prelude to a farewell

i’ve been mulling this over for a while now. in fact I’ve probably been putting it off. but the reality has caught up with me and it’s time i finally pull the plug on this show and send everybody home.

almost 3 years ago I began this little experiment. the idea was fairly simple. a post each day sharing a haiku. a meditation on the day. it became a kind of creative healing. a place to play and park so many of the thoughts that go rolling around inside my brain. this endeavor kept me active and more engaged with the world around me as i looked for new inspiration.

but time has caught up and shifted me now to a different place. the purpose has, i believe largely been fulfilled. i had wanted to share some things and the way i see the world. and i’ve done that. and sure, i could keep it up i suppose, but now it’s time for other projects.

thanks to all of you who joined me on the journey and who are reading this now. thanks for your comments of encouragement. it means a lot. i plan to leave the blog up indefinitely (that is to say as long as blogger allows) and invite you to visit the archives. if there are any missing links or files related to earlier posts, and you would like some more info or the original file, just shoot me a comment and i’ll be happy to respond as i am able.

and finally for those of you who were always wondering or never thought to ask, here is a little insight on the origins of the name “toastrobot”. back at the beginning of this as i was trying to think of a name, i was looking for something that sounded like two opposing ideas, like “iron butterfly”. i love robots, especially the shiny metal toy variety. and the contrast of a warm piece of toast appealed to me. like something fresh. add to it that my motorbike is commonly referred to as a “toaster” and it just seemed to work. anyway, it’s certainly taken on its own life and given me some in return.

so there you have it. may you continue to be blessed as i have been blessed.

mattb

 

the images we
record get tucked away like

files of memory

playmobil

 one of the better perks in being a parent is selecting your children's toys for them when they are still very young. in fact, it is something quite like an art picking things out for their play. it requires a combination of keen logical deduction and a reckless abandonment to intuition. and sometimes it is a payback to the wounded days of your own childhood, that without check can get away from you like a runaway train. yet in all of this, there has been a careful attention to quality. an attempt to help form long lasting relationships with toys that will not only spark the imaginative play, but give the user an excellent entry point into solid design.

 all of this is captured in the world of playmobil. born of the fatherland, where some would consider the father land of toy production, the branstatter  group began production in the 1970's. as a child i remember these sturdy plastic figures in themes based mostly in generic historical settings, such as pirates and knights. currently they still produce over 30 themes both historical and modern.

over the years we've collected quite a bit of the stuff. we have the obligatory knight and castle sets, pirate boats and island, (with napoleonic navy in hot pursuit) and of course the city sets with our private lear jet at the ready to take our little people all over the playmobil planet at a moment's notice. although they lack the more intricate assembly and building traits of the rival lego sets, there is still much interchangeability. and with that comes so much of the fun.

 as we routinely clean out the garage and donate or sell outgrown items, the question always seems to come around to what we'll do with these. they get played with less and less these days, and yet it's difficult for me to let them go. i'll pick up a piece or two and stare at the wonderful details that have been included and think what a shame it would be if they were one day gone. so i guess until the kid in me has had enough they will continue to occupy a shelf in my garage and a warm place in the heart.

transportation for
the new old location called

 imagination

carrug island

one of the reasons i think the t.v. show "lost" was so popular is because i believe within all of us is an island of private thought. a construct of all of the sacred dreams and desires we carry around separate of our connection to others. this place, which i have named "carrug island" appeals to me very much.
it's my place of escape, and a land where a boy may be king. still featuring a restored castle from original inhabitants of centuries past, now open to guests as a kind of museum, winery and b+b. there is also a football field nearby (and when i say "football" i'm not talking about the american offering) which hosts world cup qualifying and exhibition matches from around the world. just to the south of it is the little hamlet of carrug where one can grab a pint of local ale while listening to folk music or spoken word. further south one may choose to stay in our 5 star international accomadations with all modern technology and convenience.
of course the biggest event each year is the vintage moto gp, whose road course challenges riders from all backgrounds and which circumnavigates the island. after the race you may find some of the riders hanging out at the igloo club and dancing the night away. all of this fun does require an organization, and you'll find our three building headquarters and offices down on the southeast side of the island. when we take a break from the busy planning, we like to head down to the gourmet hot dog stand below on street level.
of course there are other attractions and amusements including the carrug peaks, with an still active volcano, and its unusual desert valley below. a large greenhouse cultivating some of our more delicate fruits and flowers, and even a circus show to rival cirque du soleil's. and too there is always the beach. never far from our gaze, it's beautiful blue reminds us that we are always close to life.

the satisfaction
of momentary visits
lived in the present

brazil

sunday morning. easter morning. arose early, while it was still dark outside and readied myself for a sunrise service at church. stood in the brisk chill of easter morning under the tall 3 crosses as we sang hymns and waited for sunlight to warm us. drank coffee from a thermos that steamed in my hand. felt the warmth.
returned home and proceeded to mount up on my motorbike for an 2 wheeled easterly retreat. into the oakland hills cutting across skyline and joaquin miller surveying vistas below. through the zig-zags of grizzly peak and then up the steep switches toward tilden park. at the brazil building spotted a wedding reception spilling out on to the patio. pulled over and turned off the bike.
pulled out the ear plugs and watched as a light wind rocked the cherry blossoms, gently creating an effect like snowfall that dazzled the eyes. then watched as wedding guests dressed in elegance moved about and listened to their lilting voices, laughing. and for a few moments wished to be a part of that community. the beauty and sanctity of a wedding on easter sunday. new life.
the moment passed. realized place and time. returned ear plugs and sparked bike back to life. then tore back down the hills through berkeley and tunnel road, and finally screaming back on highway 13, toward home.

a day at the railway

and now for something completely different. a little railway distraction trip, courtesy my uncle courtenay and aunt vera. enjoy the ride!

where i'm at

when you look back at the pictures i have posted over the past 4 days, you wouldn't know it, but they were all taken in a single day within a block of my work. and this simple fact reminds me of 2 things. first, the idea of photography as expressed by alfred stieglitz when he said "in photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality" in that the brief time i took to step outside and record these images, and then alter them slightly, removing them from their original time and place, they became something more. something i saw and then shared, and thus they have been transformed.
secondly, all of this connects to me, and to where i'm at now. stieglitz also marveled at the wonderful simplicity and access to creativity that photography affords us, even today in this digital medium. all any of us need do is step out, and look for these opportunities. they are all around us. and in sharing them, we share little pieces of our selves.

"i have found my subjects within 60 feet of my door"

- alfred stieglitz

ground control to major tom...

take me to the bridge...

all ride on through change
of landscape though frozen in
a moment called now

seven

seven turns a corner, as morning wakes again
"time to get up and earn your keep" says the watcher of all men
so seven splits the alley and turns to head uptown
he moves with quick precision, though the world sees him a clown
past civic center, curving market, seven walks his path with ease
he moves on by the castro as the flags wave in the breeze
he walks now through the mission, and knows he's nearly there
then passes 19th avenue, moving without care
he breezes through a doorway, and takes his place in line
then moves up as the people disperse and then recline
at last he's at the counter, the man says "yes, señor?"
he smiles and holds his hand up "i'll have the number four"
the man he nods at seven, and then begins to work
and then two minutes later he serves him without irk
he slides a warm plate over, across the counter top
and seven takes it from him as he pays the man called "pop"
and now he finds a table, near the window looks outside
and seven is in heaven as he now completes his ride.

"in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks"

-john muir

spirit of travel
compelling all forward as
it moves souls further

magic bus

went walking around the grounds of our local japanese gardens recently, and i came across this golden beauty. she looked tired sitting off the road and as i walked around something seemed familiar. and then it hit me. a couple years back i had seen one just like this up in roseville at the old train yard. it was in its full original glory, and you can check it out here. as i understand it these were used to shuttle train passengers from satellite stations back in the 1940's and they certainly have that vintage streamlined look from an era where radios and coffee makers looked ready to propel through the stars. i'm not really sure how this one got separated from the fleet, but these days she looks more like a hippie commune than a glorious streamliner. still, it stirred my imagination toward trips still not taken.

atari age

i've known about atari age for a while now, but somehow i didn't put 2 and 2 together until just the other day. you see, almost 2 years ago i finally decided to put my own atari lot up for sale. it was a little bittersweet for although i sure didn't need the boxes of consoles and cartridges taking up space in the garage anymore, and had mostly had my fun and was done, my ebay auction didn't yield the result i was hoping for. in fact, to be honest i really lost money on the deal which was the biggest disappointment.

time goes by. sometimes i would hear a song or see an ad in an old comic book that reminded me of those days in the early 80's when i would go over to my best friend's house and play atari for hours. and i missed that a little. so while browsing the atari age website the other day, i was a little surprised to come across an emulator for my mac, and an astonishing collection of roms for the 2600. and the download folders for these take up so little memory. so in no time i had not only replaced every single title i had basically given away in the ebay auction, but was playing games i'd never even heard of.

and in addition to having access to all these fabulous game experiences, atari age is the definitive resource for everything else you would ever want to know about the system including scans of all the ephemera, the instruction booklets, packaging, ads and even a marvel comic series called "atari force". and now i am able to tap into a little bit of that feeling, the memories of long gone days when life just seemed simpler. at my uncle's house in arizona on vacations we would swim all day until we got tired, and then came in and played asteroids or space invaders or missile command until we got the urge to jump back in the pool. and now i'm floating in an 8 bit sea again.

bar-a i d

one of the nice things about having a garage, is that you can put stuff in it. and of course this also means the reverse is true as well. and lately my bride of 15+ years has been taking some of this stuff out. tweaking and fine tuning her kitchen area, our old squirrel made its first appearance back the other day. and then i spotted this. a relic from our honeymoon, we picked this up one day walking through the city of vancouver. it's pressed tin, with this great graphic and typography layout, and a rotary dial for thumbing through all of the different cocktail recipes, most of which i've never heard of.
but that doesn't really matter, because it's endless fun dialing your way through and discovering the secret ingredients for such chemical creations as "gertie's garter" and the "ward 8" (make sure there's grenadine in the house first) and although we're not planning on opening a bar any time soon (although there is one in the garage too) it's just a lot of fun having this little novelty around. when i think about the internet, and all that's available, and i'm sure so many hipsters probably already have some app that would shame our little tin friend, it's alright. because more than anything it reminds me of what was. cool couples shaking and stirring while bossa nova records played in the background. maybe they smiled as the ashtrays filled up and they watched their kids running through the long days of summer backyards. and they drank to forget the pain and agony of memories of a world at war.
(oh, and if you hadn't already noticed- the word "aid" on this guy has a little kerning problem. and if you noticed it, you may have fun giving this little game a whirl as well :^)

fields containing pearls
lie beneath our feet and wait
for full hearts to dig

hangar one

i was sitting at my desk the other day, when i spotted this heading our way. so bizarre to see it coming out of the east. we never saw them when we lived up in sacramento. and it made me think about the glory days of the original airships. i wondered what it must have been like to be in a farm field somewhere in europe, and then to look up and see this giant silent monster bearing down on you.

this one belongs to the hangar one vodka people and has been on a 30+ city tour. the blimp is housed nearby and must have been heading back to home base the day i spotted it. i understand that they book flights back and forth between sf and la. how cool. i wonder what it would be like to float up there suspended in the sky...