A Moveable Feast – Kinetic Sculpture

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Aaron

I have always enjoyed building things, working with my hands.

I am working on a project that is on Kickstarter.com

I like tasks that are born from problems that push me to the edge. Complex, with many variables, high stakes, and requiring thought from diverse fields. I feel like I grow as I solve these.

I like mundane tasks that are repetitive and often monotonous, too. These make my brain quiet and allow me to rest. They also present an opportunity to practice patience and commitment, as the fun stuff isn’t allowed to be appreciated without the drudgery and I know it.

A Moveable Feast is both and is going to kick ass!

Ernest Hemingway wrote A Moveable Feast about his experience in Paris in the 1920′s. “This is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.” In it, he recalls how every cafe were a buffet of most interesting tales from even more fascinating people. “If the reader prefers, this book may be regarded as fiction”, yet the stories are a memoir of his time there. Paris in the 1920′s!!

We hope to recreate the essence of those glory days aboard a most interesting and unique machine.

My friend Dan Busby, Head Chef for Dinner, certainly belongs in the fascinating people department and I was stoked when he invited me to help build this carnival of metal. A handful of other really cool cats are lending a hand, too, so it’s a lot of fun to get together to figure it all out. Head scratching and laughs abound.

Our concept is simple: Create an art bike that we can pedal around while enjoying a feast. The seats must be comfortable and the table wide enough that our legs and drivetrain can fit underneath. We’ve got a lot of details to hammer out, but we’re making some great progress. We’ll decorate the table with the finest china, ornate chafing dishes, and goblets of wine, and we’ll dine in style. A meal upon the Moveable Feast will never be mundane.

The wheels are completely done. The steering and transmission have been acquired. The final design is making it was to paper.

Building an art bike is expensive. It will probably cost in excess of $4,000 by the time its done and Dan is putting up half out of his own pocket.

Would you be willing to make a small donation toward our project?

Our goal is $2,000. We’ve already raised $1,800 as of this writing and we have over 6 weeks left on our drive. We don’t have to stop at $2K though. What’s cool is that for every bit of cash we raise over our goal means that we get to add extra cool stuff. Think tall candle sticks, doilies, top hats all around, and sound…of course, sound. Massive, beautiful sound!

You get cool stuff when you make a donation, too. A couple of my favorites are $10+ a copy of the recipe book we are writing of meals that will be feasted upon, $40+ a signed copy of Hemingway’s book signed by the builders of the contraption, or $400+ a ride anywhere in Los Angeles with 6 of your friends with dinner served..Hollywood? Downtown? A sunset ride along the boardwalk in Venice?

Here’s a link to our Kickstarter page

Thanks for giving my project a look. I hope you’re smiling.

Talk soon,

Aaron

ps – Real big thanks goes to Syyn Labs for offering space to build, Aaron Industrial Recycling and Aaron Blatt for donating the aluminum rims and various metal, a cool old salt in North Ridge for a good deal on a golf cart and some spare parts, and everyone who has lent a hand or thrown a few bucks toward our cause! Thank you so much!

pps – If you want to help, you can make a small donation. Even $1 helps out

ppps – Did you notice that we’re going to get doilies if we exceed our goal? That makes me so happy.

Monice Dworski Arnold

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Aaron

Monice Dworski Arnold died at her home in Durham, NC on January 4, 2012, attended by her children as she wished. She was 94; every day of her life was met with optimism and humor.

Born in Rochester, NY in 1917, she was the youngest of six children of Gertrude B. and Maurice Dworski, immigrants from Eastern Europe.

She attended Rochester city schools and graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1941, studying Shakespeare and art history. She was the first girl in her family to attend college, and she made lifelong friends as a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority.

During World War II, she managed and expanded her elder brothers’ businesses and property while they were serving in the military, the first of many unusual endeavors demonstrating her strong work ethic, commitment to family, and keen business acumen.

Monice married Ralph Arnold, MD in 1947 and moved with him to Durham, NC, where they embraced the vibrant academic and medical community at Duke University and had four children prior to Ralph’s passing in 1960.

She fully participated in the civic, cultural, and Jewish life of her adopted hometown of Durham. Monice was deeply devoted to her many volunteer activities, some of which included Beth El Synagogue, Hadassah, the Nasher Art Museum at Duke University, Carolina Theater, and Concern of Durham, Inc.

Fiercely independent, generous, and active until the end of her life, she nurtured friendships across generations and backgrounds and inspired all she met with her irrepressible joie de vivre.

A lifelong learner, Duke basketball fanatic, one time golf champion, social research interviewer, and unique matriarch, Monice was a true original.

She is lovingly remembered by her surviving family: daughter, Louise Davis and son-in-law, Cliff; sons, Andy Arnold, John Van Arnold and daughter-in-law, Donna, James Arnold; grandchildren Elizabeth Racheva and Danail Rachev, Aaron Davis, Benzie van Arnold, and Rachel van Arnold; and great-granddaughter, Kalina Racheva; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Monice’s name may be made to any of the following organizations: Beth El Legacy Fund, Beth El Synagogue, 1004 Watts Street, Durham, NC 27701; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, 2001 Campus Drive, Durham, NC 27705; The Carolina Theater, 309 West Morgan Street Durham, NC 27701; and Greenhouse for Girls and Greenhouse for Boys (Concern of Durham, Inc.), 3001 Academy Road, Suite 230, Durham, NC 27707.

Rugby World Cup 2011 – New Zealand + Australia

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Aaron

“You’ve got to get your first tackle in early, even if it’s late.” – Ray Graved

I was a senior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and had been playing my heart out on the rugby pitch for 4 years. Two buddies and I had dreams of grandeur, to move to the rugby mother land, New Zealand, to live, love, play for a season or more.

Then we decided not to.

There wasn’t any specific reason not to go, as I recall. The plans just sort of fizzled. The dream did not.

I’m still friends with those two guys, great friends, although our lives are now separated by 1000’s of miles and completely different paths.

A few weeks ago, I called one of them from a beach in that far away land, and the first thing he said to me was, “You finally made it..”

Rugby has been a corner stone of my life since discovering it my first year at UNCW nearly 15 years ago..

I recall having a conversation about football with a fellow that I knew from a neighboring high school my very first day at Wilmington. When our chit-chat subsided, a french fellow beside me asked, “Why don’t you play rugby?”, in sort of a stuffy, heavy, sweaty french kind of way.

That french guy and I would also become great friends, like so many more guys that I would meet on the pitch. Renan Guillou and I would live together all through college and we still keep in touch, even though I’m in Los Angeles and he’s in Panama.

I digress.

Rugby has been a determining factor in where I’ve lived, traveled, and worked. It’s provided an incredible network, personal and professional. It’s opened the door to a relationship with more than one maiden and it’s closed it with a handful more.

I never understood it when I heard old guys say it when I started, “Once a rugger. Always a rugger. You’ll never really be done. Well, not until you’re dead..but even then..”

I fully understand it now.

These days, I feel more often than not, that my body is ready to call it a day. My schedule no longer allows for all of the training that is required to play at the level my heart desires. I’ve become interested in other sports and activities.

Yet, rugby remains.

I get energized when I smell the grass. I get excited to talk about footy with anyone. I get pissed off when I see another bloak play like a jerk on the pitch, especially when they play my position, by running like a sissy or missing a tackle or dropping a pass. I suppose it stems from jealously that I’m not out there, but who knows.

I simply love the game. Everything about it.

Rugby is and will always be in my blood.

The pinnacle of rugby competition is of course the World Cup. The most holy of rugby lands is of course New Zealand.

__________

My neighbor, dear friend, fellow rugger , and owner of the Rugby Travel Company and I went sailing a couple years ago. We were 2 or 8 beers into an epic night when he said that we should put together a tour to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup.

Sure! It’ll be legendary! Hell Yes!!

The following morning we confirmed our drunken plan and the stage was set.

I would find the guys to make the trek and he would plan all the travel. We would connect with teams in both New Zealand and Australia to play with and join at the pub. Excursions would be booked.

Fast forward to September 2011

In the end 10 men would meet in Los Angeles, coming from all over the United States, to embark on the trip of a life time. All but two, whom we elected an honorary alum, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, our graduation dates spanning 14 years. We all work in different fields, from construction to law to software to nuclear reactor auditing..one guy might even by a secret agent man, but he’d have to kill us if he told us.

Marc Ingham
Chris Jaddick
Clayton Wilson
Eric Glasgow
Ron Dean
Ben Andrews
Aaron Davis
Taylor Monavian
Shane Castean
Jason Gruner

Our trip went went on like this..

Saturday 10th – Most of the crew arrive in Los Angeles. I, Aaron, put a few guys up and a few stayed on Simon’s sail boat in Marina del Rey.
Sunday 11th – Play touch rugby with the Beack Boks (primarily a South African group) and members of Santa Monica RFC on the beach in Santa Monica
Monday 12th – Depart Los Angeles
Tuesday 13th – Arrive in Auckland, NZ
Wednesday 14th – Pick up camper vans –> Travel to Rotarua and sulfur lake
Thursday 15th – Attend Russia vs. USA @ Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth
Friday 16th – Travel to Helensville/Auckland. Stopped to tour Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Stopped to watch New Zealand v Japan at Stadium Waikato in Hamilton. Meet with Helensville RFC (Camp on Helensville Rugby Club Grounds ~ approximately 30 mins from Auckland)
Saturday 17th – Social game with Helensville RFC @1pm. The Helensville Youth Cutural Organization performed a traditional Maori dance and concert (amazing!). Our host family put a lamb on the spit and we watched rugby for the afternoon – Argentina v Romania @ 3pm, South Africa v Fiji @ 5pm, Australia v Ireland @ 8pm.
Sunday 18th – Clayton and Jaddick went deer hunting and the rest of the crew went Contiki fishing on the north eastern shore. Went to a thermal spring that had been turned in a water park..waterslide and all :)
Monday 19th – Return camper vans. Stay in hotel.
Tuesday 20th – Depart Auckland –> Fly to Sydney, Australia (Stay in Hotel)
Wednesday 21st – Big E, Clayton, Taylor and I visited the Blue Mountains (amazing). Others in the crew visited the Sydney Zoo, Opera House, Manly Beach, Bondi Beach…
Thursday 22nd – Tour Sydney
Friday 23rd – Played social game v Petersham Rugby club, Australia’s 2nd oldest club at Sydney University. Watch USA vs. Australia live on big screen.
Saturday 24th – Tour Sydney
Sunday 25th – Depart Sydney –> Fly to Los Angeles, CA

Was I tired of spooning dudes in camper vans? Yes. Did I nearly kill myself and others driving on the wrong side of the road? Yes. Did I go bat-shit crazy on the 14 hours flight half way around the world? Absolutely.

Would I do it all over again? Damn right!

It was unbelievable!

I’ll spare you..and those involved, to preserve innocence, the intimate details of the journey, as I am a firm believer that those moments belong only to those that experienced them.

However..

New Zealand is a land lost by time. It felt as though a brontosaurus was going to pop out at any moment. If you’ve ever been to the grand canyon, you know the feeling of awe by the shear scope of it all. Think about that and then cover everything with grass. Every thing was so green! Farms and fields everywhere. 15 minutes outside the city and it was as beautiful and peaceful a place as you have ever been. Ever.

And that was just the land.

The people were even better!

Maybe its because it was so damned far away from anything. Maybe it was because we were rugby players. Whatever it was, every person we had the opportunity to meet was so genuinely warm and friendly, it was down right humbling.

They fed us and big belly roll laughed with us. They shared their homes and culture with us. They played great footy and drank cold beer with our entire group.

To think we did it all in the name of rugby!

To watch my country beat the Russians. AWESOME! To see the All Blacks get their Haka on, LIVE. AWESOME! To win against the bookies by a half point spread against Australia, in Sydney. AWESOME! To earn Man of the Match with two tries and solid tackling against the local side just outside Auckland. AWESOME! To laugh and trade jerseys and sing songs with the local host clubs. AWESOME!

Rugby is the great equalizer!

I speak for the entire group, the trip was incredible and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

Many thanks to Simon Jones and Julie Johnson of Azzurro Travel and The Rugby Travel Company.

Cheers again to the good boys of Helensville RFC and Petersham RFC, with extra special gratitude to Andy Cummings and Adam Dunn.

Lest not forget all of the new friends we found across the pond, til soon, take good care.

“In our country, true teams rarely exist . . . social barriers and personal ambitions have reduced athletes to dissolute cliques or individuals thrown together for mutual profit . . . Yet these rugby players. with their muddied, cracked bodies, are struggling to hold onto a sense of humanity that we in America have lost and are unlikely to regain. The game may only be to move a ball forward on a dirt field, but the task can be accomplished with an unshackled joy and its memories will be a permanent delight. The women and men who play on that rugby field are more alive than too many of us will ever be. The foolish emptiness we think we perceive in their existence is only our own.” – Victor Cahn

Life List

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Aaron

A trip to the desert, a trip to southern hemisphere, and a rather solemn birthday got me thinking.

I asked myself, “Aaron, what makes you happy?”

So, then I started writing.

Then I searched around the net a bit for inspiration.

Then I played a little basketball, had some supper, wrote some more, and took a nap.

In the end, my friend Danny Dover’s site – Life Listed, was all the inspiration I needed. He has put together a nice frame work with which to create your own list.

I wrote down all of the experiences that have made me happy in the past. I also wrote down a bunch of things that I think would be really cool in the future. I then gave a good measure of thought to when would be reasonable to complete it.

Here is my life list.

Having a list like this where I can see it frequently and also in public will help me with my decision making process. It’ll be good for making sure the tasks I am doing every day are aligned with the experiences I wish to accomplish in my life.

Burning Man 2011

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Aaron

It was unbelievable for me. I will go back.

The people I experienced this conglomeration of ideas and expressions with were brilliant and I’m ever grateful for being invited and so warmly welcomed, especially Doug Campbell.

Our camp, The Institue (camp map), fused the souls of physicists, scientists, writers, software developers, biologists, chemists, painters, doctors, engineers, tradesmen, artists, mathematicians, dancers..free spirits that were driven to express themselves..

The Phage and Langton Labs hosted science talks every night that were standing room only. False Profit threw one hell of a party on Tuesday. Flaming Lotus Girls burned it down on Friday.

Langton Labs produced this acclaimed time lapse of the entire event.

Burning Man has 10 Principles, wherein each of its attendees pledge to live by. The adherence by Black Rock City citizens to these ideals contributed to BM being included in Time Magazines list of Civilization’s 100 Most Important Sites.

I sincerely appreciate this way to live.

Radical Inclusion - Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
Gifting - Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
Decommodification - In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
Radical Self-reliance - Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
Radical Self-expression - Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
Communal Effort - Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
Civic Responsibility - We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
Leaving No Trace - Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
Participation - Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
Immediacy - Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Intertwined with and beyond these tenets of Burning Man is an underlayment of it being a do-acracy, whereby you can do anything you want, but YOU will be responsible for that project and YOU will be its champion. No one else.

I was totally excited about visiting Burning Man for the first time this year and have a policy about being invited to a party – you never go with both arms the same length! In other words, you bring some thing..given all of the cool things members of my camp had built in past years, I felt obligated to contribute ‘something’. A bike rack it would be! Along with the help of Holden Bonwit and Dan Busby and the gracious allowance of space from Syyn Labs, I crafted a rather shoddy portabicicletas . Hannah Montana high tops and all, it worked. It worked well and i was pleased.

It collapsed from nearly 3 feet down to approximately 4 inches with the removal of a couple bolts. Sweet.

I also built a hexayurt. Using this blueprint, I built a temporary home. I also added air conditioning. Using a duct fan, a honda accord air filter, and several angle ducts, my living quarters were a pressurized with clean air all week.

I decorated the inside with christmas lights and covered them and the walls with completely with white t-shirt fabric (bummer I do not have a pic). A tarp was used underneath the structure and taped on the outside to prevent any dust from entering and carpet softened it up on the inside. An air mattress with Sesame Street comforter and couple milk crates rounded out my living quarters.

Having the yurt provided a couple much enjoyed benefits:

Dust free, dark, and cool during the day
Warm and insulated from the wobble wobble (bass), to some degree, at night
Refuge when I needed it

Thank you Megan Dobro and Steph Goralnick for capturing these amazing photographs.

Click on the photos to advance the slideshow

and more here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgoralnick/sets/72157627620556706/show/

All in all, Burning Man was good for me. Thanks again to all that shared it with me.

Morning

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Aaron

It used to drive my Dad mad. Simply crazy! He was always a morning man, waking up at ‘O:dark, thirty’ before the rest of creatures began to stir. Grand Dad had similar ideas. He would proclaim that getting a jump on a long drive was good to do before the sun came up, ‘That night time dark air makes the engine run cooler..’

I, on the other hand, have
always been a night owl. Even when I were tired, I still had chutzpa to stay up to the wee hours.

That has changed. Some what..

I get up early now. I love to take walks before I do anything. Well, not anything, but most things. I get out of bed, put in my contacts and brush my grill piece, take my vitamins and drink a protein shake..and then go for my walk.

I live a couple blocks off the beach in Venice, CA and if you’ve ever visited, you know that the boardwalk is a bit gritty a lot of the time. No, no, I’m not complaining! I love the salty characters that mingle and mix on and around the colorful strip. I fit in and it makes me not feel so damn weird for having a mohawk or an ear ring or funny shoes or doing yoga poses admist the piano man and the guy on stilts or the lady that’s telling fortunes. I suppose I was made to live here..

Returning from digression, whilst I love the bustle of the boardwalk, in the morning its empty. Its quiet and its soft. The hard edges have yet to wake up and the day is fresh.

Waking up early allows my mind to boot up. My heart gets primed for a good day and the bits of oil that smooth my joints is well received. By the end of my 15 walk I’m ready to tackle the world..and yet, although I made a solid table of breaky this morning to kick it off right, its only 7:36am

Onward and upward!

Never mind “On The Air’, I’m thinking about the down time..

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Aaron

I have been a salesman my entire life. You can read a bit more about the history in that regard here, or if you know me, you know that to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

In any event, lately, I am honored to be working for BizeeBee.com in Business Development and Sales. That means that among other things, I am required to speak to quite a few good folks on the phone sharing the benefits of how our software can make running a Yoga Studio much simpler while retaining more students.

If you have ever done phone sales before, you know that some times it can be difficult to find a groove and get on the phone and more importantly, stay on the phone for extended periods of time. When I first started in sales via the phone I would try to monitor my “On The Air’ time in an effort to make the most of my day. This can be a good method, but I’ve found something that helps me a bit more.

Monitor the time I am not on the phone.

It’s a pretty simple process. I set up sprints for myself lasting 50 minutes to make calls and I set my phone to lock the screen after a minute. Thus, after I hang up on a call, I have exactly 60 seconds to make another call before it locks. In the event it locks, I owe myself 10 pushups.

They add up. Quick.

I tally the number of times this happens and at the end of the 50 minute sprint, I crunch out the number of push ups I’ve accumulated. My shoulders are thanking me for the exercise, but that’s not the point.

The result is being ever aware of my down time, thus I end up spending more time on the phone spreading the good word.

Onward and upward!

The Monthly Bug – Inspiration Edition

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Aaron

Lots of things inspire me.

Making a positive change in my life is inspires me to make more. Video (Day 1) Video (Day 30)

Playing rugby with my friends inspires me to deepen relationships. Photo

Visiting the Smithsonian inspires me to learn. Photo

Witnessing the raw power of Mother Nature inspires me to respect. Photo

Listening to one of my favorite bands in a small venue with a ridiculous sound system inspires me pay greater attention to the small things . Video

However, these events pale in comparison to the inspiration manifested by watching my only sister hold her 2 day old daughter.

On September 25, 2010 at 8:27 am Kalina Louise Racheva was introduced to the world. She has a full head of dark hair, a humbling dimple in her right cheek, long thin fingers (and toes) that will be perfect for the piano, and spirited vocal cords.

Elizabeth, Danail, and Kalina are all healthy and happy.

I’m amazed and proud and thrilled and excited and nervous and…inspired!

Stay close,

30 Day Challenge Update

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Aaron

I have reached my quota for HD videos with Vimeo, however I have infact been true to my committment and have been posting them daily to my Facebook profile. Friend me to follow along :)

http://facebook.com/aaronloringdavis

Stay up

Day 4 – I’m listening to my gut (30 Day Challenge)

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Aaron

I go off on a few tangents in this installment of my 30 day challenge, but the theme of today is to listen to my gut.

So, by the time this video is published, I’ll have resigned from my firm of almost 5 years. I enjoyed my time there, but it was time for me to move on. It was a leap of faith, as I do not completely have the future mapped out and I am uncertain as to how the resignation will play out.

But, I must honor myself. I had a very insightful conversation this morning about just that. It wasn’t overly lengthy, but the its value was incredibly high. It boiled down to this – Not being honored by others is OK, because we don’t have control over anyone other than ourselves. But, when we don’t honor ourselves, that is when the real damage occurs.

So, while I have many many friends from my time at Sotheby’s, it is time to part ways. Perhaps I’ll get into why on another day, but that isn’t what’s important today. I hope that they all continue to provide excellent service for their clients and are able to realize incredible success for themselves. Well, most of them at least..there are a couple that I hope get fat and lose all their hair.

For me it’s a bit scary. In fact, as I write this my heart is beating fast. Having fear of the unknown is normal, I suppose. But, as I listen to my gut, I know its the right thing to do. Its a leap of faith in my effort to do right to myself and to do right to those that deserve it.