At one of the many parties held during TED Global 2009, I found myself talking to folks next to a skeleton of a dinosaur - a Tyrannosaurus Rex - pictured here. Someone had set their wine glass at his feet. Another had draped a jacket over his “knee” or whatever its called. The idea of this creature roaming, destroying and killing people and things thousands of years ago - and his/her skeleton now serving as a backdrop for a glass of wine and a coat-rack just fascinated me more …

Boundaries. It’s a concept I’ve struggled with my whole life - usually on the “boundary-less” end. But I’ve come to realize that having boundaries, setting them, enforcing them, recognizing them, is the key to a better life. It’s HOW we get out of situations we don’t want to be in. It’s how we get the courage to say “No,” to the things we don’t want to do. Boundaries are life - our life. If you don’t have them, don’t understand them, don’t keep them - then your life probably sucks. …

Why be average? It’s what I respond when people ask me why I can’t “be normal” and just live in a house like anyone else. “Why can’t you be normal?” Well, isn’t it more helpful to say, “Why be average?” That’s what “normal” is after all - AVERAGE. If you like being average - be normal.
I drive a white van right now. It “blends,” and doesn’t attract attention. I hate the whiteness and blandness of it. I’d rather paint a wrap around mural on it, but the trade-off is …

Sometimes our light goes out…..
But it is blown again, into flame,
By an encounter with another human being.
Each of us owes our deepest thanks
To those who have rekindled…….
This inner light.
- Albert Schweitzer
When I was in ROTC in college one of my better friends in the squad …

I just found this great device and wish I’d had it when I was living in my van before. However, it’s still not too late. I get pretty chilly these days - especially when it’s raining outside!
This is actually a 12-volt warming pad for a dog. It’s supposed to be used for dogs that you leave in your car when you rent a comfy hotel room and can’t bring them inside. But if you’re living in your car and trying to stay warm, or even if you travel on cold …