I was opening files and this Skype chat between MJ and I came up. We were in the same city, yes, but in different houses, late at night (noooo we didn’t have a fight… it’s a loooong story… to be told another time) We had a deadline on an article we had been asked to write for our good friends at the Good Life Magazine so we both got on skype…

You won’t see a post like this every day on this blog, no sir

Chat History with

Created on 2006-12-07 22:51:33.

mj:22:23:52: test
barcelonaloca:22:23:57: hello
mj:22:24:03: yes
mj:22:25:17: so we’re working remotely for this article. the beuty and the beast of technology
mj:22:25:36: how are we to maintain a physical community with this?
barcelonaloca:22:25:57: it would be a long story to explain why we are not doing this in person, but it IS related to housing
mj:22:26:09: or not
barcelonaloca:22:26:23: ok the absence of housing then
mj:22:27:00: well maybe it is also the absence of the ability for most to be “neighbors” these days or maybe that is a little to harsh
barcelonaloca:22:27:40: I liked your perception of the fence around our house, I’m going to paste it here
mj:22:27:58: it is a beautiful metophor
mj:22:28:11: a physical thing
mj:22:28:19: a real thing
barcelonaloca:22:28:21: Our current house has a low chain link fence around the back yard. You know the type, the one your parents put up to keep the family dog from getting into their friend’s–read neighbors–yard and digging up the tomatoes. The fence dad would lean on while talking to Mr. Jones. The fence where Mrs. Jones would trade mom some tomatoes for zucchini. Well this fence of ours, has gates in it to the neighbors’ yards. Imagine that. Openings to my neighbors’yards. A gesture to the sense of community right there in my own back yard.
But these gates are covered with vines and have been wired shut. When? Why? What a beautiful thing those gates are.
(this is a goo “last line)I wonder if my neighbors would like some Squash?
mj:22:28:24: tactile
mj:22:28:41: is that goo or good?
barcelonaloca:22:28:47: good
barcelonaloca:22:29:10: maybe we should skip the IM thing and go home and get in bed
barcelonaloca:22:29:13: together
barcelonaloca:22:29:19: I like the tactile part
mj:22:29:26: yeah..
barcelonaloca:22:29:38: ok back to the article
barcelonaloca:22:29:40: rats
mj:22:29:48: double arts
barcelonaloca:22:30:12: somehow I think that the point you make about community is also related to “truth”
mj:22:30:15: that should be double rats
barcelonaloca:22:30:29: or double star

mj:22:30:30: how so
mj:22:30:43: you have star there that is no fair
mj:22:30:59: woof
barcelonaloca:22:31:03: great dog”-)
barcelonaloca:22:31:10: woofa
mj 22:31:10: seems such
mj22:31:17: funny girl
barcelonaloca:22:31:24: funny boy
mj22:31:33: not that kind of funnhy
barcelonaloca:22:31:48: don’t get me started, I can’t think
mj22:32:07: so how si the idea related to community
mj:22:32:21: truth/
barcelonaloca:22:32:30: ok my point was that what is BEHIND the fact of the loss of neighborhood and community
barcelonaloca:22:32:36: are we REALLY like that
mj:22:32:54: yes
barcelonaloca:22:32:58: I think we inside we crave that intimacy
barcelonaloca:22:33:11: but we are too afraid to experience it
barcelonaloca:22:33:32: we want to use those gates, but what is really getting in the way
barcelonaloca:22:33:34: FEAR
mj:22:33:39: of coiurse that’s why we drive across town to visit our friends. why we get on airplanes and travel thousands of miles
barcelonaloca:22:33:55: well some friends are far
mj:22:34:02: fear of bing sued for tresspassing
barcelonaloca:22:34:11: we shouldn’t scratch those, now
mj:22:34:22: hows tha ?
barcelonaloca:22:34:38: remember how the little boy told Kilean to get out of HIS property
mj:22:34:57: this a prevelant fear in todays society. being sued for any reason or non at all
barcelonaloca:22:35:02: Kilean wanted toplay and he’s thinking about him trspassing
mj:22:35:20: what put that kind of thought into a childs head?
mj:22:35:38: propriety?
barcelonaloca:22:35:41: so instead of seeing an oportunity to have fun, make a friend, he feels invaded
barcelonaloca:22:35:59: yes that was put in his head
barcelonaloca:22:36:31: it wasn’t HIS thought, it’s just not natural
barcelonaloca:22:36:44: So all this I see as lack of truth
mj:22:36:51: the american indians viewed the land in a completly different way as well as many different cultures which we have systematically destroyed. By force or by economics. or perceived ecomnomics
barcelonaloca:22:37:03: yes, they shared it
barcelonaloca:22:37:14: I was also thinking about our driveways
barcelonaloca:22:37:27: and the stuff you mentioned about Andalucia
barcelonaloca:22:37:49: and theprostitutes. The locical idea is making our driveways common
barcelonaloca:22:37:58: logical
mj:22:38:10: neighbors sharing parts of “their” property for the good of each other.
mj:22:38:25: the good of comunity
barcelonaloca:22:38:37: that’s right, I mean, that exists, but it’s not prevalent at all
barcelonaloca:22:38:48: how the hell have we gotten so disconnected?
mj:22:39:01: htere was a need in Granada. it was driven by a real need.
barcelonaloca:22:39:14: but fueled by an idea
barcelonaloca:22:39:37: and how ironic that the people sharing the most are the people that are needier
mj:22:39:47: of thinking…of trying to sollve situations in a creative way
mj:22:40:05: what is needier? define thta
barcelonaloca:22:40:07: is it because they have less to lose, or their hearts have closed less
barcelonaloca:22:40:12: poorer
mj:22:40:27: maybe they have more to loose.
barcelonaloca:22:40:29: are they less afraid?
barcelonaloca:22:40:38: more?
mj:22:41:13: reminds me of the biblie story of the women who gives all to the chuch but it is very little monetarily and the rich man gives a lot monetarily but in reality it is little for him
barcelonaloca:22:41:27: good point
barcelonaloca:22:41:45: back to the concept of “value”
mj:22:42:07: what is intrinsic value
barcelonaloca:22:42:11: right
mj: 22:42:18: value that will last
barcelonaloca:22:42:25: or that is REAAL
barcelonaloca:22:42:30: real
barcelonaloca:22:42:34: truthful
mj:22:42:41: again what is klyour diffinition of real?
barcelonaloca:22:43:02: what is true for you at a given time when you are being honest with yourself
mj:22:43:24: but that isn’t necassarily the same for all
barcelonaloca:22:43:29: in order to be able to be honest with yourself you have to be quiet and listen inside
barcelonaloca:22:43:47: no but I think if it is honest, it always works in the end
mj:22:43:48: or feel the kick in the gut
barcelonaloca:22:44:02: yes the gut knows betterthan the brain
barcelonaloca:22:44:26: we limit ourselves
mj:22:44:30: gut is also used to lhold water. the origonal botas
barcelonaloca:22:44:34: with ourminds
mj:22:44:53: i dohn’t know what those are
barcelonaloca:22:44:56: that’s a surreal image, I like it 🙂
barcelonaloca:22:45:18: you don’t know what botas are
barcelonaloca:22:45:22: ?
mj:22:45:24: our minds ok i lthough you where talking about something else
barcelonaloca:22:45:41: we limit ourselves with our thoughts
mj:22:45:53: of course we used to ski with them ful a truth elixir
barcelonaloca:22:46:01: lol
barcelonaloca:22:46:10: (laughing out loud)
mj:22:46:15: i new that
mj:22:46:21: but i don’t hear you
barcelonaloca:22:48:54: bueh
barcelonaloca:22:49:13: man that office is loud, all that concrete
mj:22:49:25: what is bueh?
barcelonaloca:22:49:29: I can hear people in the background a bit
barcelonaloca:22:49:38: but sund was good
barcelonaloca:22:49:51: bueh is that I don’t want to hang uo and I miss you!!1
mj:22:50:07: yse but get some sleep…
mj:22:50:20: good night
barcelonaloca:22:50:21: I know
barcelonaloca:22:50:24: bueh
barcelonaloca:22:51:02: night
mj:22:51:09: good night
mj:22:51:17: i love you