(Forrest Gump's mama)

I bit into a real cherry bomb with my post yesterday (now deleted) and I'm feeling pretty Gump-esque.  It's been an opportunity to learn to watch my words and opinions in the very public forum of the Internet.

I appreciate a lot about the feedback I got, mainly the opportunity to reflect some more on the influences and dreams that shape us. Yesterday Steve Jobs died, a man whose influence was tremendous and in the end, died simply as we all must, all the money and medicine in the world unable to spare him. I find myself inordinately saddened by the untimeliness of it, and by the loss of what else he might have done.

Not a big Apple person. I only got interested in Jobs some years ago after watching his commencement speech (ironically it turns out) at Stanford, the school I just got done poking.

So I'll keep this short, and just share some of the favorite things I've seen here in California in Jobs' stomping grounds, all pictures taken with my beloved iPhone:

neck piercing and Rodin garden, Stanford campus.

Stanford Memorial Church cupola.

It rained several days. Redwood park bench collage.

I think i might need to get some Converse myself!

A lot of roses in this town.

The scientist gets ready for work. I'm going to miss her so much when I go!

Apartment still life.

I got a lot of good writing and introspection done sitting here:

The outline for my 4th Lei crime novel is on the computer. I had to sit on an exercise ball for hours. I now have a "core."

Take a moment and watch Steve Jobs' commencement speech to Stanford class of 2005, (if you haven't seen it already) at a time when we were riding high as a nation. Even now, when things are so uncertain, they ring humble and true.