able to be maintained indefinitely while maintaining balance, avoids the depletion of natural resources, and withstands constant self-scrutiny.

This is Finn, and his life of doting affection, free food, sunshine-soaked lounging, and toy-chasing is quite sustainable.

I moved to San Francisco to learn how to live a sustainable lifestyle. I wanted to sell sustainable lifestyles with Green Grass Real Estate, but I realized that I wasn't living one. The culture of real estate changed me over the years. I became focused on earning money, success, and living as fully and richly as possible - not on sustaining myself. I never really knew what it meant to take care of myself, and I'm still learning. I moved out to study under my sister, Tiffany Elston, the guru of green.

She was born and raised in Taos, NM, which is a spiritual, artistic, and highly green community. The Earthship originated just outside of Taos, and it's also home to the Taos Pueblo, the oldest continually-inhabited structure in North America. The Pueblo is built out of adobe, and dirt-based construction is about as green as it gets. Tiffany was always a rock star, and when she was 16 she won an award for an essay about her vision of the Sustainable Taos of 2020. She went on to study Human Ecology at the College of the Atlantic, and they take a multi-disciplinary look at the ways that human beings interact with the planet. During her still-ongoing undergraduate tenure, she's also gone on an intense educational tour to experience the impact of globalization around the world firsthand, and did an internship with the City of San Francisco's green building department.

This blog is going to tell the unfolding story of our quest to help in the conceptualization and actualization of a more sustainable future for humanity. Unlike a lot of environmentalists, whom I love dearly, I'm not worried about the future of the planet. I was just reading a nice article in Utne about a method of pollution-reduction that uses algae to eat the icky stuff before it goes into the air. When humanity blasts itself off of this earth, it'll take the planet a few million years to repair itself. Any number of species will never recover, and the world will never be the same. It's certainly not a desirable outcome, since it's predicated on the elimination of our species.

As a people, we have a lot to be worried about. I remember the weather being a lot different when I was a kid. The glaciers are melting, hurricanes are increasing in frequency, and the urban heat index charts are off the scale. New diseases are popping up every day, war-mongering greedy bastards are destroying whole populations, and Americans are completely disconnected from reality, with staggering effects.

These things used to depress me. My goal in starting my company was to change the world, to make it better, and every day when I looked at the news it got so much worse. How could a green condo possibly make a difference? What the fuck does recycling matter when with a single stroke of the pen, legislation sets us back 20 years? How could I possibly be content with martyring myself to feel better about my role in this sludgepot of jealousy, greed, and discontent?

I've had a lot of realizations and perspective-changing events occur in the past year. This shift in my focus is helping me to become comfortable with my role in the grand scheme of the cosmos, but not in an airy-fairy happy-hippie lovey-dovey bullshit kind of way. My goals are to impart a logical explanation, to tell a good story, and to study the emerging trend of sustainability.


This is the Rainbow Grocery, a worker-owned cooperative that makes whole foods look understocked and understaffed. It's incredible, friendly, a great deal (nothing is cheap in San Francisco), and completely stuffed with the natural, organic, and fair-trade products that are essential to a sustainable lifestyle.



Housing is at a premium in San Francisco. We're going to be working directly through Tiffany's city connections to help to create more affordable housing, and we'll be doing it green.

I really like this building - not only did someone adhere furniture to the exterior, it's got great architecture and needs a total rehab. This is a perfect candidate for high-density affordable green development. We could keep the existing brick exterior and add tons of insulation, solar panels, and a green roof.

I feel a sense of responsibilty to use my knowledge of green construction and my communication skills to share this with the world. This blog is the continuation of that process, and it will be a long one.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

My sister is hotter than your sister...


Damn, I am a lucky son-of-a-bitch. I didn't meet Tiffany until I was 15; my mom didn't tell my dad that he was a proud pappa. Tiffany grew up with her mother and our father in New Mexico, and they divorced when she was about 4. They made sure that she was loved, healthy, and happy - they did a great job, because she's one of the most actualized people that I know.

Tiffany won't compromise on her happiness. She refuses to be stressed, she knows what she wants, and she walks her talk. I met up with her yesterday at the Irish bar where she works in the financial district of San Francisco near Howard and Second. As usual, she was composed and in charge, albeit a little cracked out on Yerba Mate, a natural, organic stimulant with a bit of caffine. I hung out, had a beer, and grabbed the keys to the apartment she shares with two gorgeous roommates.

I went back to the casa and crashed out while watching a movie after smoking a spliff, only to be awoken by Shane and Julia (the roommates) piling up on me in their drunken excitement at my presence. It's so nice to be awakened by love - especially since I was overdue to pick up Tiffany from work.

This morning, we went to the team meeting for Green Key Real Estate, and I got to meet her co-workers. I'm excited to sell real estate here. It'll be a nice adventure to get to know the city, and to test my theories of sustainable sales on this place. Most of all, I'm excited to get to live, work, and play with one of the most awesome women on the planet - my sister.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

The river




Do you remember
Once when we were little
Peeing by the river?

We made water to be
With nature and leave our
Names in the sand.

Too much grape sugar drink
Made with river water,
We put it back.

The old iron bridge was out
But we climbed past
Living dangerously
Dangling precariously
Waiting for just the right shrieking moment to drop.

An old man kicked a
Long-dead carcass with a
Work-worn boot
Silent beneath a free hat,
Resigned to flannel,
Held tight with a moustache.

One day the leaves will come back to the trees.
Winter always leads to spring.

I remember pissing,
Giving life back to life,
One day by the river.

Sesame Snapper with Daikon-Crosne Truffle Puree and Mizuna & Daikon Greens

Fish:

2 large red snapper fillets (about 8 oz each)
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper

Puree:

One large daikon radish, peeled & cubed
6 oz crosne, washed well.
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 c. cream
4 oz fresh white truffles, grated
salt & white pepper

Greens:

1 bunch daikon greens
6 oz mizuna
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt & pepper

Liberally coat the fish with seeds, oils, vinegar, and season on both sides. Leave to marinate on plate.

Add daikon and crosne to a pot of boiling water. Cook until soft but not quite mushy, about 7-10 min. Drain water. Puree crosne, daikon, butter, cream in food processor until smooth. Season and add truffles.

Add olive oil to hot pan, add daikon greens and salt, saute for 1-2 min until wilted, add mizuna, sesame oil, seeds, vinegar and pepper. Saute until all greens wilt, about 30 sec-1 min.

Heat cast-iron pan until grey-hot. Sear red snapper, about 2 min per side. Serve.

Shitake-Maitake Risotto Cake with Sesame Pistachio Sauce

Cake:
2 tbsp butter
6 oz shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. raisins, chopped
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
pinch red pepper flakes
3 c. cooked sticky brown rice
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs (approx.)
salt & pepper
grapeseed oil to saute

Sauce:
2/3 c. dry roasted pistachios
2 c. water
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Garnish:
5 oz maitake mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
salt & pepper

Melt butter in saute pan, add garlic and shitakes. Saute until liquid has emerged and reduced; about 7 minutes. Add vinegar, raisins, and red pepper flakes, cook about 1 min until vinegar reduces. Add to brown rice in separate bowl; stir in egg and 1/2 breadcrumbs. Add more breadcrumbs as needed until patties form easily. Set aside.

In separate pan, bring water and pistachios to boil, let cook until soft, about 7 min. Add pistachios and their water to food processor, blend with remaining sauce ingredients.

Coat hot frying pan with grapeseed oil, form rice patties with hands, saute each side until golden brown, about 2-3 min per side.

Saute maitake mushrooms in butter, plate and serve. Makes about 8 patties.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Tri-color Cauliflower with Beet Gouda Sauce

I'm making a few sample recipies to create a bound presentation for my future interviews at a great restaurant in San Francisco or Berkeley. I'm giving up on the business world, at least for now. I'd rather get paid to play with food for a while, and work on my writing. It sounds like much more fun.


Tri-Color Cauliflower with Beet Gouda Sauce

Cauliflower:
3 heads multi-colored Italian cauliflower, washed & cut
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 c. water
1 tsp cumin
Salt & pepper to taste
Walnut oil to saute

Sauce:
2 med beets, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 c. water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
4 oz raw Dutch gouda, cut into cubes

Cauliflower:

Saute garlic and cauliflower in oil on high heat until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add water and vinegar, continue cooking until evaporated. Add cumin and season.

Sauce:

Boil beets in water until soft. Blend beets with water in food processor until smooth; run through rice mill or fine sieve. Melt butter in saute pan, add in flour when bubbling. Stir constantly on high heat until almond brown, about 4 min. Add blended beet mixture to pan, mix well. Add gouda, stir until melted. Add water if necessary to preserve proper texture. Serve.

Friday, March 02, 2007

It's about the losing...

The Venice, California pier by sunset last night.

I rode Deb's bike (a rad cruiser she got for Christmas) up and down the beach when I found out that I won't be getting the Transcendentist job. I'm disappointed, but only because it's going to make it more difficult to pay my bills. I'm not sure if I wanted that job, because I don't know what I want.

My grandpa, a wise man (albeit drunk), says that true freedom is knowing what you want and going after it. I've been going in so many directions, and seeing so many infinite possibilities in all directions. At this point, I feel like a diabetic schizophrenic in a candy store, desperately unable to make up my mind. The realtor in me knows that it's damned near impossible to negotiate from a position of desperation.


On the plus side, I'm in California. It's beautiful here, and the weather is great. It's amazing what a difference that's making in my consciousness. I miss my family, I miss my friends, but the energy in Chicago is harsh, cold, and draining. I'm letting go of the drama, suffering, and attachment to shit that brings me down.

I'm proud of myself - I'm losing this one gracefully, and moving on happily.

On a completely unrelated topic, stoners crack me up. I saw this license plate on one of those land yacht hippie vacation mobile home jobbies parked in the lot at the Venice Beach. RVN4BUD - Raving for Bud - please, officer, pull me over and search my car, because I love marijuana and have it in my possession.


The Losing, by The Pretenders:

If it's games you want I've played a few
Let me say up front I'll lose to you
I can see you're a beginner
Well beginner's luck runs out
You think you're a winner
But let me tell ya
The winning's not what it's all about
You see, it's about the losing
Can't rest until I'm losing
At first you feel hungry
Then you're thirsty too
Then a desperate feeling comes over you
You think you can beat
What no one has before
Then you start to cheat
Before you know it
You're back for more
You see it's about the losing
Can't stop when I'm at the top
It's about the losing
Every time I win I have to start again
Can't rest, rest until I'm losing
A bluff's about as good as the getting will get
You see in this neighborhood
We're all in debt
A little more money
A little more fame
Who amongst us, if anybody
Wouldn't risk it all
To stay in the game
You see it's about the losing
Can't stop when I'm at the top
It's about the losing
Every time I win I have to start again
Can't rest, rest until I'm losing
Can't rest, rest until I'm losing
Can't rest, rest until I'm losing
It's about the losing
It's about the losing
It's about the losing

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Waiting to get patient

The bay of Bar Harbor, Maine. September 2006.


I'm waiting to hear from Ina right now to find out if I got the job at Transcendentist. I may have screwed up royally, but I know that I'll make the most of this situation. I guess it happens - no negotiation can go perfectly, and it's sometimes impossible to convince someone that you're trustworthy and reliable. Trust is something that develops over time, and at this point in my life I can't pretend to be something that I'm not. I am committed to green business, I want to work for that company, but I don't know the direction of my life.

I feel like an outcast from society, more than I ever have before. I've always been distant, never adhered to the norm, shied from convention, steered away from the road more frequently traveled, and tried to live in the adventure of the moment. I keep seeing how far that's kept me from truly integrating into participating in what people seem to strive for - jobs, cars, houses - but somehow I've also been so caught up in struggling to get those things while simultaneously recognizing the banality of it all.

I'm worried about my financial situation slightly, and I'll have to borrow money if this job does fall through. I've always fiercely tried to prove my independence to anyone who would pay attention, but now I've got to be dependent on other people. That's the nature of being interdependent, and it's wonderful to be able to fall back on my family and friends for their nuturing and support.

Debbie bought me a pedicure this morning. Now my toes are blue, which is fun. The sun is shining, and it's 65 degrees here. If the job falls through, I'm going to spend a little more time down here in Los Angeles. Venice is a chill place, and Deb and Matt are great to stay with... so I will keep on mooching in exchange for cooking and childcare.

I've got to learn to be patient with myself, and with life. I've rushed into these large, life-changing decisions so fast that it makes my head spin. Now I've got to be patient with myself, and take the time to figure out where I want to go next... if this doesn't work out.

Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy

I'm not sure where this originally aired, but I love YouTube.

watch this

Dawn French is a comedianne who's interviewed numerous other women of comedy, and they discuss intimate and revealing aspects of what led them to humor, the nature of satire, wit, and laughter. It's great, and everything I could ever ask for in streaming video.