{"id":306,"date":"2009-07-14T18:49:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-14T18:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath\/"},"modified":"2009-07-14T18:49:00","modified_gmt":"2009-07-14T18:49:00","slug":"day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html","title":{"rendered":"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

dragonfly flits, body iridescent blue
rests in bright sun on stem of green hue
flags blow gaily in warm summer breeze
clouds form and dissipate above ironbark trees
<\/span>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/span>Lee Emmett, from his poem \u201c<\/span>Atisha Buddhist<\/a> Center<\/span><\/a>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/span>Photo from Yogananda\u2019s Self Realization Fellowship<\/a> center here in LA.
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myself and the great Rev. Danny Fisher<\/a> at University of the West<\/a>. (photo by Corrine Hinton)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>Palm trees and a few stars above L.A. from my sister\u2019s apartment in Culver City.\n

Three days in LA. So far, so good.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
After an uneventful flight in from Missoula, my sister, Eve, picked me up at LAX and took me immediately to her favorite Mexican restaurant, Paco\u2019s Tacos. After filling up on beans, rice, and fresh tortillas (probably not vegetarian, but we\u2019ll let that slide for now), we made our way to a little bar near her apartment called \u201cThe Cozy.\u201d The place and its patrons could have been taken right out of Missoula. \u00a0It\u2019s a mix of Charlie B\u2019s and Als and Vics with the addition of a beautiful shuffleboard table<\/a>, which kept us occupied until the wee hours.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Sunday, Eve and I hiked up Topanga Canyon north of Santa Monica. There we found some great views of the smog \u2013 I mean city \u2013 to the south. Then it was off to the very beautiful and serene\u00a0Self Realization Fellowship<\/a>\u00a0center; essentially a man-made oasis in the midst of L.A.\u2019s man-made chaos. There one finds extraordinary gardens filled with wildlife and flowers along with shrines devoted to each of the major religions. \u00a0We ended the night at a very cool cafe, \u201cThe Wood,\u201d near her apartment where I continued work on my presentation for Monday at UWest.\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Monday started early for me (6am, which for me is early). I had to catch a bus at 7:30 which would eventually \u2013 10am according to the plan \u2013 drop me near UWest to meet up with Danny, check out the campus, and still have some time to finish preparing for my talk.\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As I told Danny, I have a love-hate relationship with giving talks and writing papers. I love it because it\u2019s just amazing to be able to share the work I love. But I hate it because I\u2019m both a perfectionist and a procrastinator, so I want all of my work to be\u00a0just right<\/span>, but I don\u2019t want to start working on it until tomorrow.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Anyhow, buses being buses and me being me, I got a tiny bit lost on the one connection I needed to make along the way. \u00a0Using my horrible Spanish skills and relying on the not-too-shabby English of a woman at the bus stop I was waiting at, I discovered that my stop was on \u201cel otro lado de la freeway.\u201d Oh. So I made my way to the freeway (the Santa Ana) and got further instructions \u2013 more \u201cotro lado\u201d kind of stuff. I eventually made it almost<\/span> to my stop when I made the mistake of calling Danny and getting directions from him, \u201cget on the 62 to the 287 and then the (I don\u2019t remember after that)\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I got on the 62 and asked the driver where to get off for the 287 and with wide eyes she shook her head and said, \u201cI don\u2019t know about that\u2026\u201d Then she had me call 1800-commute. The operator there immediately redirected me off the 62<\/span>, back onto another 62 (going the opposite direction) and onto the Montebello 20, which I was supposed to be on in the first place. That one brought me close enough to UWest that the very kind Danny and his wonderful coworker Corrine could come pick me up. \u00a0All in all it was a 3 and a half hour adventure of buses, wandering around East LA, and speaking Spanglish with kind old ladies.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After a tour of the UWest campus and lunch, I hunkered down in the library to finish up my talk. The talk itself went very well. The small audience was mostly monastics of varying traditions, so the Q and A brought many great insights. And thanks to Bill at UWest, the talk was recorded and should pop up on their website and here in the coming weeks.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Post-talk and discussion Danny and I had a bit to eat and then I was back on the bus heading West into LA\u2019s purple hued sunset. \u00a0Two hours later, at last, I was back in Culver City with Eve.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
All in all, it\u2019s been great. I\u2019ve been a witness to far more generosity than I ever would have expected in a big city like LA. It has been wonderful to catch up with my big sister, who I typically see only about twice a year these days. And Danny and everyone else at UWest have my sincere gratitude. Oh! And the photos! These and many more are due to the wonderful generosity of the ever-lovely Julie who entrusted me with her amazing camera.<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above ironbark trees\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Lee Emmett, from his poem \u201cAtisha Buddhist Center\u201c Photo from Yogananda\u2019s Self Realization Fellowship center here in LA. Myself and the great Rev. Danny Fisher at University of the West. (photo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDay three in LA, finally catching my breath<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Buddhist Perspectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2603\/3720356917_498fa44369_b.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Justin Whitaker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Justin Whitaker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html\",\"name\":\"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9\"},\"description\":\"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/\",\"name\":\"American Buddhist Perspectives\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9\",\"name\":\"Justin Whitaker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Justin Whitaker\"},\"description\":\"I am an almost-life-long Montanan; a baptized Catholic; an ardent Atheist; a practicing Buddhist; a lover of Wisdom. I have a BA and almost an MA in (Western) Philosophy from the University of Montana-Missoula, an MA in Buddhist Studies from Bristol University, UK, and I am currently working on a Ph.D. in Buddhist Ethics at the U of London. My main academic foci are early Buddhist ethics and Kant (odd combination, I know). I also study Western ethics, Tibetan Buddhism, Theravada, Comparative philosophy, and Environmental ethics. I also like photography, running, drinking wine, and eating peanut butter (often in that order).\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/author\/justinwhitaker\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath","description":"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath","og_description":"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html","og_site_name":"American Buddhist Perspectives","article_published_time":"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2603\/3720356917_498fa44369_b.jpg"}],"author":"Justin Whitaker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Justin Whitaker","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html","name":"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2009-07-14T18:49:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9"},"description":"dragonfly flits, body iridescent bluerests in bright sun on stem of green hueflags blow gaily in warm summer breezeclouds form and dissipate above","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2009\/07\/day-three-in-la-finally-catching-my-breath.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Day three in LA, finally catching my breath"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/","name":"American Buddhist Perspectives","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/abfb8f851f671638c4c7536b963f9da9","name":"Justin Whitaker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/817b6fba8ae056aaff4f9bdc84347d72?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"Justin Whitaker"},"description":"I am an almost-life-long Montanan; a baptized Catholic; an ardent Atheist; a practicing Buddhist; a lover of Wisdom. I have a BA and almost an MA in (Western) Philosophy from the University of Montana-Missoula, an MA in Buddhist Studies from Bristol University, UK, and I am currently working on a Ph.D. in Buddhist Ethics at the U of London. My main academic foci are early Buddhist ethics and Kant (odd combination, I know). I also study Western ethics, Tibetan Buddhism, Theravada, Comparative philosophy, and Environmental ethics. I also like photography, running, drinking wine, and eating peanut butter (often in that order).","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/author\/justinwhitaker"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}