:::[Sept.04.19]:::

Just landed from a great Labor Day weekend. 4 days of nonstop good times.

Friday Was day one of 2019 BassCamp, loaded with Good friends, good food, and good tunes! Cia started off the setlist and i was the DJ after, but i had to bail just after my set as I was slated to be in the parade that next morning and staging was 8:45 and i needed to be on stilts and in a suit to lead the parade.

Me and Banyon Wobbled and marched our long legs the 1 mile stretch for a nice paycheck and plenty of time left in the weekend for more fun.

I met up with Jennilyn for lunch and to gather all the forgotten goods from the night before and she rolled up to basscamp with me to spend a good stretch with us. Swimmin on unicorn floaties and hammering the nails that were coming loose in the Bridge, but by dark she had to get back to lil Olivia, and I danced the night away.

Sunday we woke, pigged out on french fries that were homemade in a mongolian sheild wok as we cleaned up the grounds. Once home we headed straight for the creek. it. has. been HOT.

Monday I found a kiddo bike seat to mount up for Olivia and it was a day of bikes and more creek fun. and got to finish it off training with Keating.

10/10 would do again.

:::[July.16.19]:::

The Armada Proudly Presents: The 15th Annual Ye Olde Pirate Party!!! It's not just MY party, its OUR party, So if ye have idea's , booty, or something to contribute send me a crow!

===================================

This year,the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@6 We ended up with SO much to give away, that as the night progresses we will give a Raffle box out every hour to help loose the loot! Earlier you come, the better your chances to win! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! .. last year we had 15 winners, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ Soon after, we have a special tribute in honor of our fallen brethren, please share a moment with me as we wish them safe passage ta Davy Jones' Locker.. but then don yer dancin shoes for ye shall be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

:::[Oct.18.18]:::

Prepare yerselves...

Havent updated in a while as my life got flipped on its head thanx to a solstice that seemed to effect everyone and a girl that turned out to be JunkyTrash.

heartbreak isnt something foreign to me but the way that it was last dealt was probably the most hurtful callous self serving disgusting dissapointment ive ever experienced. it was a surprise to a ton of people especially me.

this was a temendously shitty person that had me convinced quite the contrary. i gave her 2 years of all my effort. time. and caring. her mom died while we were seeing each other and i went all hands on deck helping her pick up the pieces..

even helped clean the body off the floor.. she couldnt even go near the house. back and forth to denver i helped with everything from lawyers. estate bs. titles lost and found. cleanup and more than anything emotionally held her head above water. without warning she asked for space. needed a break. didnt feel like she knew who she was anymore and was dealing with depression. out of respect i obviously granted her anything she asked for. with the option that the door was open within weeks i found out nshe had been banging this dirtbag she worked with ..probably cause he was more tha happy to join her getting skunk drunk and was her hook up for coke and likely worse.

i was hearing it from all ends of the social spectrum.. even her own boss told me he was super pissed over her choices and was happy i wasnt involved with such a trashfire.

i wish her the worst.

:::[May.21.18]:::

Prepare yerselves...

This year,the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@6 We ended up with SO much to give away, that as the night progresses we will give a Raffle box out every hour to help loose the loot! Earlier you come, the better your chances to win! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! .. last year we had 15 winners, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ Soon after, We'l have a special musical guest.. Juan Daniel Salazar Posada. to delight the senses! Get your dancin shoes in order for ye shalll be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

:::[April.25.18]:::

April 24th

The plan was to wrap up a weeks worth of work by tuesday and hit the road by 2 or 3 and get to Spokane. Of course, Dad thot it was a good day to buy a truck. So it was 4 by the time we got outta dodge. Landed in spokane last night just in time for an old school knife trade with KC, I got back my old Kukri and he gave me a "knife" he made out of a 26" chainsaw bar.. wtf.. By the time i got to Erins, there was a house party at getting started :) lets kick this bday off with a bangbang! 20+ people showed up to wish Erin a welcome home, and I didnt miss out!

Apr 25 2018

The Next morning We hit huckleberries for an amazing breakfast in the bistro then headed to the airport for a denver flight. I landed in Denver and Xina picked me up, she had a treasure box ready for me loaded with fun goodies, and had plans to take me to the aquarium for dinner. It was super fun, fancy being wined and dined by my favorite girl. Ended the night with ice cream and a movie, KILL BILL. .. tomorrow we went to work on setting up an estate sale.

APRIL 26

Whomping success at the mona scott estate sale today. Tonight we camp out in the house and do it all over again tomorrow. There's still shit left! We held the estate sale for 3 days. fri-sun.. I've hosted a lot of yardsales and am no stranger to haggling with people that want something for nothing. But when each item can be directly connected to a memory or emotional investment to their past.. it takes finesse and it hard no matter how it goes. By the last day of scott estate liquidation i was fuckin beat. We had been going going going from the moment we woke up till the moment we crashed out. living on hard cider and random leftovers of the dinners we would finally go fetch by 10pm. The last day there was a lockdown, trying to get everything into the garage that would inevitably go home. Or needed to be sold via craigslist packed into an accessible room, for the floors were being redone as well as the roof! There is LIGHT at the end of the tunnel.

April 29

: Back in the 509, we got back into spokane, Erin picked me and Xina up from the airport and we all decided to hit Huckleberries again for a snack of sushi and yerba mate, and then head home. I got back into my driveway about 1130pm. I had the next 2 days to catch up. Those 2 days were a damn blur, i was trying to get unpacked, caught up on a week of missed work and i had $800 worth of knives in boxes that arrived while i was gone.

May 3 2018

Worked most of the day catching up putting out all the digital fires that got started while i was away. At 5 i had about 8 friends coming by for a bbq, and the unboxing of all the blades we collectively ordered. It was a Knife Party. We busted out a stump to throw blades at, the grinder got turned on, and there was general revelry for all things sharp. Good times! Now it was time to pack. By 330am i was going to be picked up for a 20 mile hike into Hells Canyon. I weighed in with a 26 lb pack. And by 7am we hit the last Subway before wilderness and snagged a Spicy Italian to get crammed in my pack before pittsburg landing.

6 miles we hiked till there was a ridge of switchbacks leading to Kirkwood Ranch. An improved campground with a few Log Cabin museums full of interesting reads, and artifacts on display!

We marched on, 2 more miles up the Snake river till we found an area that we claimed as our own. There we unpacked a bit and explored around. It was time to fish and we quickly found it was almost a fish on every cast.. We wouldnt be hungry tonight! Around 4pm Cory looked into the sky and muttered something like “Guys, this shits about to get Western”.. It went lawless within minutes. The thunder, lightning and Wind hit at the same time with about the same force. I tossed my bag under the lip of Casey’s tent and dove for cover.. After laying in the mud for about 5 minutes thinkin it was going to blow over Casey looked at me in his relaxed position and said “Are you going to lay in the dirt, or come in?” I was wet and filthy but came in and started cleaning what i could. Meanwhile it sounded like everything was going sideways for Cory and Johnny. “Sweet #&@ WTF .. JOHNNY WHERE ARE YOU? AHHH F**K!” Apprantly those two had their entire tard tent setup damn near take flight and they both grapped an end and just held on for dear life. .. within 20 minutes the storm passed and the sun was shining giving us the abilty to hang dry everything that got soaked.

We had a fire roaring by that night and bass, trout and cactus steaming together in foil. Cajun Cactus Bass. YUM.

All i brought for my sleep setup was a sleeping bag, a mat and my bivy.. That night i slept under the stars wondering if that was the last we’d seen of the rain. Somewhere in the middle of the night the sky decided it wasnt done and started to drizzle.. I just shut the lid on my bivy and slept on thru the night.

Johnny was cool enough to boil me some extra water on his mini stove. And i made tea and oatmeal. I set up a clothesline for our things to dry out on, and we hiked to Suicide point.

Once we got back, we packed up and headed back to kirkwood ranch, the plan was to crash there for the night and only have 6 miles to hike out in the morning. We found a decent campsite, found out fires weren’t allowed to dinner plans changed and all our catch was gonna be released instead. We hiked up to the Whiskey Mansion where the locals were distilling during prohibition and checked out the indian pits and further explored the museum. By dinner, without a fire i wasn’t stuck eating cold food, i brought an MRE beef stew entree and a heater pack. Bout then a 10 foot Sturgeon breached the water below and the show which dinner was about to start. Someone on a boat had caught a monster and the next 20 minutes we watched from above as they fought and planned how they were going to land such a beast.

By sundown we questioned the sky as the dark clouds started to close in.. Lightning. Again the Storm brewed from the south and seemed to be headed right into the canyon we were in. But luck was on our side and somehow it got caught in the next canyon over and we watched the passing light show. Again I set up my Bivy under the stars and hoped for a peaceful night.. 11pm came too quickly and i was awoken by the crash of thunder. It was right on top of us. The rain hit at the same time as the thrashing wind, already within my bivy I hunkered in and debated making a run for the picnic table? Caseys tent? If i get out now its a guarantee i’ll be wet. So I stayed inside, as the torrential downpour continued I started to here familiar Screams and shouts of my companions as their tent was torn asunder. I peeked out and saw headlights frantically scrambling in the dark. Johnny wearing a jacket and boxers was tryin to peg the rear of the tent down. Corey at the front screaming obscenities and Casey had a light in his tent, which i found out later was for me assuming any minute i’d be running for cover. Sure the bivy got wet and inevitably it soaked through.. But by the time i was feeling moisture the sun was up and I was waking up naturally.

What a shitshow, but the best of its kind as nothing was destroyed or lost. It was adventure at its finest. We packed up not waiting for anything to dry, if we hit the trail before the sun did we could get a few miles in before it turned into a hot summer day again. All in all it was a beaultiful run from the Angels Abode to Hells Canyon, and an unforgettable Birthday.

:::[April.3.18]:::

Got invited to RPP with Jo cripps. A Medieval Camp out up near Mt. Rainer.. MUST BE IN COSTUME. I wanted to stay warm, yet dress the part.. so i made my own Wool Tunic, with a hooded Mantle.

Check it out!

:::[Oct. 13th FRIDAY .17]:::

But its October now and its time to bring on the Spookathon!! Grab your popcorn and buckle up, its about to get creept in here!

Every Day from friday the 13th till halloween I'm going to be featuring a new spooky media sensation for your eyes and ears. Hope you enjoy!

Check out the Halloween radio for your ambient and fun spooky music needs!

Friday the 13th Want some good ol fashion movie bout a babysitter that tries raising demons when the kids go to sleep.. ? The Babysitter

Saturday the 14th! For her birthday, a girl is gifted a mysterious music box, she finds that it grants her 7 wishes. But be careful what you wish for .. cause a wish has a cost. :) Wish Apon

Sunday the 15th: From the Writer of Beetlejuice... When a young girl is murdered, her spirit comes back to seek revenge. Cold Moon

Monday Oct 16th. All tales have a beginning.. way back a team of colonists get woke from hypersleep due to a malfunction, but they may have stumbled on a planet far better suited to be a new home... or far worse. Alien: Covenent

Tuesday 17th .. It starts out like a typical "cabin in the woods" scenario and quickly spins into a suspensful twist that abducts your imagination. Wesley snipes letting us all know where he's been hiding all these years :) The recall

Wednesday 18th. Every year, more haunted attractions are opened for halloween. Tonight the WW CornMaze turns scary as we open it up for a haunted corn hell.. in honor, last nights movie was about 6 friends that search for the scariest haunt experience in the USA.. and they found it!The Houses October Built

Thursday Oct 18th -- Think jurassic park but after the zombie apocalypse. Humanity won amd the world is back to relative normal. Theres a new vacation trend. Come stay at the rezort and get your revenge against the zombies. Cause every apocalypse needs and after party!!

The Rezort

Friday Oct 20 --A small time band is trying to make a name for themselves. But this day and age its alot harder.. but not with a little help from satan! According to the instructions off the internet they only need to sacrifice a virgin on a full moon.. the only problem was they chose megan fox as their.. "virgin". Shit. went. Wrong.

Jennifer's Body

Saturday Oct 21 - Every so often, a reboot does the original so much justice, it's worth the watch. Sam raimi had alot to do with the remake, and it went from campy goofy gore.. to downright shivering and haunting. The evil dead 2013 remake

Sunday Oct 22 -- An american couple are travelling thru thailand for a romantic vacation, when they are doublecrossed by a pair of english twats and tricked into stealing from a shrine.. and leaving the newly engaged bride to be possessed!

Ghost house

Monday Oct 23

Tuesday Oct 24 -- "This isn't london..things here go bump in the night." When A man moves his family closer to the forest so he can study whats going on,.. He finds that the woods have a darker truth within.. a darker truth that follows him home. Based on some old irish fairy tales this story has a really creepy cadence and rivets you to the tele. The Hallows

Wednesday Oct 25 .. today its history lesson time :) The History of Halloween

:::[sept.30.17]:::

Sept was an incredibley hard month supercharged with heavy loss and alot of tears..

Xina's mom unexpectedly passed.. which sent us both to denver to try and make sense of what happened and start the cleanup process..

:::[Aug.23.17]:::

Eclipse in totality. With a family of 35000. everything fell into place serendipitously. WHAT A WEEK

:::[Aug.16.17]:::

Found out my paypal got hacked. it had a $0 balance.. the offender started a $1000 request from my linked bank account. Bank says it will cost me $30 to stop the fund transaction.. so now i have $1000 of ebaying to do. :) .. the morale of this story is, doesnt matter how secure you think your password is. check your shit often.

:::[Aug.7.17]:::

Piratical weekend that started with peter finding an amazing new swimming hole with a waterfall, and went full tilt high seas with a 150 man crew at the 13th annual Ye Olde Pirate Party. It was a fantastic night. so smooth it was over before i even thought it got started.. even cleanup went so easy. We wound down with more swimming sunday, a sunset bike ride. Plumb tree pillaging. and hanging out porchside with the remainder of a keg and a Fudgecicle in the other hand.

For my next act.. The Oregon Eclipse Fest

:::[May.16.17]:::

I had to leave early from the seminar that was going on the weekend before my birthday, Xina got us a getaway cabin near Cape Falcon and we were headed out sunday. Saying goodbye, i was leaving a day beofer the seminar was over. Keating stopped everyone and said that he wanted to make an announcement as this was the best chance. I was awarded rank as Instructor in a beltless art, I dont believe there is much greater honor, and was given a gorgeous Sword as a gift.

Since training in the arts of weaponry and the blade, my skill in martial arts have exponetially jumped not only from my own perspective, but to those around me. I've been doing this for over 25 years now on and off, with the last 10 being heavily dedicated. I'm truely greatful, for the oppurtunity i've had with Master Keating, as well as the things i've learned. I'm nowhere close to completion.

:::[May.4.17]:::

May the Fourth be with you!

Its been over a month since I started a fire, and its been burning quickly and growing steadily. About a month before my birthday I coaxed a girl to come hang out the night before she was leaving for a week to Denver. We shared some looks, stories, laughs and she whispered poetry into my ear.

It wasnt hard to stay in touch regaurdless of the distance, and once she returned the gas really hit the flame. Since then we've learned so much about and from each other, and it feels like everyday has been better than the last. Truely this is a force to be reckoned with, as I can easily say this has been the easiest interaction with nothing but positive notes throughout. She reset the bar.

So, for my birthday She set up an adventure to the coast where we stayed in a little cottage and hiked the forest along Cape Falcon. Ate crab, talked late, breathed salt. 38 was a great birthday. But I feel like the best gift I got came a month early.

Getting the story from the SW RV adventure up, see below.

:::[April.18.17]:::

SO many things have gone down since i last updated.. SO sorry for the delay!

Lets start HERE!! The new 2016 Pirate Party Gallery is up! Enjoy!!

I just got back from a Wonderful adventure to the SW with a good friend Ken Wiseman! PICS HERE! Story to follow!

I couldnt be happier with my life lately. been living so hard I havent had time to dwell on it :)

:::[March.19.17]:::

Aint nothin random about a security screening when u get it every single time.. #fuckthetsa

Bringin home sunshine. :) like that?

Andy Pîrate was traveling to Walla Walla, Washington with Dan Mayhew from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac).
Haulin sunshine! First stop seatac for a lil mayhem! Now its thumb twiddlin till i can hitch a ride home. #welcometotheothersideoftherainbow

So when standing at a public urinal and the kid on your riggt goes into a tourettes fit and starts making faces at his reflection, turning your view away and cracking up laughing makes the guy to your left really self conscious. Hahahahaha #shrimpweiner

Buahahahahahahahaha! Did you feel that? I'm back! #othersideoftherainbow

:::[March.18.17]:::

Record heat. Record trip. — with Nicole Benson-Reiff and Jon Reiff.

94º . Poolside. Butterflies everywhere.. Summertime. :) #roughlife

:::[March.17.17]:::

Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

Spent the entire day making various items make a squeaky toy noise and watching a 5 yr old go bonkers as to why she never knew it squeaked before and wtf cant she do it.. buahahahahahahahahahaa

Guiness . Corned beef. Friends. Irish jigs. Parrrtayyyyy!

Mariners game? Yeaahhhh!

May you live as long as you want, And never want as long as you live. --today the rainbow touches down--

:::[March.16.17]:::

So there is a restaraunt called the Ginger Monkey.. i think i just found my spirit animal.

Birthday prep is underway! This train just dont slow down. Hahahhahaaa st pattys day lands on my friends bday. Tis gon git wylde.

Andy Pîrate was with Kenneth Wiseman. The end of a chapter. I watched Ken sail off to begin the next leg of his journey without a copilot.

God speed man! Keep the wind to your back! Its been such a TRIP!

Look lively ladies, you got some serious competition with this lil knockout. Already a gorgeous day in phx — with Nicole Benson-Reiff and Jon Reiff.

:::[March.15.17]:::

Last leg. Pheonix bound. This has been a TRIP.

Home away from home. Barefoot. Breezy. Poolside. Best friends. #1luckyfucker

Who says no to kite flying with a 5 yr old?

that night i could hear Crickets!! Talk about a sound that invokes every summer memory :)

:::[March.14.17]:::

Sitting on the roof of an RV. Watching the purple orange sky consume the remaining sunlight. No

shoes.. No shirt. Full service. Only one thing i have to do: breathe.
.. why should i come home?

87º in quartzsite. Im gonna be gushing sunshine from every pore when i return.. #officiallysolar

how often do you hang out under a tree? #officiallysolar

im watching a journey unfold. not of my own but anothers but of my own.

:::[March.13.17]:::

Chapter 18: joshuas full moon.

Andy Pîrate added a new photo.

Flintsuess forest

barefoot. outcropping peak of granite. sunset. gazing into the great eye. duskflash. he vanishes behind the crest. yellow blue. it can be felt from your toes.

I howl. the canyon returns the call. starz. we dine by fire with the bushmouse. moonshadows. the flintsuess landscape is engulft. golden purple. it can be felt from your toes.

:::[March.12.17]:::

Should be home in a week. This has been a wild ass ride. My life is rad :) one week in.. one week left. Im gonna need a vacation after this.

:::[March.11.17]:::

Andy Pîrate added a new photo. Dirttramp

Andy Pîrate added a new photo. Full tilt bananas. — at Slab City, California.

:::[March.10.17]:::

Headfones please. Close your eyes. The fire crackles to life. The moon moments from full you can see for miles into the desert. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_IS208pkFxs rt. Andy Pîrate added a new photo. Salvation mountain! Andy Pîrate was with Kenneth Wiseman at Slab City, California. Like madmax for reals. I think i broke my bucketlist!

Sweet baby jesus.. its so hot here.. soo hhaaaght. Bring it on!

Chapter 8. Slab city.

:::[March.9.17]:::

we coulda just stayed in Tiajuana... but why not hop a cab down the coast to where its helllla beachy! — with Kenneth Wiseman. Andy Pîrate shared a link. i.imgur.comi.imgur.com Comin to you live from San Diego! Its a Beautiful day, with no paticular place to go. what to do what to .... when crazy is comin CROSS THE STREET!!! #tiajunaBound #bang4buck #carpediem — with Kenneth Wiseman.

:::[March.8.17]:::

Hillcrest ramen. Tiltedkilt rum.sundown.

Plan B! .. no i mean PLAN BEACH!

Andy Pîrate shared a link. For the cost of an iPhone, you can now buy a wind turbine that can power an entire house for a lifetimeminds.com DEAL where do i sign!!??

Woke up to a sunny San Diego day. using the morning for some nomad maintenance and then its beach bound! — with Kenneth Wiseman.

:::[March.7.17]:::

Andy Pîrate added a new photo. Home base! Cant touch me now. — with Kenneth Wiseman and Dustin Bernson. Andy Pîrate was with Kenneth Wiseman. Plan change! Buckle up san diego. We are coming right for you. #nomadlife #gottaraisealilhell Andy Pîrate added 2 new photos. The valley of death — with Kenneth Wiseman.

Andy Pîrate was with Kenneth Wiseman. We were somewhere outside of barstow... when the gyros begin to take hold... #lockthesandiegogates

:::[March.6.17]:::

Andy PîrateDrinkin rum and gettin a sunburn! howd you spend monday?? #nomadlife #hatersgonnahate #thismfissolarpowered

What really makes us special is the level we have achieved as a species to transfer information from one brain to another. Communication is what binds us, and like mortar, the stronger it is the greater the bind we can create. The Internet has given us global capability to connect thru space and time. Use it. but dont abuse it. Every great power can be a double edged sword. Use it for good. and remember.. there is no such thing as too much communication. #roadwisdom Andy PîrateWe Hit an all time low.. lowest place on the continent actually.. so its all uphill from here. But we found it! WE FOUND SUMMER!

:::[March.5.17]:::

Night 2. Vikings.

Dreams --last night i was escorted to the city hall. trumplethinskin was waiting there with a cabinet of cronies who had intercepted a bomb threat. Chris Jonlick had creatdd a synthesized drug that could wipe out a vast majority of cancers that plague the population. he had wired it to a bomb feigning itself as a birthday present. apparantly they had gathered a handful of possible "threats to national security" all based on people that didnt use their real names on facebook in the local sector, so of course yours truely was standing infront of this orange 5yr old with a toupe. there was a massive protest going on outside. they barraged us with insanely useless questuons and im watching some cia lead tear open the present and go at it with a pair of snips. naturally i went full retard aboit this time and started berating that idiot (and completely interupting the stammering cheetoman) "You outta your damn mind? thats a double helix bypass circuit. i see at least 3 relays and an IC circuit from here... you just gonna cut the red one??.. nice knowin u guys" from there I taunted the group of ass clowns with my best drumpf impersonation explaining how I dont know the inner workings of that paticular build.. but i woulda spent a few more minutes with it before attempting disarming it in the middle of a board room full of people.. "Im the best circuit wiring plierman. i know the best wires.. " morale of last nights dream? we are doomed.. but with a side order of salvation.

Old man winter just had to have the last word.. we tried skirting the nasty weather plaguing northern cali and went thru nevada. Lost service after ely amd its been shitty wind and hail since.. but im still wild and fired, you cant keep us down! Id punch a bear in the dick for sunshine! — with Kenneth Wiseman in Tonopah, Nevada.

As we walk into the shadow of valley of death.. — with Kenneth Wiseman at Death Valley National Park.

:::[March.4.17]:::

Made it to nevada! First stop the jackpot casino for lunch and shenanigans! #NoSleepTillSunshine

Andy Pîrate was with Kenneth Wiseman in Wells, Nevada. Was gonna stop for gas.. but shredded a tire. Good timing.

Every journey outland is a chance to journey inward.

:::[March.3.17]:::

Onward! The journey begins! Captain Kenneth Wiseman at the wheel and the Enchanting Wizard of Rythym at the deck. We hit walmart and loaded the rig with everything we thought we’d need and hit the road for Boise. Ya know its a #roadtrip when dinner is a dennys attached to a flyingJ

Andy Pîrate was feeling pumped with Kenneth Wiseman at Wahooz Family Fun Zone. Pit stop

Plan change ! #jackpot!

:::[March.2.17]:::

Ken arrived into town, we got some disc golf in and kicked it at the green for his bday celebration. Startin the journey with a proper burn off! And just enough time to pack!

What i'm gonna do is what i do best: Throw it into the wind, let go of the wheel and let the chips fall where they may.. it's never let me down.

:::[Dec.26.16]:::

Went sledding a few weeks back with AJ and Annie and all the kids.. and my tailbone hasnt got over it yet :) But I didn't let that stop the merriment and have spent each remaining day gifting, visiting, rocking out to bad religions xmas album and just embracing the holidays. Christmas Eve after Dinner and some games Me and mom took off for a walk to try and track down Stanger and his Musical Bike Brigade.. which i would have been part of if it wasnt for that tailbruise. When we did find him, the whole heard was looking for a lost nut for Stangers outrigger wheel that had came off. I offered to find another nut and took the wheel home. Dad scooped us in the car to speed the rescue and I set to work in the garage reshaping the spacer, and retapping the threads on the outrigger bolt just to make it fit any nut again. We took off once the part was ready and drove around the area with the windows down searching for the slow loud procession, flagged them down and performed bicycle surgery on the road to get them moving. Wasnt a typical lazy holiday night and I went to bed feeling like i somewhat saved a bit of christmas :)

Once i was horizontal and drifting closer to sleep I put this on and listened to it thinking about the morning to follow.

:::[Dec.20.16]:::

Listen to this.. While you read This

Maximum tilt approaches. We hit the longest night of the year tonight.. and it's 10.30.. I"m contemplating going to sleep.. wtf.. who have i become?
a) It's really 11:30 to those that thing non DST is dumb. :)
b) It's the Longest night of the year.. I'm gonna be so rested.

Happy Solstice to all., And to all a good night :)

:::[Dec.13.16]:::

Check out this amazing online art machine :) Have fun!!

Happy soltice, we are only a week to maximum tilt, I've been doing alot of crafty things to keep my Hands busy and spending alot of time with me reflecting on the past year. I hope you have been wstaying warm. We are covered in snow and according to the forcast its gonna be in the teens till soltice. Its a good time to buckle in.

:::[Oct.31.16]:::

Happy Halloween

This Halloween was a blast, everynight for the month of Oct, i watched a scary movie i had never seen and wrote commentary for each. Meanwhile, I worked in the cornmaze thats just outta town, running around in the corn dressed in different costumes every night scaring kids that are trying to find their way out. Some nights it was a hockey mask and coveralls with a machete in hand. One night I had a skin tight skull mask on my head with huge devil horns, spiked gridiron pads a cape and fuzzy "goat legs" pants. it was crazy. even shambling around the last night as azombie was creeping people out. I even went to a Haunted amusement park up north and dropped acid inside to scare the hell out of myself:) it was bonkers. Now its all about getting the house prepped for another winter :P theres candy and decorations everywhere. I went out a few times with groups of friends as The Riddler from batman comics, that was fun running into batmans out there.

For halloween night, we decorated all 3 houses in a row, and since my brother is currently living in Hawaii (cool eh?) So we haunted his house. Left it all dark, and when kids would come up the the porch my friend anne was wearing an old wedding dress and painted her face with blacklight paint. and had blacklights inside the house.. she'd bang on the windows and send them screaming :) I had a big fire on my sidewalk and stewed apple cider for kids. and handed out scares and candy :)

All the leaves have turned and it spent weeks pouring rain.. got sharply cold and alot of leaves fell. now the world is buried in colors. Red maple leaves, gold sycamore, birch sun drops, punkins and gourds on porches. Its pretty cool. Yesterday, to mark the end of the Halloween festivities we blew up my jackolantern i carved this year with Beetlejuice's face.

:::[Oct.16]:::

So this October i'm going to resume my posts of awesome halloweeny things for viewing goodness, this year tho lets delve into the world of film! Last night I watched the new Ghostbusters movies and have to agree with the mass populace.. it was fucking garbage. SO DAY one, lets give a shout out to the 1984 original and absolute supernatural legend.

Night 2 of the halloween months nightly horror film fest.. tonight im joined with my rad friend Stella whos never seen the classic ; the silence of the lambs!

Oct 3rd. the third installment of a journey into the dark side of theater. Tonight, we tried hard not to go into the forbidden woods.. but something came out. The Witch.

Oct 4, I'm testing the functionality with a tv and decided its a great morning for the ghost with the most. But whatever you do, dont say his name 3 times. Beetleguise

5th night. The darkness lifts just a little as we indulge in the memories of 4th grade, the cheese zombies and the chicken nuggets.. and the carnage on the playground. This hilarious tale dives headfirst into a teachers daydream and runs with it in a zombie-eque canter. Cooties

Oct 6th., When a small Aussie metal band finds the lost music pages that detail the Black Hymn.. They soon find that it was more than just a brutal chord progression..Deathgasm

Night 7.. Sometimes whats left behind.. should be left alone.The Remains

Day 8. The bond between twins has an almost supernatural abilty on its own.. but when one wanders into the Suicide forests of Mt. Fufi. her sister comes looking for her. The Forest

night 9. In 1915, 5 girls were burned at the stake on a little island for the crime of witchcraft.. THere was a terrible storm that night, and legend has it that storm brought something evil.. and every 100 years, that evil returns to have its revenge on all the living of that island. The Hollow

Night 10. Following the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren's paranormal investigations, the story leads us to england, where one of the most documented cases of possession take place. Meet some real Ghostbusters. The Conjuring 2

11th Night. The Anasazi were believed to communicate with very powerful spirits.. but they had rituals in place to keep these beings from crossing over into our world..The Darkness

12th night. Its obvious when you look around these days that people are becoming zombies the more they delve into their personal media devices.. but what if... those devices REALLY DID make us zombies..Cell

Night 13. When an orphaned boy gets an unexpected surprise one day, he learns that his parents were not who he thought, and he was more than just an orphaned boy. Delve into the the world of magic with Harry Potter

Night 14. Based on a timeless tale of Ichabod Crane, a young school teacher finds more than he bargained for in the Forests of Sleepy Hollow

Night 15. In tribute for my running amuck in the local maze this year terrorizing the youth.. i give you a classic. Children of the corn

Night 16. When a detective Watches a ghoulish murderer be execute, he thinks its a closed case.. but copy cat murderers begin with a creepy twist. Could it be something from another world? Fallen

Night 17. I seemed so easy. one last heist. He's blind. sitting on a pile of money. no neighbors. But when you judge a book by its cover, you might not understand exactly what story you are getting into.. until its too late. Don't Breathe

Night 18. July 4th, long weekend, a remote cabin reserved in the beautiful pudget sound wilderness, and a group of good friends. Sure, one of them brought some coke, but what could go wrong? .. What if it was laced.. laced with something that drudged the darkest evil within and brought it to reality. What if it wasnt coke.. it was bath salts? The Evil In Us

Night 19. Everytime I turn off the lights.. theres.. this.. woman. Lights out

Night 20. Camp Crystal Lake was full of fond memories until an unfortunate even took place. Years later the revenge of Jason Vorhees is brought to fruition.Friday the 13th

Night 21. A mother is on the run trying to protect her kids from an abusive father.. they never even considered that the place they chose to hide was even worse than what they were hiding from. Sinister 2

Night 22. A classic, but still great. :) Vincent Price has invited a group of random strangers for what appears to be a murder mystery party, stay alive and you could walk away rich. House on Haunted Hill

Night 23. The Walking Dead Season 7 premeired tonight. We gathered together hoping we would see our group of survivors come through such a horrific ambush, only to have our hopes tossed out the window.. i can only hope the rest of the season gets better. Right Hand Man

Night 24. Who DOESNT wanna summon a demon?! ..you get what you wish for. Knucklebones

Night 25. Once you've survived a possession life is a little hard to rebuild.. theres alot of pieces to pick up and a few relationships might be kinda shattered. But theres a support group for that. Ava's Possession's

Night 26. Drip Drip.. When a simple ceiling leak turns into a murder mytery, Jennifer Connelly reaches her wits end trying to protect her child. Dark Water

Night 27. Ghost hunters, in a remote location are trying to find the common reasons behind the haunting of a farm house.. but this one might be the one theyve been searching for.. The Dead Room

Night 28. A family moves into a wonderful new home. The discovery of an old video camera starts out as a fun exploration into who lived here before..but quickly they find the camera shows them more than just the world they can see with the naked eye. Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension

Night 29. Slasher films made their debut back in the early 80s and quickly have become a cult favorite and a halloween custom. But what if you find yourself trapped within the film. How would you survive?! Final Girls

Night 30. one town, 10 stories, all on our favorite night f the year.. Tales of Halloween

:::[Sept.21.16]:::

describe yourself in 3 characters..

:::[Sept.6.16]:::

Back from Burning man. 2016

AUg 28. Fell asleep under the stars. Woke to the yipping of coyotes . Its always coldest before the dawn... but not a bad thing when theres a hot springs within walking distance. I floated in the warm water watching the sun crest the hills. Morning :)

:::[Aug.22.16]:::

CC renuinion in CDA

:::[Aug.14.16]:::

BABR Water Fight Ride

We biked from sour grapes to downtown.. winding out way thru neighborhoods. Some of which were privvy to our plan and ambushed us en route. The enture way it was an all on all battle with balloons . Squirt guns. Even bags of water

:::[Aug.10.16]:::

Shambhala 2016 -- It was the last night of shambhala. The fog set in and it cooled quick. The music was loud and incesasntly mediocre. Dan. Brit.. all had cached in for the night I wasnt farther behind them. Headed for the gate out of the city, i was accusted. 2 guys lead by 3 young mollied energectic chickachikwows horseshoed my trail "Omg! You were that Ragedy andy i danced with last night. " 4am came faster than u could imagine. I was losing my daylong battle thru each moment. I woke up too soon. Anytime woulda been too soon. My feet were sore, sure. Throat felt like i inhaled too dirt. Dance floor was raging. And for a final hoorah It better be. But waking uo covered in some girls glitter? It took a solid week to decide if the hit to the immune system was worth it. I dunno which god touched who. But i know it was a long road to recovery and popped out just in time for a city wide water war.

BurningMan 2016 ticket in hand.. this changes things. No more bass camp:( but reprise of the majik!!

:::[July.30.16]:::

Pirate Party went GREAT

:::[July.28.16]:::

The Armada Proudly Presents: The 12th Annual Ye Olde Pirate Party!!!

================YEAR 12===================

This year, the LAST saturday of JULY, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@6 We ended up with SO much to give away, that as the night progresses we will give a Raffle box out every hour to help loose the loot! Earlier you come, the better your chances to win!

TheBounty! Weaponry, Booze, Tattoos, Precious Stones, Jewelry, Attire and many other Treasures a Pirate could desire . LootfromBeautifulAftermath, Inkspiration, SoulHenna,ConnectionPhoto,WWCannabisCo., LotekAudio, UpBalloonBotique, SipidBites, CoffeePerk,SkyeGardens, SalonPheonix, Door#2,TheGreen,andSO MUCHmore!
There be at least 10 winners!

$5aticket,or5for$20

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ soon after, We'll be chanting out tunes for our ears delight! Get your dancin shoes in order for ye shalll be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

@As the clock strikes 10, it marks the time we start divvying up the BOOTY!!!! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! This year marks the year of gold, for i have more loot plunder than any other thus far :) so there nay be 3 prizes.. last year we had 15 winners, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :) When a pirate was injured during duty a larger portion of the spoiled would be divvied their way . SO THIS YEAR For every raffle ticket bought this year of the ye olde party $2 goes solely to me mate Andrea Lowe to help pay for the injuries incurred whilst sailin..

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

Next year: best 2/3 for the sword fight, and clearer bounderies

:::[July.22.16]:::

Exodus

:::[June.21.16]:::

Happy Solstice my friends :) Summer is HERE!!

Last night was a full moon and brought in summer with a wild weird night. Santos showed up at our weekly monday training session at Keatings studio and asked ME to stick around after.. joined by ronnie and Frank, we delved into a deeper darker, more mystic side of the Martial way.. It was about 1230 when i got home, ate the fridge and fell asleep dreaming of the wilderness before me.

Jacks solstice party is this weekend, so I'm looking forward to join my friends and really bring in the new summer with great music and an amazing atmosphere. But, come sunday I have to get on the road, cause i'm headed to Juneau to meet Erin and Hunter. THey've been on a Sailing cruise off the coast of alaska this past week, so I'll spend the night with Momma Lisa, which i havent seen her in forever :)) and Jump on the plane monday morning.. Once there, We have alot to do quickly, including buuying the rest of the provisions and licenses we need, as well as a TOPO map and of course find passage to Admiralty Island. The plan is to get dropped off on Young Cove and make our way to the ADmiratly Cove lookout cabin which we've reserved for the entire week. 1600 sq. miles of almost prehistoric wilderness.. and 1600 bears. O_o Lucklily I was able to contact a Forestry Ranger familiar with the area and he assured me the level of safety is nothing to be overly concerned about.. as long as i'm not Ninja quiet, and rubbing myself in salmon guts.. We should be just fine.

:::[May.23.16]:::

WEll since Halloween i've been working a new job. I have a relaxed schedule and get to do things at my own cadence..but this also means that i have been spending alot less idle time on the computer. So the updates have been neglected.:P

I can barely keep up with my own mayhem. We've had superhero parties, mad tea rides, st pattys day shenanigans.. the cricket is allllmost done the paints done and i'm driving it..

:::[April.30.16]:::

Spent my birthday in New Mexico with he grandfolks and had a blast. So much to tell .

:::[Mar.15.16]:::

Check It Out!

Cold Camp 2016.

We did it again. Goal: Head into the woods while its still kinda winter, no tents.. build our shelters and find the world again.

Turns out we had better weather then the valley back home!

:::[Feb.23.16]:::

After a long night of eskrima and fite training, im finally getting home. Hungry. But its gotta be kinda light.

Terriyaki cashew fried rice.

1 leek.
1 carrot.
1 celery rib
Garlic, ginger.
Dice it all . Throw it in a pan with oil
Snizzle.
Add cold ass rice.
Cashews
Mix. Sizzle.
Add soy sauce and honey. 1:1
Mixizzle.
Turn off stove. Make a drink.
Inhizzle.

Sorry bout the long delay.. as the sun went away I too sort of vanished. hibernation mode, It's amazing the lack of ambition one has without sun. But its sunny today.. and i feel it all coming to life!

:::[Nov.3.15]:::

Been a while since i really threw down whats been happening with me. Feels like the stars arent lined up lately. Main water Pipe is broken between the meter and my house.. so its my problem, and it's been 2 weeks that i've had the water turned off now. With Pete and Mom so close its like camp, i walk to showers and hike dirty dishes to the next building to sort em out. Frustrating.

The cricket car project seems further along with still fuck all to show for it. It now has the 2nd engine we've bought in it, and it was running.. WAS.

TO top it off I shoved a nail into my foot while trying to get halloween decorations up.

Halloween, was a fulll success tho. Alotta kids came and freaked out, I got to rock my deadpool get up. Tho, Halloween night it PISSED rain.. just POURED. So i opted out of galavanting around town once the trickers were done treating.

I quit my job at pocketinet, and have started as a resident IT for a local company that does Remote Backup and agriculture. SO the past few days i've had my hands full.

the good news is that the bad news is all tolerable crap. It'd be nice to catch a break.. but now just aint that time.

:::[Oct.28.15]:::

:::[Oct.27.15]:::

It's that spooky time of year again!! Last year i issued a new Creepy Music vid every day for Oct.. And i'm doin it again!!

Here we go!

oct.29.2015 Its Devils Night. Pay Homage

oct.29.2015 I am, I am . . A ZOMBIE

oct.28.2015 Christian Women

oct.27.2015 i walked with a zombie!

oct.26.2015 same ol tune, new vid! Everyday is Halloween

oct.22.2015: A tribute to an all time favorite movie!

oct.21.2015 watch out.. them hookers are creepier than you could imagine.

oct.20.2015 THe vid that hit when the sequel to American Werewolf in london hit the box office.. the vid is great.. the movie? Sukt.

oct.19.2015 It's all relative to the size of your steeple.

oct.18.2015 CLowny Clown.. clown.

oct.17.2015 BUngle it up! Quote.. Unquote.

oct.16.2015 MushroomHead.. Wild adventures in Skarecrowland!

oct.15.2015 AIC!! Learnin lessons with a strobe effect that makes a Tool vid look tame.

oct.14.2015 How to Destroy Angels.. a Creepy moment between trent and wife..

oct.13.2015 brought to you by the heart wrenching lyrics of Trent Reznor, sang by the haunting vocals of flyleaf.

oct.12.2015 Hard to get jiggy when you are chased thru your dreams by a man with kaniffy fingers.

oct.11.2015 This is like a TERRIBLE acid trip..

oct.10.2015 Aphex Twin.. Come.. to Daddy.. O_o

oct.9.2015 alright.. so while i was on my death bed i thought of this track.. so because i missed yesterday.. today you get 2.

oct.8.2015 Russian experiements are going wrong!!

Oct.7.2015 Rob Zombie starts us off with his romantic tale of his undead Gf.

:::[Sept.21.15]:::

If you Shut the fuck up, you might actually hear the answers to your Questions.

Decemated the porch, and now the rubble is clear. The cricket runs now so its all hands on deck to get it sailing. And we been riding motorcycles around the countryside.. life sucks. jk:)

:::[Aug.30.15]:::

Land navigation badge on order

:::[Aug.26.15]:::

Gotta take out the gunman : Chevelle played tonight in TriCities at the Fairgrounds. Me, Barry, Lexy and SarahTheDevil Jumped in the car for some worknight mayhem.. and we got our fill. ....

Fresh green walnut hulls can be dried out and soaked in alcohol to make a homespun version of tincture of iodine, which is very handy as a topical disinfectant on cuts, scrapes, scratches and burns. Dry the green husk chunks in the late summer sun, place them in a jar, and cover with high proof liquor. Let the mix sit for 6 weeks, periodically shaking the jar. Strain out the solids and keep the liquid as a first aid tincture. This liquid should be kept in a cool dark place and replaced annually.

:::[Aug.26.15]:::

August 24 at 2:53pm · Edited ·

Smoke and Mirror(lake) with Albert J Smith

Andy Pîrate

:::[Aug.26.15]:::

August 17 at 10:05am · Walla Walla, WA · Let the GOTR decompression begin. smile emoticon Met some great people while helping tear down the stage yesterday.

:::[Aug.16.15]:::

As I experienced 'The Flaming Lips' this evening a thought came to me, "This is what Walla Walla would be like if Andy was Mayor." :) "-Layne R Schroeder

:::[Aug.15.15]:::

Great night! thanx dave grohl. :) and the Shit fit crew. gotta be back up at 9.. paintin faces downtown!

:::[Aug.14.15]:::

Soulfly @MainStreetStudios

:::[Aug.11.15]:::

what if everyone of you that are planning to go to GOTR roll in on saturday in animal onesies, wolf heads, rabbit masks, kermit suits and other Manimal getups. smile emoticon i say we show these tourists what kinda zoo this place is. wink emoticon"

:::[Aug.9.15]:::

Brunch with Amber Clark and RachealFace Another day at the wheel. Dressed as a Pirate for Mom's pirate day at the Children's Museum.

:::[Aug.8.15]:::

I walked home last night with one missing sock and a pair of bolt cutters.

:::[Aug.4.15]:::

We heat the pan to a high heat and start rice. Add bacon to fry and grease iron. onions garlic and Ginger shortly after.

When it carmelizes turn heat down to a low sizzle. Add whatever veggies sound good to u.. or whatevers in the fridge. Beat them around gently till all the colors turn vivid.

Add a spoon of soysauce, quarter of a lime, and a drop of sweet chili. Heat it back up till u get it to glaze .

Rice should be done.

:::[Aug.1.15]:::

The 11th Ye Olde Pirate Party

:::[July.21.15]:::

It has been the summer of MiniTrips.

June 22
Spent 2 nights sleeping in the trees @ jacks Summer Solstice party. Fire Spinning, GOod tunes, Great people. Its the kind of weekend that makes a tribe. SUnday i headed to the river with mom and dad. Got the boat stuck twice, trying to get into the palouse. Watched mom and dad almost fight a rattlesnake, Which turned into me throwing mom down and damn near making shit worse trying to help. All the while with a painted face. Happy solstice!

June 25
Blew a flat at wildwood park.. dressed like a girl..It was the Bad Ass Bike Ride: Drag Race. We all got done up in drag and went wild across town and landed at fatcats to post party. HA! of course mid ride i ran over a nail and it flatted me. But i got a great pit crew. thanx dad.

This weekend was Basscamp, Manual rents out Kiwanis park every year, Full access to the pool, kitchen, cabins, food included and 13 dj's :) we partied wild n hard that weekend. First night i set up in the hammock in the trees near the ball park.. and froze, so early in the am i wandered to the cabin my brother was in and crashed in there. Decided it was far easier just Cabin Camping for the rest of the time. Noreen had arted up the bridge. there were kids in the creek and a full on slip n slide with a foam machine. MY favorite part was watching jack spin fire on one end of camp and hatti on the other. It was like they were signalling each other.

July 4

Watched the sunrise from my boat this mornin.. good friends. Good weather. Good day to be me. Took Carmen fishing, and barely even saw a nibble. Had a chill forth of July, played at a pool party at the Boyer House, till i couldnt stand the sound of the fireworks anymore.. i needed to be part of the madness. But without fireworks, i couldnt think of anything except firing weapons into the sky.. but thats dangerous. ;)

July 9

Tonight was the night of the BABR WATER WAR. I invited the entire city to attack at the whitman water fountain at 8.. bring your squirtgun. The ride started at SourGrapes and zigzagged across the neighborhoods trying to cross the paths of the hostile civilians that laid waiting for us to cruise by. Water ballons, sprinklers , hoses and squirtguns were alight. It was a total hoot. At the Marcus whitman we were being attacked as we rounded the corner, stopping traffic as we do.. but the car in the front threw a balloon?!?! a fluke? nay.. it was a drive by.. they had guns and balloons!!

By the time we wrapped around to Land title for a revenge strike from last years onslaught, that same car came back around for a full on ambush.

We ended the fight at the Whitman water fountain. Last year that was on eof the most fun places we stopped, it was almost impossible to get them to leave again.. so this year I stopped us there. But i couldnt stay long.. i was headed out of town quickly. We had a coastline to hike.

By 9pm me and Kris were on the road to tacoma. My pants were still wet from the water fight. But we made it around 3am.. both beat we crashed hard, kris had a meeting for work the next morning at 9am.. and a paid room.

I checked out around 1130 and took off wandering around the city.. never really explored tacoma before. Found a great Terriyaki place to grab lunch at near Wright Park, after a toy store and some pointless wandering Kris was done and we were headed to Olympia. Next stop: Last Word Press. Anyone in tacoma wanna do breakfast ? Shea Robinson July 11 at 11:59pm · Seattle, WA · Look what Shea found!!! — with Pîrate Andy

Yesterday along our journey i found a tarot deck in a metaspiritual store. I drew one card.. laughed.. and put it back. The Fool.

Grubbs

July 18

Hobo life. Livin in the trees. Lettuce turnip the beets.

:::[June.22.15]:::

I started the weekend building cages for the rear windows on my MadMax car on Thursday, it was the first week I was able to start taking thursdays for the things i need to accomplish. Jacks Solstice Party, kicked off the Longest day of the year, and this time round it was a 2 night adventure. So by friday night we had gathered up damn near everything we could fathom to bring out to the Red Boar farm. I Spent 2 nights sleeping in the trees, after building a gypsy camp in the Lost Boys corridor behind jacks RV. We explored the creek, painted faces, ate well, had great people visit and wonderous tunes thru out. By sunday it was all about packing up and getting back home, unpack, and meet up with Mom and Dad for a Father's day run to the river.. We got the boat stuck twice, which mens i had to get out and push us clear. Then watched mom and dad almost fight a rattlesnake. All the while with a painted face. Happy solstice.

:::[June.15.15]:::

Tis year 11 of our beloved Pirate Party.

I'm hoping to truely bring this pirate village back to life again, after a solid decade of pirate evolution, I have no doubt that we cant do it again.. but I be needin yer help!
..I couldnt do it without ya..

It's not just MY party, its OUR party, So if ye have idea's , booty, or something to contribute send me a crow!

The prize pile is already taking up the majority of the room that i usually collect things year round.

================YEAR 11===================

Come the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ soon after, Ben McSpadden and his friends with the Backdoor Band will be chanting out tunes for our ears delight! Get your dancin shoes in order for ye shalll be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

@As the clock strikes 10, it marks the time we start divvying up the BOOTY!!!! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! This year marks the year of gold, for i have more loot plunder than any other thus far :) so there nay be 3 prizes.. last year we had 7 winners, this year be MORE, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

:::[June.9.15]:::

Summer hit FAST!!!

Spent the tale end of spring mushroom hunting and getting the car going (its not running yet.. but its getting there.. more and more)

Grandma and grandpa came up and went climbing the hills with me.

I've made new bikes.. new progress on the house, the houle's came in and partied mad max style at the 2nd mad max party. damn.. so many stories to tell.. and its SO hot now :) so early this year. but it just means as soon as i'm off work i'm hittin the swimming hole. :)

:::[April.2.15]:::

Today I said goodbye to an old friend. You'll be missed lil voot runner.

:::[March.21.15]:::

Woke up to find a Fillet Minon in the top shelf of my fridge was bleeding on my radishes. Its a steak and eggs morning.

2 older clients needed some quirks worked out.

2 truckloads moved from one house to another with 4 friends.

Trimmed 2 trees that havent seen shears in 2 decades easy.

Ride a Bello Scooter across town, And wait for rescue.

BBq to follow complete with drum circle and roast chicken at the end of a knife. THe didgeridoo was brought for just this kind of occasion.

Ride left, hitchhiked back to Lee's with a didj in hand. More shenanigans.

Continued walking across town stopping at various friends house to play the didj and just say hi.

I think tomorrow i'm construsting a Wikiup.. and having a toga party.

Whats in Your wallet?

:::[March.9.15]:::

Yet another Iron in the Fire.

I'm working on another project.. me and ronnie are making a custom kydex sheath for a knife.. I'm going to use the cold steel kukri machete Keating gifted me. It's super badass blade and lightweight for running around the mountains. The plan would be to Make a snap-in Kydex sheath that mounts to a small camelback pack i have. Water, Food, Lighter, Flashlight.. and a Machete. All in One: in the form of a backpack.

But I realized it wouldnt be hard to modify the blade (side grinder and a good belt sander can work magic.) But i need to decide IF and HOW I would change the shape BEFORE i go to the trouble of making a sheath.

Here is a mock up of a few variations that would be SO easy to do.. Which do you like?

Well The choice became SONAR, and with a side grinder and a belt sander the blade modification went quick!

I found a deal on amazon for a 12x24 sheet of kydex for $15.. but for $25 i could get 3 sheets :) another $10 and 100 eyelets were headed my way too.

Once it all showed up, i mocked a template from cardboard, and cut out 2 pieces of kydex at 6"x"16. The Heat gun Ronnie brought over wasnt cuttin it, so we ended up propingthe windows open and sticking it in the oven. 300° is alot easier in a gas oven. :) one leather glove and some frantic scattering and we sandwiched the blade in the kydex and surrounded in foam, with wood for a bun.. 3 clamps and then let it cool.

The last few days have been drilling the holes. Mounting eyelets. Then i clamped my jigsaw upsidedown in the vice and created a makeshift "bandsaw" .. it was a bit freaky but it worked.

I cut off all excessive plastic around the eyelet line and then took it to the beltsander for final shaping. From there it needed only minor heating and reshaping just a few areas to make sheathing and unsheathing easier.

The plan was to build a leg strap and belt loop into the kydex sheath from nylon webbing and utilize these additions to make the entire sheath a clip on attackment to the back of a camel back. I added male and female clips to the top of the shoulderstraps of the camelback, which will be where the "legstrap" will clip on and become the retaining strap for the kydex sheath.

The belt look will function like a wallet chain belt loop complete with a snap (so you dont have to remove your belt to put it on.. ) and this snap on belt loop will attach it to the bottom of the back pack.

By now you probably have realized that the sheath will be mounted upsidedown on the backpack.. There is nothing more funny to me than a back mounted sword, that is handle up.. not only does your arm not extend enough to unsheath a full size blade, but cutting your own ear off is not something I want to endure. Pointing the handle down allows gravity to be of help and theres no worry of nipping body parts now that we have grown out of our prehensile tails. Now there is the worry that turning a sheath upsidedown is a good way to drop a blade.. but this is why we use kydex :) It allows the blade to pop in and out like a lego.. and once in, its IN, jostle as you may.. its in untill you tug like hell at just the right angle..

The path of exploring somewhere new. A world not yet traversed, maybe explained or fabled, but by you its not just one step into the unknown, but the growth of new skills, new tools all forged and created along the route..

:::[Feb.18.15]:::

What a wild weekend!! Started off rowdy at Octane Thursday night. Quincy and sarah were there and it went from fixing the internet there to karaoke at mings in a flash HAHHAhaah.

The next morning i had little time to pack.. the plan was to go snow camping.. but minimal as possible. NO SHELTERS allowed. AJ had recently been devouring prepper shows and survival idea's and wanted to go ROUGH it, and by rough it he meant pick 10 items only.. and we head into the mountains to survive for the night. IN FEB? dude.. NO. I'm sure i'd survive, but i'd be a grumpy DICK during and after. :) SO we comprimised to a NO shelter rule. and we all brought some gear to construct a shelter with. SUPER FUN! Me and Annie combined forces and made a box spring from pine slats off a downed tree and layered it with pine boughs. its was SO comfy.. felt like a mattress :)Add a few tarps to reflect the heat back to us from the fire and keep away ran and snow and we all slept well :)

THe Next funky idea was bring food.. but you only get to eat it if you shoot a can out of a tree at 50 yards :)heheheh all in all we stayed warm, got cozy, and super inventive to keep ourselves entertained.

we got back and i found i was locked out of my own house.. that began a fun quest of breaking and entering on myself, Kept it easy and cleaned up the house after and fixed the Scooter for lee, then headed back to Octane, cause that night Quincy played. This got fun after Gage showed up and proceeded to get crazy. :)

Sunday was the 4th annual Tweed ride with the Bad ASS Bicycle Crew. I got to lead a 50 man parade of dapper folks on bikes thru town. We ended at the new Marriot and got treated to a great courtyard chill session :)

All up.. Life's going really good.

:::[Feb.18.15]:::

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was at The One Motorcycle Show - Portland, Oregon.
February 14 at 7:49pm ·


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February 14 at 2:06pm ·

Eat concrete hipster


Eli==================================================
February 13 at 6:02pm ·

https://soundcloud.com/search?qSubaqueous

bin run




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February 12 at 8:38am ·

Leave it to homeland security to yank me outta line before even reaching customs. Just to rifle thru my carryon.

Welcome home, to the country with the least freedom ive been to in .. my life.

God save the usa
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February 11 at 6:09pm ·

The adventures are winding to a close here.. the 10000 things are returning to there source. The magic is back in the bag.. and my journey begins at 5am..

Its been amazing. 
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February 11 at 9:16am ·

Here, the king delivers.
Last day roaming Envigado Area, with a busted toe. 
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February 8 at 5:50pm ·

That might be fireworks, or gunshots.. eitherway lets delve into the forest.

rio claro
during the week, both joe and cia teach, so with this last remaining few days here on Colombia, wanted to get away from the city and back to the earth. 

luckily enough i stayed in touch with nikola, who id met in park de arvi on one of my first journeys. he too was interested in rio claro (more than the ultra touristy gaudape )

8 am i was up, packed, showered and evenade a little breaky before i was headed to the metroline. i had to go to the north end of the city to catch the bus that heads for bogota. 

this bus station was wicked confusing. but during my search for the right bus nikola arrived and was able to ask the right questions. 

we paid and had about a half hour to blow, so we ram around getting coffee and cake. 

the bus was cushy. its strange how Colombia borders first class with street trash so brilliantly.,

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February 7 at 7:43am ·
Bandeha Plate, Botega and meeting a wizard
An american, canadian, dutch and a polish guy walk into a bar...

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Feb 6
Porch chillin with Yoshi and Thing1

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February 5 at 4:16pm ·

Today i followed the river as far as i could.. and found the top of the world.
Didnt realize i hiked all the way out of the city


Nice chill morning of tunes, tea, laindry amd macguyvering a clothesline system. Yeah i travel with rope. smile emoticon time to explore.
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February 4 at 10:51pm ·

Dont use the term freedom if you havent actually experienced it..

Long day wandering thru the barrios.. sunburnt. New friends. New foods. New dreams to spin. Where negativity has no room.

Park de Arvi

Medellin
Top 3 spots to catch your breath in Medellin
Feb 13, 2011 posted by Hannah Aronowitz
 

Medellin, a city with about 3 million inhabitants, is a writhing thriving mass of humanity. While the hustle and bustle of the city is what lends it its charm; the paisas are a colorful and friendly people and the energy of the city center can be exhilarating, at times the constant noise, crowds, cars and smog can be a bit much. Here are Colombia Report’s top picks for the best places to escape the craze of the city and catch your breath.

La Ladera Park/Leon de Greiff Library Park

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The first stop on a tranquil tour of Medellin’s hidden green spaces makes you lose your breath before you catch it. A short but very uphill hike from Boston Park will bring you to a grassy knoll which is home to the Ladera Recreation Park and the adjacent Leon de Greiff library park which cover the site of a former prison. The library’s park at the base of the hill is a manicured swath of green dotted with trees, a play structure and clusters of benches. Immediately, the sounds of traffic and crowds give way to children’s laughter and birdsong.

The Leon de Greiff Library sits above the park. The building consists of three massive blocks, the roofs which have been converted into decks, complete with terraced benches and shade structures. The rooftop balcony of the library offers a stunning view of downtown Medellin, the proximity lending to an appreciation for the cities’ details, while the distance offers a break from the dirt and hoards that characterize the city center.

Stretching up the hill behind the library is the recreation park, with multiple soccer and basketball courts and a large garden with an empty pool and an abandoned water park. The former glory of the pool and adjacent garden are long gone but something in the state of abandon is romantic and intriguing in a “Secret Garden” kind of way. The garden is large and endearingly unkempt, overgrown with flowering bushes, and the air is thick with birds and butterflies.

Above the garden stretches an expanse of grass, with stands of trees and a herd of grazing cows.

Besides the unique view, the Ladera park and Leon de Greiff library park offer what can be the hardest to come by in the rush of Medellin – space.

Asomadora Park

{japopup type=”image” content=”pics/2011/02/park.jpg” title=”Asomadera Park”}{/japopup}
The Asomadera Park covers a hill in the El Salvador neighborhood. From the top you can see 360 degrees of Medellin – that is, you can glimpse it from in between the trees. The fist sensation upon arrival after a harrowing taxi ride up to the park is cool; the drop in temperature under the thick shade of trees is divine on a hot afternoon in the city.

The very top of the hill has been made into a lovely little park, with a pool, shaded picnic tables, play structures and a basketball court. The slopes rising up to the hilltop however, have been left wooded and the surrounding trees offer the gifts of isolation and shade. Networks of paths criss-cross their way down the slopes, which make for a peaceful walk in the woods right in the heart of Medellin. Some paths have been made into informational nature walks with plaques indicating the types of trees that grow there: abaro, monkey coconut, puy, chiminango, quimula and carreto.

This is the perfect place to bring a picnic or read a book in the shade and breath in fresh air.

Cerro el Volador (Hill of the Flyer)

{japopup type=”image” content=”pics/2011/02/cerro.jpg” title=”Cerro el Volador”}{/japopup}
Cerro el Volador is the largest protected area within the city, with about 262 acres of forest. This massive hill is no park, it is literally wild land. It is a little bit less accessible than the previous two locations, you have to take a taxi half way up the hill and then walk about ten minutes up a road to get to where the road rings around the summit. There are few paths that cut through the wild brush and trees but it is an exhilarating place to be due to an impressive lack of humans.

The splendor of this space is that is offers an idea of what the Aburra Valley looked like before the onset of the ever-expanding neighborhoods which have transformed the land into modern-day Medellin. An assortment of native trees, thick brush and a plethora of flowers in every color of the rainbow cover the entire hill. If you can find a path, or bush-wack your way up to the summit you are rewarded with an expansive view of Medellin, from your own solitary forest local.

These three spots, which are relatively easy to get to from the city center, offer a true respite from the masses. Clean air, wide open spaces, and glimpses of green make these locations ideal for relaxation and rest
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Feb 3rd: bike fix, Pho, Bday party for Joe. 
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Feb 2.
Sister Christian, exploration of the area
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February 1 at 6:55pm ·
Dog Park, Mimosa's, Eats
Superbowl from a parkbench barside..
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Jan 31st. Arrival. cab ride watching hookybobbers. hooka and beer with cia. 

:::[Jan.15.15]:::

I'm too excited to sleep.

This weather is cold and grey. It's easy to get lethargic, sad and uninventive with what to do with the dark hours that pass.

I didnt feel very good friday, and laid very low.. keeping food down was my greatest concern, but i was able to push thru. Saturday was mellow, not alot to do so i went to a friends house and made squirrel stew (no joke) with him and had a good laugh.

That night Mom contacted me and was all excited, turns out the Treehouse Masters show was holding a contest. If you could have your Ultimate Treehouse, what would it be??

I was ecstatic. I'd been dreaming about a Treehouse in my old sycamore out back since before i bought my place.. and now i had a chance, not just to share my idea, but maybe bring it to life!

I called in all the favors i could with all the media guru's i know. Gurnett got back to me in haste that night. It was the moment we were both digging around on the website that we both found the part that made us gasp in unison.. We had less than 24 hours to make our 3 minute Video Submission.

With the Pirate Party being an annual event now for a decade long, its normal for my huge assortment of friends let the imagination go wild in my yard. I love having people over to escape the normal humdrum of life and get away into my own slice of Narnia, whether its teaching them tai chi in the back 40, or having bonfires up near the house. My treehouse would be a place to forget the city exists and return to the Neverland within us, let the magic out and find a way to just enjoy being a kid again. I've been dreaming of a treehouse in that tree since i was a kid. Ever since i purchased this property i've had plans to build one. Someday I will bring my vision to life, and it'll be something I'll share with everyone I can.

My ultimate treehouse would be a 2 (or more!) story peter-pan-eske tree fort, with rope bridges, hammocks to snooze on, a lower deck with a dingy hanging from it full of pillows that you could climb out on.. a zip line going from the crows nest to the other side of my creek and all sorts of oil lanterns, telescopes and other wild treasures to explore. It would look like something from the forests of Endor, or some elven village after the apocalypse of humankind, when Magic has returned. It would be a place to escape, relax and find your inner child. A place we all wish we had as a kid.. and that generations to come would relish the chance to see,.. let alone explore!

I went straight to work on it.. no holds barred. I was up untill 2am writing out my script. By 8am i was back up and had mom come over and we started filming with a Samsung Galaxy phone as a camera. I had 4 costume changes to get thru and a seminar I was scheduled to be at by noon.

It was 11:30 when i was uploading the script and video snippets to an eagerly awaiting friend, ready to start the lengthy editing process.

By 6pm Apedog needed some pics to add in and i was pedal to the floor trying to get home to dig thru my stash of footage ( i know!! i need to make the gallery from the 2014 pirate party)

Rendering!! come on!!! it couldnt go fast enough.. thats when we noticed that it wasnt due by midnight, it was due by 9pm. midnight EASTERN TIME SHIIITTTT!!!!

I had the entire form filled out and was waiting on one thing, the youtube video link.. THe moment i had it i pasted it and hit submit.. We couldnt have been closer to the deadline. But what sat on the screen was my heart and soul. Thank you for your Entry, come back on the 16th to see who was chosen.

Now my fate lies in the hands of gods i dont know.. but I have this inkling feeling, and its making it so hard to sleep.. I think i'm gonna be on TV.

As of right now theres over 3 days and 13 hours to wait till the voting begins, and only then do we find out what 3 videos were chosen. Untill then, you can see my vid below.

:::[Jan.05.15]:::

Happy new year to my tribe, my clan.

I rang in the new year with my spokane tribe this year, but not there.. in portland..

They picked me up NYE, and we had plans for a 3 story consciencenesss aware rave happening at the PDX art Museum.

What ensued was an amazing time with a great group of my closest friends.. my only wish was that i had more time with them.

An awesome read about Cultural concepts the western world could work on.. :) Some are things I've embraced long ago that sadly kept me in a social abnormality in life.

:::[Nov.6.14]:::

Halloween was great. SO many chances for multiple costumes. :) I was a Viking, the Devil, a zombie and happy.

So the plan was to build a car. Not only for when this next season of shit weather hits (its already here) but also have it ready before my insight finally has a problem thats worthy of a heavy bill to fix it.. Well it happened. The insight's Input Shaft Bearing blew to shit and the transmission sounds like its chewing rocks. This frustrates me to no end. Mainly cause i was promised i'd have a new vehicle by now.. but also cause now selling my insight isnt an option untill I get this fixed.. So i either dump $2500 (which would be straight from the profits of selling it.. ) or i spend weeks slowly and meticulously tearing the engine in have and replacing the needed peices. Only then can I sell it and recoup costs.. setting me even farther behind in not only time but needed $$ to get this new car off its blocks.

This couldnt be more farther from the expectations.. talk about discouraging.

:::[Oct.22.14]:::

Skills of Tai Chi

Its that awesome of year where things are creepy and weird!! So to honor this season of death, i've been hosting the Daily Halloween Music Video series on Facebook SO i'll post the list of all the vids here.

10/30/14:: i grew up with this band, and will never stop being a fan.
10/29/14:: courtesy of K.w..
10/28/14::somehow reminds me of the old ReAnimator movie.. *CREEPY*
10/27/14:: HELL.
10/25/14:: Leave your body at the door...
10/24/14:: OF COURSE!! here it is.. the bat eating prince of darkness playing my personal favorite, shredding along with Zakk Wild.

Here is a Seak peek at tommorows Halloween Vid! OCT 23rd

10/22/14:: Sam the Sham: Lil Red Riding Hood

10/21/14:: Korn remakes the classic "kidnap the Sandy Claws" from nightmare before christmas.
10/20/14::.. exit light.. enter night.
10/19/14::The pumpkin Dance
10/18/14::
10/17/14::My favorite composer and lead of the band oingo boingo, this was the first track from the release after they reunited. Insanity
10/16/14:: an oldie but goody, set to a funky old cartoon
10/15/14::"Dead Souls", a song by Joy Division, first released as the B-side of "Atmosphere", later we heard it covered by Nine Inch Nails on the soundtrack for the movie where late actor Brandon Lee, portrayed a Dead Soul that was unable to rest due to post mortem heartbreak
10/14/14::Its David Bowie teaming with Trent Reznor to portray probably the most chilling horror of our time.. US..
10/13/14:: Like you didnt see this comine, a classic thanx to the king of pop and the creepy vocals of Vincent Price!!
10/12/14::Today its the remake of the calssic KC and the Sunshine band song : I'm your boogie man.. with a funky new twist thanx to the Ewlectric Head himself.. Rob Zombie.
10/11/14::Edward Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. I had this on vinyl as a kid and to this day its one of my wake up alarms
10/10/14::Tried and true, one of my favs.
10/09/14::[this was day one of the Halloween Video of the Day series.. ] little late start.. but heres your Halloween Music video daily selection!

:::[Oct.6.14]:::

Death Season is here ;)

This weekend I kicked off my halloween season perfect with a run up to my spokane tribe :) Got there Thursday night late, but yet still enough time to run off to get some great food and drinks with hunter and Erin, and Amanda jo. Me and hunter stayed out late having a good shindog and crashed out by 3. The next morning we got up and had a long slow chill morning, i made them breakfast and cracked into the washingmachine.

It was the joke of why i came up there, they had a used washingmachine that stopped working. A service guy had came in and determined it was a faulty control board. (the circuit board that has all the buttons you push on it) and it was going to be $490 total to replace.. In 15 minutes i had it open, the plastic button that pushed the actual start button was broken, removed it, put it all back together and the machine was running.. ?!

That earned my weight in gold to them. So, that night we had sushi, and hit Terrain, "an annual, one-night-only, juried multimedia art and music event celebrating young and emerging artists in the Spokane area". And got to see some awesome art of all flavors. We capped the night off with a run to Barracho and Blind buck, where i ran into Kelsi and kendall :) good times!

The next morning we ran for the cabin, which is about as close as it gets to staying at a resort. Me and hunter ripped into Erin's civic and replaced the plugs, leads, distributer and rotot and changed the oil. The only thing we had trouble with was the fuel filter.. so that was gonna wait till shorty returned.

It wasnt too long after we ate lunch and read each others fortunes, which quickly turned into tapping into "the jesus", Amanda climbed into a set of stilts, the whole lake turned royal blue and hunter was running around like a drunkend 5 yr old.. by the time he puked off the docks things were in full swing. I cleaned up the garage as best i could. the world was turning into dreamland quickly and i was fighting to hold it together.

Amanda had the house under control and sorted erin into warmer clothes as i wrangled the bear.

Once we were all in the car, it was like taking a rocket to the moon.. nobody knew what to expect.. but we were Scarywood bound."Can i get a little breeze in the back seat please?" We made it safe and somehow managed to get thru the gates without trouble (tho had to run back to the car, cause my dumbass forgot i was carrying a blade (edc).. It was far warmer than last year and I was prepared :) Spooks and Zombies, clowns and scarecrows.. the world was a frightful playground and i was loving it. First things first. ROLLER COASTER!! we rode rides, explored areas and choked on fog machines. all up it was a win win win. :) Didnt really sleep much that night, but by moring i felt ok, and shorty helped me finish the car off and I was able to put the pieces back together and watch life reseat itself into order. :) it was a gorgeous day.. and even with a late start back home I was able to get some welding done.

The insight thru another check engine light.. i'm kinda getting sick of babying this thing along just to the point where my new car is running. So now it looks like i either need a new O2 senser (bank1) or it might be as simple as getting new spark plugs.. cheap right? nope..

The Insight uses a new, iridium spark plug that is unique to this vehicle.

There are four different part numbers for the spark plugs, and each has the electrode aligned differently with the plug threads. This allows the orientation of the ground electrode in relation to the intake valve to be optimized for maximum economy and power, and optimum combustion efficiency.

Due to variations inherent to the manufacturing process, each engine's head will differ. After each head is manufactured, it is measured and the optimal spark plug for each cylinder in that engine is determined. This information is then stamped on the cylinder head.

Each spark plug has an identification mark (A, B, C or D) located on the top of the solid post terminal that is to be matched with the corresponding identification mark for each cylinder, as stamped on the cylinder head of the engine in question. The cylinder head marking location is shown below.

To ensure proper electrode position, only replace spark plugs with letter codes that match the stamping on the cylinder head. If the spark plugs are to be reused, they must be returned to the same cylinders.

To ensure proper electrode position, it is also doubly important that the plug is torqued to specifications.

- The plugs are pre-gapped to 1.0 - 1.1mm (mine were 1.1mm). My old plugs were gapped at 1.175mm, 1.15mm and 1.175mm respectively so it makes a difference.

- Get a torque wrench that will do in-lb and set it to 204in-lb (17ft-lb). It is of the upmost importance that you get this right because it will affect mileage and how well the car runs. Not to mention you can mess up the threads. Insight on Spark plugs

:::[Sept.30.14]:::

So the CDC has reported that ebola has hit the 48 states.. Here's an interesting article Playing out how this will be the beginning of the Collapse.

So, i think tonight i need to go shopping...bullets n beans n gasoline..

ANd now How to Make Lightweight Oilskin Tarps from Bed Sheets

Car project is slow going .. i'm waiting on the engine and suspension to run.

:::[Sept.8.14]:::

Saturday was epic. It was the Wheelin’ Walla Walla Weekend Show-N-Shine, so the Bad Ass Bike Riders decided to have a "Bike and Motorcycle Event" Right off Colville in front of Door #2 and Marcys. We started pulling bikes down round 1030 and by noon we had over 40 bikes and motorcycles outfront. I had 2 motorcycles and 3 of my bicycles.. and the music was roarin. It was a shindig in the street. Moonshine, dillon played tunes from marcys and more and more showed. We all took turns running to the car show and back.. and then made a mass parade right thru their ceremony! :) It was such a success we are going to call out all my Kikker friends and hopefully make a HUGE show of it next year :)

Yesterday: Got the Awning completed! I'm done playing with the cities rules, that awning looked like shit with the posts IN the driveway, plan was to relocate them just outside the edge. Bout an hour to set up the jacks and ladders, and had it bolted to the new spot in 15 minutes. After that the folks annie, and i ran off to the river which turning into an introduction into one of the most amazing area's I never knew existed!!

Got back, headed off too Ben's to work on Captain Tripps. Then to Tiff's for a rockin Bonfire in the almost full moon :)

I Love it when i get a call from a car parts company to confirm that the giant truck tires are indeed for my honda civic.. "yes.. i build things only most dream of"..

The Monte Carlo Apoc project Similar to what i'm building!

:::[Aug.15ISH.14]:::

August 31 - Homeward bound While many were off burning a man., ive been burning the world: ) happy new year!

August 26 Checkin out old town windy city

August 25 · Edited We canoed across the lake on a quest for food, ate, played dice, and made a bonfire, Was a night to remember... (lightning night)

August 23 Woke this morning, ransacked the breakfast room, then went straight for a canoe.. it was time for a swim, amd to explore the haunted hunting lodge of stouts island

So here i am on Stout's island on the rice lake in Wisconsin. The workers told me its a haunted place and theres been lots to explore. By land and sea. The first few nights here i was by myself in a girlish room with pink wallpaper, but it had a screened in porch that i slept on. Between water bicycles and kayaks, canoes and wilderness trails its been fun. Theres alot of books, and i even found one all about the plants here on the island. So much of it grows in my yard. So im very familiar with so much of it. After talking with some locals here i learned even more :) like gooseberries. Found some and they are good. August 16 · Edited The road trip to Portland.... the drive there was great! — feeling fantastic with Lee Taylor and Pirâte Andy at Multnomah Falls. Which was lucky cause the bullshit prices for food here (in combo with the rules against outside food n drink ) really turned into me rationing what little snacks i brought and have allowed me to supplement my diet with wild foraging: ) ibe learned the patterns tho and have been waking early to ransack the free breakfast and sneak some for later so itll get me thru till dinner which thankfully ive been worked into my friends tab, .. Ok, im gonma go back out and play. In 3 hours the wedding begins,, .. and part of me was hopin to hit a thrift store first but didnt,, so i have no real fancy clothes, so i might look a bit rough compared to them :)

:::[Aug.6.14]:::

The plan was simple. Just outside Lincoln City, there was a trail. It led north over a small hill and down to a cove that not many access. We were 8 dudes strong, and with such a short run ahead, we were packed to the gills. 4 days and 3 nights on a cove to ourselves.. This was gonna be fun.

Little did we know, that this trail went almost straight up, then down into a valley, back up the next mountain, and into the brush. I saved weight by leaving the machete at home, and this was a moment of regret. We plowed thru the ferns and thicket, only to be greeted by a "NO Trespassing - Widlife sanctuary beyond" sign. Fantastic. We pushed on anyway.. Another quarter mile later and we found the access to the cove.. It was beautiful down there.. If it wasnt for the 60 feet cliff we would have to traverse to get there.

A disgruntled sigh and another sip of water, and we were marching back the way we came. THis was a weekend of continious search for a spot of beach that wasnt pay-per-use and the cops wouldnt chase you out..

By sundown, our next best option was hunker down, bonfire and snooze on the edge of the public beach in Lincon, the north end of north end.. i slept right against the cliff.. in the sand, on the ground. I miss my hammock.

By morning most of us were up early and packed quick thanks to the scowling passerbys. Once back to the cars we set off down the road toward Newport to hopefully scrounge a place to camp for the next few nights.. THe devil's punchbowl offered a great vantage point that in conjunction with Google maps, might help us find a spot like what we were in search of. Luckily I was approached by a Fish & Wildlife girl, that promptly turned from her surveying me, into me grilling her for info on places to sneakycamp.

It didnt take long, to woo her into giving up the info on a few places people go to bonfire and drink without policey hassle, but it quickly turned into inviting us all to hit the local PowWow that was happening just up the mountain.

This was, thus far the best plan we had.. so we went down to South Beach in newport to spend the day hanging out on the beach (in the incessant wind) and nap, nibble and laugh the day away.

Most of the guys had never even been to a powwow before so the oppurtunity itself was an exciting one :) The costumes were top notch, great dancing, loud singing and fantastic food. It was a great Carnival of culture. But by sundown the guys were getting worried that we hadnt found a place to sleep yet. Worse of? I lost service up the mountain, so finding Cindy, our F/W guide was not an option.. I looked everywhere for her, but to no avail. We headed back towards Newport to hopefully find that hidey place near walmart..

Somewhere we messed up.. we found the walmart, took a right at the stopsign, but instead of Nye beach.. we found Agate beach.. a wasteland of sand dunes. The plus? Already there were bonfires burning down in the pits of dune crators scattered about.

The guys ran off to scout a spot that could work, i continued my push for streetwise info on better spots to camp. Luckily, I scored word of a trail down the beach that might lead to a "campsite" that was off the maps.. but it would have to wait till morning, it was getting dark.

Hunkered down in a dune crator, our fire roared to life, most of the guys passed straight out. I cooked a Curry over the fire and made sure the wakeful were fed well. Service was restored in newport and eventually I got back in touch with Cindy, and her and a friend came out and found us. They joined us for a beer and hung out into the night, laughing and learning about the lot of us.

Another night in the sand, covered in dew.. wake up, shake it all out. pack up.. We've now learned packing light is a neccesity. Kendall scouted early when he woke, and located the infamous trail we were told about.. "It'll work" he said. About a mile south, there was a trail, it led towards the foliage in the cliff. We had to climb a straight vertical, fully packed.. but we found it.. the trees opened up. It reminded me of the jungles right next to the austrailian beaches. Plenty of hammock spots, tent spots, trails that led to all manner of levels within.. but it was a trashed out Bum Mecca.

WTF.. It was riddled with beer cans, bottles, shredded tarps, garbage, rape mattresses, tent peices, filth, trash and tetinus debris. Well, the upside: it was obvious the police wouldnt be hearding us out.

I think we were all tired of running this wild goose chase of trying to find a spot that didnt exist. this was home.. at least for the last night :)

We started cleaning all the rubbish and packing it away into garbage bags and cans we found..

After Cleaning bum central up, it serious had the view of an ewok style village. 9 Hammocks hanging, little tables set up from the rubble. It was a post apoc playground. I even scored a new rain fly.

We played cards, drank, and would make small runs to the beach front , where it was cold and windy.. later that night, Cindy came back up to join us and we talked and laughed around the fire. Was really a good time.

The next morning we leisurely drove home. stopping here and there for pleasantries and was really excited to get back to the SUN and its warmth.

:::[Aug.6.14]:::

WOW!!! What a summer : )

SO the last few weeks i've been prepping for the 10th anniversery of the Ye Olde Pirate Party, and boyyo did it pay off! It was easily one of the best years to date, perfectly smooth sailing and tons of people. Everyone had a blast. So many thanx to all that helped make it happen. And now i'm scurrying trying to procure as many pictures as possible as i see them get released :) I'll have a gallery soon.

The next morning clean up was probably the easiest to date. Had tons of help, and there was damn near no mess! :) So after most everything was sorted and the dishes were clean, we took all the left over food and beer to Jacks and spent the day playing in the creek and bbqing :) what a GREAT weekend!

The weekend before we had a plan to hike up to money creek , but found out there was a serious forest fire in the area and decided to go south instead, so we found a trail into the eagle caps where there was the fabled "blue hole" a stretch of canyon that had cold blue water in it that you could see to the bottom. :) and they were right! We hiked in (barely 2 miles, but it was a great adventure, and a nice practice run for my brother that hasnt really done much packing in.. so it was a good way to really learn whats needed and whats not.

The weekend before, Steve Lightfoot was getting married, so i blasted up the state to meet up with Erin at her cabin on Lake coure d'laine and kicked it with them, paddle boarded, joined a 42 boat link up party and had free cake :) hell of a good time EVERYTIME i get up there.. THeres not enough summer!!

I've only been working Mon-Wed to try and get as much out of this summer as I can, yet, i still feel like there isnt enough time. It's wednesday now, and tomorrow morning, i get up, shower, grab my pack, and head to Lincoln City. We'll be hiking from there to a secret beach and will be camped there until sunday. Look out! its gypsy camp revival hehehahhaa.. I'm still in full pirate gear.

As soon as i get back, i work 3 more days, then take my car for appraisal to TC (honda is looking into buying my insight back) then i head for portland for a few days before i FLy out to Arthur and Robins wedding in Wisconsin.

Who are they? Well remember Lucidity? While i was there i thought it would be fun to bring the fortune teller gear i made for last years Burning man. There was barely a handful of people I read for at lucidity, but out of them, 2 were Arthur and Robin. Smiles were had, tears were shed and by the end of the read i think those 2 had never felt as close as they did then. They were impressed and had alot to talk about.. but one thing was for sure, they enjoyed meeting me and wanted to stay in touch. Few weeks later I got the wedding invite in the mail.. it was a huge dream catcher with the information woven to it. Talk about hard to turn down. But Thats when i found out they were flying me in.. I was going, hell or high water.

One of the hardest descisions this year was to actively choose to not go back to BroChella. Aka, burning man. THe commercialism that took over there and the fact that SO many newbie tards rolled in turned it into a spectator sport.. totally disheartening. So i figured a break would be smart.. but what would I do instead? well.. i know now. I'll be in Wisconsin, with a crew of people i barely know, living out of a bag again.. :) Life. MY life.

It feels good to be me, THERES JUST NOT ENOUGH SUMMER.

1. Don’t smoke cigarettes.
2. Drive old Japanese cars. Easy and cheap to fix & they run for fucking ever.
3. Buy most of your groceries from the produce section. Most of that other shit is not actually food. You don’t need it.
4. Ride your bike instead of driving as much as you can. You need the exercise and gas is expensive.
5. Don’t have kids. They’re not miracles, they’re people. 7 billion is too fucking many. Find some other way to give your dull existence some meaning. BTW they’re expensive.
6. Get your clothes from thrift stores. With the physique you’ll have from riding your bike, you’ll look hot wearing anything.
7. Learn to fix things. Tons of great books and youtube vids on fixing anything. Or ask an old dude. People used to fix things. No shit.
8. Learn a trade – Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, auto mechanics, tailoring, computer/electronics repair, something They can’t fucking outsource. No one gives a shit about your Masters in Dostoyevsky or your high score on World of Warcraft…. fix something, dumbass, fix something!
9. If you like booze, drink at home with your neighbors. Drunk driving is for assholes, rich ones with lawyers.
10. Do people favors. It’s called Cooperation. It’s how the world worked before money. They will return the favor, or someone will. No shit. This really works.
11. Make things – Look around you. What do you see? Yah, shitty stuff made by impoverished enslaved people far away. Pick anything. Make a better one. People want good shit. You won’t get rich, but you’ll get by.
12. If you live in America – don’t get sick and avoid injury. Wear your fucking helmet and put lights on your bike.
13. Find work you love. If you can’t do that, then find a job where you love the people.
14. Junkies and addicts are like toddlers. They just want to shit all over you and everything. The messes they make can get expensive. Avoid them if you can.
15. Don’t buy shit on credit, remember what happened to America? Cash only, fuckers. Can’t afford it? Don’t fucking buy it!
16. Preventable expenses - STD’s, abortions, DWI’s, lung cancer, head injuries, speeding tickets, cirrhosis of the liver.
17. Don’t go on fancy dates if you’re not fancy. Most people kind of despise the rich anyway.
18. When you go see shows, bring a flask in. That way you can afford to buy a record.
19. If you had told me 15 years ago that Coca Cola would put tap water in plastic bottles and motherfuckers would BUY IT …… No fuckin way.
20. Don’t get cable. Asshole. There is nothing on. I promise. $100 a month ? Fuck no!
-Thor Harris

:::[June.22.14]:::

A fellow with no wish to be governed, inspected, indoctrinated, preached at, taxed, stamped, measured, judged, condemned, hanged, or shot. I'm not the devil, I have cast out the devil, that depraved distinction between rich and poor, great and small, master and valet, governor and governed.

:::[June.14.14]:::

It's Here.. Year 10.

Tis year 10 of our beloved Pirate Party. This time we'll be bringin the cannons and let the world know where the pirate's be.. I couldnt do it without ya..

So being this year be extra special, i'm puttin the word out early ta see if i can muster some help from you folks that have donated goods, tricks, services and other wonderous pirate bounty that made it special in years past!!

If ye have somethin to contribute, contact me!! It's not MY party, its OUR party.. lets make this pirate village come to life this year!!

The prize pile is HUGE and i'm excited that it just keeps getting better!! Gifts from INkspiration, Beautiful aftermath, Door#2, relics from the past, plunder goods from all over the world!! OVer $2000 worth SO FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

================YEAR 10===================

Come the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ soon after, Ben McSpadden and his fanciful fingers be pluckin tha strings for our ears delight! Get your dancin shoes in order for ye shalll be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

@As the clock strikes 10, it marks the time we start divvying up the BOOTY!!!! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! This year marks the year of gold, for i have more loot plunder than any other thus far :) so there nay be 3 prizes.. last year we had 7 winners, this year be MORE, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

:::[June.4.14]:::

The Rollin Free MC Weekend!

Summer is here!! and to start it out right, we all went to jacks and roasted a pig with 5 dj's for an all night party/campout. I couldnt be happier about how things are going. My new awning is coming along. The car is on its way to being functional.

But if that wasnt enough, dad asked if i wanted to help him drive the Harley up over white pass to Packwood, WA. for a Reunion with the Motorcycle Club he rolled with over 25 years ago.

What a blast it was.. even though it rained almost the entire time, I got to remeet people from my past and dad's old friends that had slowly turned to myth in my mind.

But even the rain couldnt stop the laughs, the riding, the fire and the fun.

ITs already a great summer, and theres so much more to come!!

:::[May.6.14]:::

Birthday Madness

So many changes :) First off a whole new SERVER!! :) coming to you live from a speedy little dell laptop that had a nusted screen. We dont need a face to serve the web, we just need speed.. a good internet connection and BUILT IN battery backup?? Deal!

I'm back from LA, i went down to hit the Lucidity Festival, and had a total blast. I'm so glad i know the people i do in this world, makes travel easy and fun. I left WW and landed in portland that afternoon, dumped off a laptop and a turn table then ran off to Oakridge, OR to crash the night at Carrise's place where i sold off yet another laptop. The next day i drove down i5 tryin to haul ass to the festival, and made it to Dan's mom's place in San Juan. Nice place! and had a room to myself :)

The next morning i showered up and headed to the Live Oak Campground in Santa Barbara where the festival was. When i got there, Dan met me in the parking line and rolled with me up to to unpack, and there we met our soon to be campmates. Luhan, Tara, and Joelle were waiting for the shuttle trucks and had way too much to carry, so we went to work and got everyone loaded up and when it came time to jump off in the nomads nook they jumped out too, just in time cause the girls in front of my tent space were pulling anchor so these 3 took the place without hesitating.

The next 3 days was a blaze of music and fun. So many great people and such a strange world created in the trees. It was a mini burning man, and such a good vibe :)

Lucidity Festival 2014

After the festival was over, monday, we were packing up and i heard someone yell "I took too many drugs is it saturday yet??" HAHAhaha.. from there i headed to LA. Where i met back up with Tara, fixed her computer in trade for a great massage and some pizza :) (if i had my own llc i coulda wrote this trip off :) Met up with Jennmarie that i got to know at last years burn, and found out that LA is nuts.. and so are the people in it.

Back to Tara's for one more night before i rolled back up to Santa Barbara, where i met Dan and some friends he was kickin with. We left for Santa Cruz, ate some Hong Kong Charlies, almost got in a fight, side stepped getting puked on and headed for his moms place and crashed there that night. Then I was headed up the coast and figured i'd never seen San Fransisco, so Dan rolled with me, and gave me a grand Tour of the Bay area. Mission district, The harbor, Haight/Ashbury the works. That night we met up with Fransisco and Nichole and partied with them :) what fun! Sadly i had to go the next morning, they woulda kept partying all weekend if i stayed, so luckily dan stayed and hung with them for the next few days. I went from SF to portland in one LONG day of driving, but i stopped here and there to see a few places i'd never been.

Back in portland i met up with tabatha and joel, had some great food with megan and fixed a few more comps on my way out. only to find out I was destined to come back for car parts soon :)

Since then , it was my birthday, so me and a handful of fun peeps Dressed as clowns and took over downtown WW for the night. Hunted mushrooms the next day, found a few, then got sicker than hell on sunday.

I'm better now, and spent this last weekend in Portland hanging with Steve and grabbin car parts.

I'm back, I'm in full roar mode, getting prizes ready for the pirate party and this car project well underway.

:::[Apr.9.14]:::

The Owl Speaks.

To bring in the summer, i'm headed south to fetch the sun.

Burning man last year was a minor dissapointment in comparisson to the previous years. It outgrew itself. You could feel it in the disconnection between people.

So, following the lead of my energy scout friend Dan, an entry to The Lucidity Festival. I'm curious to see what its like, and i've been itching to get out on the open road again.. the other day I was watering my new blueberry plants from the creek, and I was greeted by this small horned owl.

It was my mentor that drew the connnection: "The Journey (Hadj) began when you and the Owl spoke. He was on the bridge. The pyramid rock left behind him. All prophetic /Get ready Teddy this is gonna be different , perhaps a one of a kind good one!!"

So as soon as my watch is over here on the internet, i'll leave to drive as far as possible and hopefully make it to Eugene tonight.

:::[Mar.19.14]:::

Spring has arrived!

There's alot on my plate lately. But, when isnt there?

THe winter was comprised of trying to hammer out all those idle projects that have been lingering in the dark reccesses of my kingdom for too long. I rifled thru the shelves fixing anything that needed fixing and selling anything i didnt need to keep, even straight trashing things that i didnt see an immediate need for.

But what came of it? Bikes! ready to ride for people, computers set to go to new homes, new orginization and a whole lot more room to work with :)

TOok a ride to weston with a crew of old bikers sunday. lotta fun and a HUGE plate of food at the long branch. Now that i've got all but one motorcycle running, i definately feel ready to play.

So coming up the Lucidity Festival is coming up, and my old roomate Dan, has an extra ticket for me. SO to kick off the summer season bright and early i'm headed to LA to catch a good festival and see some great people along the way.

While i'm there, the lookout for car parts is a main point of interest, as the Mad Max machine project is underway and currently sitting in my driveway. So as soon as i'm back from galavanting around the country my main focus will be to make it run, as well as build a new awning that will cover the driveway by the house :)

:::[Mar.19.14]:::

Wow.. Just WOW.

:::[Mar.04.14]:::

:::[Feb.04.14]:::

Roadkill, a whole new look

It started with a css layout i was making and used a roadkill character sheet as a basis..

What it turned into was a full blown css facelift for the roadkill setting page.. much more streamlined and i really like it ;) now its about content! more stories to come.

:::[Jan.26.14]:::

Helen, my art teacher from when I was young, caught wind of my recent refurb and rebuilding of bikes.. She had a trike that she asked me to rebuild and paint. She wanted some kind of dragon theme.. Heres what i created.

Winter is a time where i spend fixing things that broke, tying up loose ends, and planning for when the sun comes back. Now that i have a new floor in the garage, my first project was bringing everything back in and orginize it. But rather than bring all 20 bikes back in and pack them together, i figured it'd be smart to bring them in one at a time and repair what is needed and finish off the projects as they come in, rather than stack them back up as an overwhelming pile again.

So one of the first things to happen was to make a paint booth in the new garage and knock out the dragon bike. Right behind me Annelise was stripping and painting a bike for herself.

When it was all over i was able to clear alot more space for new projects let alone had a great time and a gorgeous trike to show for it. The day before i delivered it back to helen, i rode it all over downtown showing it off and giving it a proper shakedown run :)

As oil runs low, things get ugly

:::[Dec.20.13]:::

Made it to the city. Death free. Thank u astrotank. I came to seattle for the weekend to meet up with some recently acquired burner friends from south africa. Pass was easy. Hard rain. Only one near death experience. Side by side a semi. 55mph. He hits a standing puddle and sprays water on my windshield. Zero visiblity. Almost ping ponged between him and the median. Just gunned it screaming like a girl. Thank god for breathing techniques.

Found travis when i got there and we took the ferry to the bremerton area, where his new house is. Within the hour we arrived the welcoming party showed up sailing down the river. A xmas light boat parade was in session and the timing couldnt have been better.

The next morning we set out to the airport where the girls were due to arrive. Went for food and then back to bermerton, cause it turns out neither of them slept.
Our ferry was under siege by killer whales. Such a rare sight these days, normally the orca steer clear of the harbor. But today, they were frolicing in front of our ferry. Luck be with us.

That night, the plan was to party like rockstars, calling Travis webbwerx was the ace up the sleeve. We hit the ferry back to seattle and there we found two very rowdy girls coming back from a night out in Bremerton. They were donning pink moustaches, and were painting their nails. They kept calling me over and eventually i walked away with the prettiest nails on the boat. We snagged some Schwarma, and headed to see Donald glaude! But even when the Supper Club was done the party wasnt, so we headed to a loft rave. The last ferry was at 1am, so we ended with everyone sleeping in Travis' office untill the 6am ferry fetched us..

Sunday was spent mostly sleeping, but were up with enough daylight to go drive past the Gigantic aircraft carriers, and get food. We made curry and drank wine while watching wargames, and the goonies.. 2 movies the girls hadnt seen. All up it was such a great time catching up with new, yet what feels like old friends.

As soon as i jumped in the car to leave seattle, i smelled smoke.. like rubber burning bad smoke. Electrical fire kinda smoke. A small wisp puffed from the passengetr side air vent. What transpired was the updates i posted as i hauled as at 80mph to get as far as possible before the car finally gave up.

Andy: I think my car is on fire
Brian: Well I'm certainly glad to see you're posting about it on Facebook instead of, y'know, putting it out or anything.
Andy: Car went boom. No more go.. the adventures of and continues.. overheating bad. Im limping it toward home... hoping AAA finds me.. good news ? I got enough ginger ale and pumpkin pie to last days
Adam: where did it die on you?
Andy: Currently i await the tow truck near schwana wa... i was warned to remove my bandana by the gas clerk to avoid Knife fights while i wait.. is this the real life... is this just fantasy ? (apparantly, schwana, wa. has a bad "gang" problem, and i wasnt rockin the proper colors...wtf)
Peter Alexander Wait, didn't you barrow mom's car
Andy:Ya. Moms craptastic minivan of doom.. cause it was "more reliable " in case of poor roads...
Andy: Ya dont gotta worry bout snow when you are driving a fireball
Peter: LOL!
Andy: I rack karma like a frat boy does kegs.
Carmen: It comes with the territory of being an adventurer, right?
Andy: Almost home via tow truck. . Glad i got land in touchet to stash my car.. it was 99miles from breakdown, eat me AAA
Andy: Home safe
Ryan: Hell yea. Its safe out at my spot. We will get her fixed. She will be back on the road in no time.

:::[Dec.15.13]:::

Hawaii Tale

:::[Dec.04.13]:::

new garage floor. trip to hawaii. and now a new car.. when it rains, it pours.. when it shines, it burns

The war machine project is almost done, took a motorcycle gas tank and built a car stereo inside it for the bike, plus turned it into a full electrical box for controling the lights and horns :)

madmax rig: a go thanx to a newly found 02 civic ex.

Things are coming together. Ride the wave.

:::[nov.18.13]:::

I'm still kinda in disbelief that it all happened.

Britt Vonk, olympic softball player for the Cal bears, but to me she was a beautiful connection that was gifting me a visit.

I couldnt believe someone would fly to find me. It was a holiday from reality, and she was flying in friday.

Her flight got all fangled in San Fransisco and had to get shuttled to oakland. This was going to make her miss her connecting flight to WW, so I hit the net and did some homework, by the time she hit seattle, i had 3 alternate flights to get her closer without having to wait till 9pm. By 4:45 I was pedal to the metal and heading to pasco to make sure she had a smiling face waiting on the otherside.

pick up. dark and cold already.. you like thai food? wallula junction. *!!!*

food. then bags. then, where the hell is my fone? back to wallula.turned out I hip ejected my fone from the car into the pouring rain.. 3 hours later, i actually found it.. and it worked the next morning.

sapolil and a bottle of wine between us. *!!!*

breakfast and showers in the morning. bike ride to coffee perk and to look at the munn exhibit

Headed to marcys after that for burgers n hot toddys

built a fire to end the night, but we were all so bushed. sleep came easy

didnt get up till almost 11, shared a shower and decided to find snow. Ryan let us pile in his car and we hit the longbranch for breakfast. then headed up tollgate to check out the snowline, and throw snow at each other.

when we got back, i took her to hte green for a few beers and to chat. Dinner was at dads, so we headed there to meet the family and talk over steak.

the rest of the night was spent talking over a bottle of wine and getting to know each other deeper.

I had sipped on a energy drink earlier and it caused a nasty panic attack that kept me up untill it was time to get her to the airport.

bittersweet.. i really liked her. But i knew it was a crossing of paths. Hopefully i'll see her again someday. but i'm happy for the moment

:::[Nov.02.13]:::

It started with a trip to Scarywood on the 19th.. The closest local theme park is almost 4 hours north in Coeur d'alene. This time of year its usually closed for the season, but for the holiday, they creep it out, dead it up inside and make it a Haunted theme park. Roller coasters that ride backwards, freaky clowns, undead tourists and more haunted houses then you can see in one night. The first night there all of us were underdressed. Literally huddled together in the lines just to maintain.. But it did cause a few of us to buy some pretty cool light up gloves.:) THe next day we spent running about to camping supply and thrift stores to buy warmer clothes and wool socks and my friend Hunter gave me a leatherjacket that I havent stopped wearing since the trip up.

The next night, now that we were all warmer became a frenxy of spooktastic adventure. I bought a ticket on the technicolor rocket ship and decided to blend it into the misadventure we started the night before.. so there i was in a haunted theme park with my eyes WIDE open. zing ZING!! rollercoasters? YES! haunted 3D fun house?! HELL YES! it was mayhem and a total blast. I even rode the corkscrew 3 times in a row.. and i found a recreation of the whorehouse from beetlejuice, how cool!

By thursday [oct24], I had most of my costume done and was leading a Chaos ride thru the city in halloween attire, it was dark and cold by the time we left so there wasnt many along for the ride, so it became a creepy house tour, were we rode from decorated house to haunted mansion, even found a REAL creepy statue set inside whitman campus! I got to dress as the Scarecrow that night, and chased the ride with burgers and beer and then went STRAIGHT to the haunted cornmaze! That was great, i got seperated from all my friends and could hear them screaming in terror from across the corn.. i apparantly wore the right shoes cause i was scaring some of the workers within that were there to scare us :)

Saturday night was the halloween parties around town. I had my Green Arrow costume complete and set out on the night, starting at John Spains birthday where we grubbed on amazing dutch oven cooked foods and threw beer all over the floor with humbled grace. Then it was off to the Pagoda Lounge where the annual CurtisPalooza costume party was happening for gurnett's birthday. THere were cavemen, nick fury, a british thug and a bunch of cripples.. hAHHaha and people actually knew who i was, even tho i was totally expecting to be called "robin hood". After that we cruised downtown and danced hard at Loteks Zombie Party. It was mayhem downtown. what a night :)

The next few nights were filled with social gatherings and scary movies. Thursday was halloween, so we were all gearing up and making the nights creepier untill then. By that Hallowed night, the yard was covered in tombstones made from uprighted pavers, spiderwebs everywhere, the 9 foot grim reaper patiently waited by the door, mo the skarecrow was lit up and watchign from the yard, a life size hanibal lecter stood lurking in the bushes and ryan was dressed as Mike Myers stalking children as i posed as another scarecrow in the yard waiting for anyone to pass by.. we terrorized that neighborhood in style!!! We even broadcasted scary music so the nieghbors could use the same soundtrack we had playing all along Figueroa.

"Your house was a big hit! One of the kids was too scared to go up and you even got one of the guys!"

When it was apparant that no more Trick or Treaters were coming we cleaned up the Jack-o-Lanterns and headed downtown scarying anyone on the street along the way. Sapolil cellers was packed! and the night was a success!

But it didnt stop there, Friday Nov 1, Día de los Muertos. I hosted yet another chaos ride, in honor of the mexican holiday for the dead. We painted ourselves up as sugar skulls and rode lit up bikes thru the dark city streets. WE were rowdy that night and were pushing each other into leaf piles the whole ride, it was fast paced and a total laugh. I didnt disclose the end point cause i wanted to surprise everyone by ending it at a taco wagon where we pulled up 20people strong and partied in the parking lot :) After we cruised next door to blast musoc on the jukebox and play pool at FatCats bar. 2 games later and more pitchers than I want to recall we headed off to Mings to sing Karaoke which we totally OWNED the losers in there :) By 1230 we had enough and finished the night off watching The Crow in my Theatre.. How rad.

I love Halloween. Hope you enjoyed it too :)

:::[29.Sept.13]:::

Construction had completed, we were covered in sawdust and needed a shower. But considering the plans, I was going to need to shave my head. THe sun was setting, Neither me nor ryan had eaten yet, so we skipped the last few errands and grabbed tacos from the worm ranch and b lined it to Snore's farm. It was dark when we got there and apparantly the ride had started without us, but we were able to get tickets and join in. First thing first, it was time for Snake Pliscin. As the night faded into darkness, the lightning began in the twigs. It was a wind storm that reached cataclysimic levels and brought back summer like tempatures, I jetted into the wreckage that was the island of LA, jack decided we had to get out of there, the flood was coming. THe laughter rolled and the man in the bottle danced hard to the beat of the drum. But it was when the flight of the pheonix was delayed on fast forward that the rhythm really synced to the motion and the tears became the lenses we used to pull in the amusement of such silly things. As the Song got harder to hear the Fire was getting hotter and the rain dulls to a sprinkle. It was a great storm, but were u running around half naked like some technicolour jungle monkey while the world was threatening to tear its plants out?

:::[25.Sept.13]:::

:::[23.Sept.13]:::

My whole system within the Plunder Inn has been on the fritz since before burning man. So this was the weekend of reckoning. I set out to tackle that list of burdening bulshit that has been plaguing every chance i have to sit down. I attacked the lot of it. Friday, with the help of ryan we tore into the 110cc EMP bike to finally solve the mystery of the lack of power. For months i've tried everything from different carbs, to different spark gaps trying to get it faster than 45mph. We did it. Took tearing into the motor and finding that the marks for top dead center were off and remarked where the real center was. retimed it for this position and had immediate results. :) minor tweaks throughout the weekend later and it was feeling like a real bike. No doubt about it.

Ryan basically is moved in now as he sorts out his new space. So the rest of the weekend was spent inside (thanks to the weather being shit) working on computer issues Like triple booting my comp. That was a hooker for sure. But its done now and i stayed up way past bedtime liast night working on new tracks :)

By no means does this mean i'm done, i've still got 2 harleys to fix, a zx50 a CL350 , the motorbyke could use some tweaking, a helmet to finish, a basement to orginize, sheaths to make, etc.. It's gonna be a good winter.

:::[15.Sept.13]:::

Into the Eagle Caps.

day one.

packing all morning. I had to pack as light as possible. It might be cold. ya know what? fuck the coat. i'll bring a rain jacket, then layer it underneath.

finally got out of town near one. Got burritos to go. Then drove 3 hours thru old towns and mountains to the trailhead for mirror lake. We unloaded and got on the trail by 430.

It was like hiking thru granite forests. switchbacks a plenty. My buddy Aj walks off the trail right to one of the mosy beautiful campsites Ive ever seen. Like he'd totally been here before. He threw his pack down behind a cluster of trees, and there was a little fire ring, perfect spots for 3-4 tents and great trees for my hammock. THere was a lazy river babbling within a rocks throw from the fire pit, it was INcredible. For dinner we cooked up Steak, potatoes , king bolete Mushrooms we found on the trail. I chased it with licorice tea.

Glad i took my heavy Sleeping bag but still wanna get away with taking my light one, it'd shave off 4 pounds easy.

wake. have eggs and sausage cooked on the fire. Made some green tea and had with figs :) hike onward. put my headfones and drop the bass, music goes great with nature! Out here, I feel like I dont need anything in the world.. but its nice to share what i got:)

by 2 we stopped and ate sitting on the shore of a babbly crook.. each stop was another mission to reduce pack weight thru comsuption... not even 30 minutes back on the trail and aj found another king camp site . i found my way down to the creek to swim. now i sit drying in the sun writing you this.

After we half unpacked and had a rest we hiked to mirror lake. Thank god we left the packs behind, it was steep and tiring even without them. At the lake fires were not allowed, but that didnt stop the insatiable level of tourists around every corner. It was battle camping. People were almost shoulder to shoulder, every nook and cranny had another little tent and someone starring at us like we were trespassing. Me and the other Andy lost AJ. He kept hiking as we were stopping to explore. Eventually the Andy duo headed back straight into the valley. Searching for king boletes along the way. I Tried fishing to no avail so im sitting here again, where i swam earlier. this spot is amazing.

I found half a cabbage some previous explorer left behind, Jammed in the wedge of a tree. It was fresh still:) so i chopped it up with 2 onions, a green pepper, the remaining summer sausage, garlic and a bunch of smoked salmon and a packet of cajun beans and rice... when that was done cooking it was a huge pot of awesome.

Its beautiful out tonight, light breeze no clouds, the moon is lighting up everything this warm fire cant reach. Every star visible.

Now i'm watching my 2 friends fight against nature trying to find a comfy sleeping place for them, im crawling into my hammock:)

gnight schatje

:::[10.Sept.13]:::

I made it back alive, like a pheonix from the ashes.

:::[11.July.13]:::

Pirate Party 2013!

So much to do!!! Burning man is only moments away. bikes to weld, gulag wheel to create, costumes to sew, food stuffs to buy. Yikes!

But for now i must say we had an EPIC pirate party this year!!! (next year, maybe tighten security after 12. :)

:::[13.Aug.13]:::

The Armada proudly presents the 9th Annual:

**YE OLDE PIRATE PARTY**

Come the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 5.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@7:00 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ just before sundown (8:00) it'll be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@ soon after, Ben McSpadden and his fanciful fingers be pluckin tha strings for our ears delight! Get your dancin shoes in order for ye shalll be joined by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

@As the clock strikes 10, it marks the time we start divvying up the BOOTY!!!! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! This year marks the year of gold, for i have more loot plunder than any other thus far :) so there nay be 3 prizes.. last year we had 7 winners, this year be MORE, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

And please dont be sailing home drunk off yer tits, plan ahead , camping available for the first scurvy dogs to set up tents :) [lights out by 12]

New idea's for this year: Implement horn, conch or bell to signify event or attention, Enact a security team to enforce costume or get out. :)

:::[28.July.13]:::

arrived at seaside and 15 minutes in.....I got lost.

Jumped out at a yardsale while we were headed to the hotel. Lost the car. My fone was in it as well as my shoes.. no idea what hotel we were in. Luckily i scored a razor scooter in a free pile.. thats where my adventure began. i cruised around meeting people and borrowing fones trying to call myself : no answer. So, Eventually, my foot started to hurt from pushing. i decided to cruise along the boadwalk in search of a pair of abondoned flipflops, 3 blocks in I heard someone yell my name. jim spotted me fom the 3 floor of a hotel about a mile from where i started.

It was a great weekend spent with the family on the beach.. By the end i gave the razor sccoter to a little girl that got so excited.

:::[10.July.13]:::

Motorized Bike is done, and i've already wrecked it!, but no worries, it only gave me some scrapes and no harm to the bike :)

I'm completely amazed by people. I feel gifted in regaurds to the people I have in my life, and even more so gifted that the unworthy, teachorous and self absorbed can remove themselves from my life with as much ease as they weaseled their way in in the first place.

:::[05.June.13]:::

Almost got my lung punctured yesterday climbing thru the brush on the banks of the ww river. god damn lucky.

I was bsing with chris about what he gleened most from our camping run.. and what he was looking to learn, he said "I've never caught a fish".. THat stopped me dead in my tracks. 20 minutes later i was off work and heading to his house. "get in" we got poles and drinks.. and headed to touchet. I got this spot i've fished and swam for years and its a zen spot, it was time to go see how the winter changed it this year.

It was a whole new world out there with a ton of fun trails to explore. Didnt get even a single bite, but it was still fun. At one point i was crossing the steep bank on a trail that was cut by someone with a machete not long ago, the earth gave way under my feet and i landed on my side. OHhhh.. something sharp hit me hard, i pulled myself up to find a pungee stick, a sapling that was cut at an angle perfect for puncturing. Had that been just a quarter inch off i would gave been filling my left lung with blood. Just a minor flesh wound today, but it reminds me how much this place wants to keep me around :)

:::[02.June.13]:::

This weekend was a trip. A backpacking trip. We had planned to head into Coyote Creek with adam as our guide for steves bday. Well steve had to work and Adam got called into work friday. so the soonest we could escape was saturday morning. We decided to go anyway, i ran into cory at the green and he said there was a short quick run into the john day winderness that containeed old mining claim cabins that you could explore, a few of which still contained useful items for the traveller to utilize at camp. He had done the run on crutches so there wasnt a worry that this wouldnt be short and sweet. The cabins were all within the first 5 miles.

We gathered our group together mom, me adam and chris as planned and angela taking steves place and bringing her 7 year old daughter who was turning 8 saturday. It was perfect for the first packing trip of the summer. We all were probably overpacked. I had a new pack to try out that turned out to leave a nasty bruise on the base of my spine. One of the many things on my list to remedy before next time.

We drove past ukiah to the trailhead up and into the windy roads of the john day wilderness. At the trailhead we all got ready, packed up and started in. There was a large log bridge that crossed a creek and began the next few miles of our adventure. THe trail was a breeze. Slight ups and downs and a few wet spots but easy!

Along the way there were all sorts of mining claims that still had cabins in all sorts of states or disrepair that looked like something out of a roadkill game :) talk about fun to dig around.

We saw a group of 3, then one that had completely collapsed, missed the 3rd entireley and almost missed the 4th that was at a fork in the river with a real sketchy log bridge crossing. I scouted across the bridge and scouted ahead as they all doubled back and found the cabin hidden in the trees. It was awesome. Huge space for tents and hammocks, and a few pots and supplies left in the roadkil building that was strewen with rat shit and chewed up papers. In a horrid storm i'd hole up in there.. but i'm sure i'd have been alone. It was almost scary in there :) aww, the bigfoot hilton.

We had lunch there and rested a bit and decided to hike a few miles further up the trail, mainly to explore and shop for options of camping spots. The trail just dove deeper into the mountains and eventually after climbing about in the last spot we found that would serve as a campsite we decided to head back to the last and best of the cabins. This last spot was a bog, 4 foot water pits about every 15 yards. IT was gonna be a mosquito breeding ground and we already found 4-5 ticks.

Back at the "bogfoot hilton" we found a few ticks as well and proved to be a bane of of the weekend regaurdless where we went. On clothes, in hair, and theres no stopping their relentless pursuit. Most of us even dreamt about the vampiric droids.. ick. But at least the mosquitos were unheard of here.

Camp was awesome. we all set up and found a great spot, the littlest even found us a huge coral mushroom that we added as an ingredient in the evening cassarole. :) After the tents and hammocks were up, we boiled water for tea and ramen and cocoa, and to replenish the water bottles. Princess Freakout had her best coniption fit when the tail end of the first pot of water came to an end, we all had been drinking tea made from boiled water from the kettle i found in the cabin. As she poured water from the last of it, a huge golfball sized clumb of dead ants, bugs etc plopped out in her cup.. i about lonst my shit laughing and gently reminded her that I suggested she cleaned it out before filling it up. We always had water boiling for something. One pot of boiling water we threw noodles , a can of cream of celery, can a tuna, some chopped onions, pea pods and green pepper and a bag of cheese as well as that mega shroom. Good god THAT was an awesome dinner.We were all stuffed to the gills.

This was my virgin run with my new pack hammock, the underquilt me and mom finished and a borrowed 0 degree bag of bens.. And a new rainfly sewn from a cannabilized tent :) When the stories faded and the party consumed us, everyone drifted to their tents for sleep and i crawled into my hammock only to squirm just right and feel something give way and within a blink i was sitting on the ground.. wtf? the structural ridgeline didnt work. the rain fly tore as the woopiesling gave way and dropped my ass. THeres alot to work on.

Morning came quickly i only woke once to find my underquilt wasnt snugging in on me as planned and my back was cold.. i threw on more clothes and slept thru it. But when morning did actually come i didnt feel to bad off. We made oatmeal for breakfast and drank tea and coffee and i took littlest to try fishing only to find my micro pole reel was a POS. so that too needs work..

We packed up and headed back to the trail passing along the ruins we found along the way, but wait.. I dont remember that one!? The blue heaven mine! A cabin sat amongst the trees almost hidden from sight. But there it was, so we went down to explore and found THIS was the one cory was telling me about. Fully furnished with all the amenities including food and a stove, magazines, light, even beds. HAHAhaha. We were all happy and excited to find it, but i think all of us were glad we camped were we did.

Once we got back to the car, we decided that we were too far out and still had more weekend to burn, so we drove into granite OR to tour the old mining ghost town as well as sumpner to see one of the last 3 Dredges in the US. The mining boom really made these places boom, but in its wake alot of things were left for dead and the towns that stands in its wake is a shadow of what once existed.

All up this trip was better packed and planned then some of my others, but i still could lighten my load a bit more and make some modifications to my setup that will make life a bit more comfy in the sticks. Already i'm looking into silk inserts for bags as well as new ridgeline support :)

A no wheat, corn, soy, or dairy menu

:::[20.May.13]:::

Was selected for jury duty today .. after going thru all the metal detectors and getting looked at sideways I was allowed in, and was on in the jury box until they asked whether i had any personal bias on the situation.. The defendant was a guy with 11 counts of Meth distribution.. My internal debate was should i stay and watch this guy burn, or be honest and let the court know just how close to home this hit.. on the upside: half day off work..

:::[14.May.13]:::

There comes a point in a mans life when you are so close to the end you can taste it.. you have one duty at that point.. To give society the most confusing scene to try and descramble after you pass..

Mega News flash:I own my house. As of this moment, i no longer am indebted to any large corporation. I know longer have to wonder how much of my paycheck is mine. If i'll truely have a place to lay my head every night.. The Plunder Inn, is now 100% mine. I own narnia. I own my home. I dont owe a single cent to anyone over it

This past few months have been the kick in the ass that i needed. I feel like not only did i have major cobwebs in my cannon but my action to clean up that MESS, was to fire all cylinders at once baBLAM bitch. :) I feel like i'm on fire. So many amazing people and huge adventures to come!!

SO many projects!!!! Got the 110 dialed in, and the gas tank fixed after ellens shit knocked it over. I would have tested my new 24mm carb on my bike this morning but i had a sheriff tail me all the way to woke. Serve and protect you loser, NOBODY LIKES YOU. #glorifiedhallmonitor.. when i did get a chance to get it up to speed i still am stuck at 45... maybe a cdi upgrade is in order :)

A 350 scrambler is being rebuilt. Ratting out a RX50. Plans to motorize the chopper bicycle as well as buuild a rickshaw are in order.

:::[27.Mar.13]:::

been a while.. but i can't say its cause i was lazy. My last heart adventure turned out to be a complete catastrophy. I really opened up my heart again. Gotta risk it, to get the biscuit right? Things were good for a good period of time, building trust and excitement for what was to come. After the morning of the seizures and the night in the hospital she was really depressed. She slept more and more, stayed out late with friends.. leading a double life. When all the lies came crashing down i found i was living with a Meth junkie who was selfishly self medicating to numb her own bullshit.. at my expense. It was hurtful to say the least. Lie, Cheat, Steal. doesnt really get much worse.. the only option was to change the locks. I even rode it out just a little longer than recommended just to see how serious she was about "changing" and righting the wrongs.. nothing changed, it was obvious where her priorities lay.

i'll be back to my good ol self soon, just need a little time to breath, grieve and let spring bring new growth. Happy solstice friends.

:::[31.Jan.13]:::

Few more recent projects:

Reflowed an HP with a dead gpu and got it to live again.. what a trip.

Making a hammock UnderQuilt from a torn down blanket and nylon fabric.

just completed a new website layout and as sample content used a character from a long ago DND game : Tokkan

:::[24.Jan.13]:::

So recently I've been hacking the penguin once again and have found some fun things to share. First, for some neat LOW weight OS alternatives, check out WattOS and Bodhi Linux for possible breath of fresh life into an old box! --> Now i'm thinking about turning it into a server, complete with a built in screen. kinda fun idea.

Now that said, I've had this old iMac 500mhz g3 hangin out in my garage for a while, and thanx to my recent exploration i found This! and realized putting Ubuntu on a mac isnt that hard ;)

Further digging found that FreeNas isnt quite dead to me, as the boys at Nas4free actually continued were the previous failed and wandered into lameness.

And for your post apoc fix, i give you:Dont eat the Fish

:::[16.Jan.13]:::

My interests shift with the seasons. As the cold weather freezes the life from the world around me, the bleak survival in this wasteland becomes more apparant. So naturally my interests push toward wilderness survival, camping and the general collapse of life as we know it. Lately I've been really working on my trail pack and lightening the load thanx to last years trek up to Deadman. I've been perfecting my hammock setup lately and doing alot of good projects related to making things run smoother equipment wise. Check out all the new links along the side :)

Somehow, probablly training, I tore up my shoulder and was getting a strange pain with certain motions. It was the perfect oppurtunity to follow up with something i've been curious about for a while. So i went to find a local accupuncturist and really get a first hand taste of eastern medicine. Dan bruner was the answer that most people said. He found the issue in my arm, as well as spots in my back and neck that caused other issues i was un aware of, and even a deficiency in my vitamin D. He talked with me about my daily habits and diet, then had me climb on the bench and performed all sorts of parlor tricks to deduct what ailed me. Crack, pop, he put me back together. put a bunch of needles in me and let me chill and allow it to sink in. All out, it was hands down a great experience that cured my issues (even though i have a few residual pains) got me on some extra vitamins, and advised me on better eating habits. Well worth the $ and i'll be seeing him again later ;)

:::[03.Jan.13]:::

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery

:::Suiyoubi [03.Oct.12]:::

Behold the pics!

I'm back from japan.. Here's my tale..

My tale begins farther back in march. Robert Keatts called me knowing my history of going to japan back in 1997, since then I’ve hosted a student from Sasayama, and today there is a group of 17 students destined to repeat a trip similar to mine back when I was in high school. He needed another adult present and was hoping I’d fit the bill.. "Wait, these people want me to be responsible for their children?.." I grinned.. "did you dial the right number?" "HA, I'd love to."

So here I sit in the WW airport after getting dirty looks from the TSA guys I know only too well probably questioning contents of my only bag (I've had too many trips where my checked luggage ended up damaged or contents missing.. if the bag even arrived at all.) its 5am, and these kids are pumping themselves on coffee in preparation for the 16 hours spent sitting on a plane. hehehe this outta be fun.

The best thing I could think of doing would be putting myself on the schedule on the other side which was 16 hours ahead. So sleeping as much as possible early on, then waking up and staying up later than I wanted was best.

As soon as the drink cart hit in the plane I had my first glass of red wine, by glass 3 I think the kids were wondering what they signed up for :)

:::Mokuyoubi [04.Oct.12]:::

made it!

I made it. been up for 26 hours solid now. but I made it. I tried to get rest on a plane, but with my excitement and that of the students, it was hard to get a lot of shut eye..

I loaded the new Avengers movie on my phone to watch on the plane, but a few hours into the flight and they started showing movies. Guess what came on. Guess I didn’t need that..

We made it without a single hiccup.. until at the kansai airport, one student Hayden (you'll hear his name again) couldn’t find his bag at the baggage claim.. 20 minutes later, we were about to start the bs process for filing for a lost bag, when he shouts, "Here it is!, I just forgot what color it was".. this fucker was now on my radar for the rest of the trip.

Once we got here the first thing I noticed was that I got my summer back. The humid warm air had me rolling my pants into make shift shorts off the bat, which for the duration of the trip was my only pair of pants, having transformer pants was the best thing ever. On the bus, to Sasayama, I couldn’t help but pull the window open and hang my arm out.. The bus was one of those huge first class travel buses, so the window pulled open so wide I could fell out if that wine hadn’t have worn off 12 hours ago.

We had a brief opening ceremony in the city hall of Sasayama, with the mayor and the chairmen of the Sister city program. Standing in a line we all took turns on the microphone introducing ourselves in Japanese. The kids were able to spit out a fast "I am sam.. I am Ryan.. " I at least gave them the satisfaction of saying it was nice to be here, and I was happy to have met you.

I was greated by my new family, Naotaka was a Soccer coach, and worked within the city hall. His wife Megumi was probably one of the coolest moms a kid could have and had a sense of humor that was unmatched. Their 5 year old, Yuuki held a sign for me they had made reading "Welcome Andy" and yes.. I brought it home. Julie was there 16 year old daughter, with a beautiful laugh. Though shy so tonight, i didnt hear much from her.

Once the general greetings and introductions were over, my host family took me to McDonalds for food.. It’s the first time I’ve eaten there in over 7 years. But here in japan.. sure. The last thing I wanted to do was have my first conversation be an argument in a language I was barely brushing understanding with.

After filling our bellies with pure commercial sin, we headed off to a local school, where Tomoki was just finishing Soccer practice. He was their 11 year old son. Once out of the van, Yuuki was being what became his typical wild self so he was hanging in a tree, being a crazy person. Of course i joined him. Megumi brought me to her collection of soccer mom friends to meet me, which I had about zero well formed Japanese sentences in my heard for them.. This language barrier was frustrating. When the soccer meet was over, a bunch of kids were running about. 3 of them ran up to me and Megumi standing on the sidelines. She Introduced us, they all had to try out their English on me. "Hello, nice to meet you." One kid said, Tomoki said hi, and the third yanked on my beard and said "Ok." and ran off.

When we got home, I met Kouki their oldest son, at 14. They showed me my room. Commonly a guest in a Japanese house will sleep in the treasure room. It's like a trophy room, tatami matted floor, and walls adorned with special scrolls and paintings, and usually a shrine to either family members of the past or other spirits highly regarded in the house. This is also the place where you will find the spirit pole. This is the one beam in the house that will look completely different than any other beam in the house. Mine was a cedar beam that had ancient knots wound through it. The area was filled with soccer trophies and memorabilia. :)

After I got situated. I had a nice Japanese style bath and I was centered. In japan we bath at night. A traditional Japanese bath is a really cool thing. The last time I was here I only showered. Not because I didn’t want to experience this, but because I didn't want to do the wrong thing, and I was very unsure how everything worked. Essentially, you climb into the bathing room, turn on the shower and rinse off, kill the water, and soap up. This is when I’d bust out a razor and shave up, standing there like a foamy abominable yeti. Then you hit the shower again, rinse all the soap off and then climb into a heated tub to soak and relax. Throw some music on the fone and set it in the window sill and just love life. The tub is heated from underneath, sometimes even by a fire. It'll hold communal water, hence the washing before you enter.

I found my Japanese is shit.. I sound like a retard and understand fuck all.. but it’s coming fast.. and I’m sure after I sleep it'll be easier.

:::KinYoubi[05.Oct.12]:::

The next morning we went to the city hall to meet with all the other students and headed up to the top floor to have a greeting with mayor. He presented keatts with an amazing painting and talked to us about even though there was trade issues lately with china, that he was happy we were here and that he hoped we would have many experiences and make many memories, so that Sasayama and Walla Walla will be friends for a lot longer. On the way out we were handed a bag of gifts with everything from shirts, stickers to sasayama buttons, which for the next week gave me the power to turn my pants into much needed shorts. Ah, necessity, the mother of invention.

Master Potter

Apparently the city I am in is one of 6 places in japan known for its pottery.. so there’s a whole district dedicated to it, The Tachikui. Our first stop was with a guy that has been slinging pots for over 45 years.

He showed us around and went right to the art of pottery. he kneaded a ball into life slapped it onto the spinner wheel and dipped his has in water. Within 25 minutes he had made a dish set for six people, and asked "Does anyone want to try it?" A few kids jumped to the opportunity, and he took the creations he made and squished them into a ball and threw them into a bucket to be remade later into something new "AHhhhhh!!! NOOo!!!" Everyone was astounded at the moment of Zen they just encountered. Something beautiful destroyed.

We wandered through his ancient studio, and explored the 300 year old kiln that was still in use.

There was a younger girl with a cute little baby girl playing with a house outside. "She's cute!" my crude Japanese spat at her. After a brief conversation the woman realized I wasn't a student but someone 2 years her junior she freaked. It wasn't the last time I was mistaken for an over skilled kid.

We all looked through the items that were for sale in the gorgeous display room. I was so appreciative for what we just saw, I handed him a bottle opener, from Deschutes Brewery out of Portland. "This was amazing, the kids were having a great time and found it very interesting.." I told him in my horrid attempt at Japanese. He turned around, snatches an item off of his shelves of pottery in the gift room where we stood, and handed me this super amazing sake pitcher.. "douzo. douzo,.." Refusal wasn’t an option.

There was a small older woman there that snagged it from my hand.. "chotto matte".. I waited as she wrapped it like the gift that it was for me.

The kids were so entranced with the local huge spiders. they were like Hawaii's banana spiders and perched everywhere. Somewhere along our course, daily there would be a general halt for the photo documentation of these creepy specimen. I however had a similar fascination. The Jinja, the shrines that scattered the streets and forests. Everywhere there was a spirit or force to be acknowledged. Along the way to the next pottery place, there was a shrine, embedded in the trunk of a tree. Luckily there were a few plaques on this one and I had been walking in stride with one of the translators. She read it for me. This tree was a holy one, over 300 years old. I was already in awe. So I lit some incense from my pocket and bowed a quick prayer. May these creature one day reinherit the earth.

We hiked further into the pottery district, looking at the tree shrine on the way, for the 250 year old tree it was built into. I relit the incense and bowed to her. There were buildings after buildings that were centered around the making, selling, or celebration of pottery. The next stop was a pottery maker that had been visited by Jimmy Carter long ago. They gave us a drink of wonderful Mugicha :) my favorite and we looked at all the amazing creations and their ceremonial tea room. What a view! Small pottery fish and Inushishi (wild boars) lined the walkway.

We headed over to the pottery museum and had an amazing bento style lunch at the restaurant that was there.

Part of the Pottery museum was a studio devoted to teaching the part of pottery. Tons of Japanese high school students were busy molding and shaping their clay along long benches, we joined the ranks and got instructions for the adventures are hands were about to do.

I loved that there were rarely scenarios we got into where my "being the adults" kept me out of being part of the fun. Though being mistaken for one of the kids more than often probably allowed me a lot more amusement then the other adults :)

Snails, Bowls, and other wild creations were being made by everyone around. I made a leaf shaped plate and a bowl. I never really did find out what happened with those. My plan was to gift them to people I met here in japan. But maybe they got donated :)

:::Doyoubi [06.Oct.12]:::

5:36am ..My host family apparently has about 16 alarms.. At 5:30 am the first one went off, then silenced. A few moments later and another alarm started in, in was joined by a brother of the noise. One was shut off, and another started. I kinda lost count. Apparently they could use one. When I go to the store ill buy them one.:)

Today was a wild run.. we met up with a group of high school students from Australia and went to Kobe. They have a rad museum, The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial, about the earthquake that destroyed the city in 1995. It was intense... and fucking heart wrenching actually. The thing was built like a ride at universal studios. the video was interactive giving you the feeling of watching the city fall around you. There was not only large information about the loss, but also a huge portion of the museum dedication to the prevention of such disaster. They had new building designs, toys that explained how earthquakes work and even disaster prevention pamphlets which is one of my favorite treasures from my trip :)

Then we ran about Kobe and hit a giant shopping district in Chinatown (Tokyu Hands Sannomiya) and ate amazing food. I even bought a fifth of rum for my host family. Surprisingly, it was half the price then at home!

I've held a strong philosophy for a while that damn near any challenge can be met if one is prepared. After seeing the aftermath of the Kobe Earthquake, it only deepened this instinct. Keep a small supply on you at all times, a Flashlight, a Lighter, a knife.. thanks to the home sec madmen back home, traveling with one of my oldest friends is nigh impossible. So while we were out shopping, of course I was drawn to the section of japanese style pocketknives on display. The only question was could I get it back home? maybe I could gift it to my host brother.. ? I ended up leaving the store empty handed and full of 2nd guesses :) but in the end, it’s the will to survive not the tools that gives a man the edge.

It’s been nothing short of epic.. even the mundane is completely different than what we are used to back home.

Once home it was a night that would come to be a typical one for me here. Hanging in the living room, scribbling notes of the day on my fone, while the kids watched the strangest TV and played with toys on the floor. Julie on the laptop behind me and someone working on homework. Every night I get to have a traditional Japanese bath.. it's an experience all its own.

:::Nichiyoubi [07.Oct.12]:::

Today I woke up to an empty house.. we almost finished that bottle of rum last night and I was still spinning a bit this morning. At first Naotaka got out a few sake cups for the sampling of the rum.. but its rum. Get a glass. He’ll get a mug. :)

After getting going I took off with Megumi to watch the soccer practice for their youngest, yuuki (he's named after a dragon and u can straight see it.. he's a wild little fucker that’s full of fun and just out of his mind. I'm absolutely smitten with this kid. he reminds me of when I was little) We then hit the harvest festival that's literally slamming the town at the moment with hungry mouths and tried so many amazing foods with a tall cup of Asahi beer. along the way there was all these shrines and huge temples so as we walked me and my host family would stop and take pictures and I'd light incense I had with me. which blew their mind. :)

One of my favorite foods was mochi. I've had it before, but never had it been dipped in soy sauce then fire roasted and skewered like a carnival treat. WOW. I wouldn’t want it any other way now.

We toured the old city streets and came across the weirdest pottery shop I have ever seen. This guy had little animals outside his shop, and on closer inspection, this man was not a stranger to severe hallucinogenics.. He had seals that instead of flippers had one giant human foot, turtles riding rabbits like motorcycles, tons of frogs on a quest for pure anarchy and everything in between. We must have browsed his creations for 20 minutes laughing in awe the entire time.

As if spending the whole day eating wasn't enough when we were done wandering about downtown sasayama, we hit a huge grocery store and loaded up. Tonight was the night I was going to teach them to make "American BBQ".

I had brought them some of my favorite spices, cause marinades weren’t an option (thank you homeland security) So I brought some Fajita seasoning from some random Mexican grocer. Cajun seasoning, and a McCormick steak rub. One of my favorite recipes I showed them included squirting some ketchup into a cup with some orange marmalade, a dash of fajita seasoning and poured a beer in it.. mix and soak steak in it.

We got the tiny hibachi looking grill that was on the ground fired up it was wood based which made me SO happy, I mean, how much closer to the elements can you be!? Opened some Asahi and began the haphazard charring of random meats and veggies on the grill. Chicken, steak, Cognac, emo, carrot, peppers, mochi, .. no food was unsafe for the sacrificial flames. There were spices, foods and chopsticks flailing everywhere. Even grandma and the kids were in on it. It reminded me of cooking over my fire pit at home. I was home again.:)

Now, I'm fucking stuffed and a tad tipsy, and I smell like smoke.

Ya that BBQ was fun.. but straight up these people eat tons of food.. right after waking I have a 4 course meal waiting. by lunch it’s the same feast waiting of a different nature. and dinner is no different.. fuck I'm lucky I can even walk. hhhhahaaaaa

:::Getsuyoubi [08.Oct.12]:::

I woke by a heated conversation happening in a language I still didn’t comprehend at high speeds. Julie wasn’t happy about something. After being polite yet asking if everything was chill, megumi told me she didn’t want to run today. Today was a national holiday celebrating sports and fitness. The entire community shuts down, gathers together and competes against each other in these were reminiscent of something from a summer camp, complete with a 3 legged race, relay races and a wild assortment of crazy tests of skills nobody would ever really need. Apparently last year, Julie ran but it wasn’t up to the par of her peers. So rather than trying again, she would rather opt out to save face. I didn’t blame her. So I kicked back with my Japanese teacher, the dictionary that now was on its second venture into the land of the rising sun. Together we constructed a sentence that in English vaguely read, "If you are chased by a bear, you don’t have to run faster than it, only your friend that’s running too." I think it cheered her up. I even saw her run later.

After a breakfast of hotdogs (no shit) I gave the crew of kids taketambos, a traditional Japanese toy but these were from Walla Walla.. they went apeshit. I found them in the WW airport on the counter of the airport business office. Little propellers on sticks that read "Walla Walla Regional Airport". Then we all headed down to where a large chunk of the community was gathered to partake in the national games. I was entered in a bunch of them and even got an official introduction. It was amazing to really experience a traditional holiday right in the mix of these people and their families. Everyone participated, from the youngest running to fetch candy to the eldest throwing beanbags into a high basket. Everyone gathered and set up shade structures and tatami mats, played together, cheered together, ate together... rinse repeat.

Someone brought a huge bag of toys from the vending machines. There must have been $100 in plastic eggs that hatched into robots, cars, lapel pins, and all sorts of indistinguishable thingies.

Lunch was so fun. Megumi made us all Bento so there was a bunch of boxes full of wild foods that we all shared while sitting on bamboo mats. My ethics of japan keep putting me in the limelight, this time I was pointed out by some elderly girls that were amazed at my for thought of flipping the chopsticks around to serve myself with the ends that didn’t hang out in my mouth. :)

Once the games were over we headed back, I toted a rack of folding chairs and marched along with Megumi talking of the chestnuts that were falling everywhere, up and through the hidden walkways and streets back to the house. Then played in the garden talking of all the plants they use and or eat that we merely consider weeds. Such a sad culture we have back home. But luckily I even widened their horizons teaching them that u can eat some things even they considered weeds by running out to the yard and gathering things that they didn’t know much of. (they still had me trumped but I tried)

I thought it would be funny to ride the 5 year olds bike and found that it was a gradual downhill run down their street. What started as a funny joke in front of the house became a quarter mile drift down towards town, and I thought my motorcycle was a head turner.

Dinner was a riot we piled 5 kids and grandma into the car with me, naotaka and megumi and went to a nearby city of Sanda for sushi at this restaurant with a spinning belt that pumped out plates of different delicacies.. A few rounds of beer and piles of colored plates filled the table when it was over. The meal was spent taste-testing different types of sushi. Some I knew, overs were new experiences completely.

After we wandered to the sporting goods store nearby to browse, I was digging in the camping goods, still trying to get a feel for how strong the currency was in comparison to how rare certain commodities were here. I passed by a mirror and was shocked.

It was so sunny today I found, I got a good sunburn. I looked like a Raccoon, but I'm just happy I got a bit more summer.

The end of the night came and I ended up helping looking with his English homework back home.. I thought Japanese was hard. It was a learning curve for everyone. there were some bullshit tricks involved where had I not been there I don't think anyone would have figured it out. But, it was a good laugh.

:::Kayoubi [09.Oct.12]:::

Today we are rolling out to Nara to see the largest Buddha in at least Japan ... maybe the world. The city of Nara alone is incredible, it’s a huge city that really holds a lot of history in its beams.

The temple was massive. Every time we passed through a gateway or a door there was another yard or temple waiting to be entered. The first Building we came to turned out to be a Gate which harbored 2 very pissed off looking warrior spirits that stood about 50 high each. sugoi ne. We crossed inside, and found the main building itself. It was unfathomably beautiful. At the entrance, past the 18 foot lantern, there was a giant incense burner. I grabbed a stick and showed Mai, who was near, how the cayuse would cleanse with smoke.

Once inside the Buddha was astounding. it’s the biggest bronze Buddha on the planet.

There was a post that had a hole in it the size of Buddha's nose.. so of course I had to climb through it, in fact I shot through it like a holy snotrocket.

The grounds of the temple were loaded with these tiny deer. they are considered messengers of God. Killing any would result in banishment from the city.. and has been for centuries. There were shrines within shrines. so many for so many things. tree spirits. lucky stones. Even ones that if u rubbed would remove ailments.

These people are amazing so kind and so giving. We went into the strip of markets that were within the holy park and found that upstairs awaited an incredible lunch, with a tiered bento container and a bowl of Ramen, with a mini fire underneath to steep it while we ate.

We meandered the markets after lunch, myriads of knifes, swords, leather pelts and trinkets were available. I found a bell that had the most wondrous sound, let alone a vending machine that peddled ice cream.

On our way out, just past the hordes of lanterns, and the Luck Stone, I reached the status of famous when some large group of Japanese students surrounded me and started asking me all sorts of questions. "Where.. are.. you.. from?" "do .. you like.. japan?" It was awesome, we went back and forth half English, half Japanese. I gave them a few trinkets from my Doraemon pocket and sprinted back to the group that was now leaving me in its wake. When I got back to the group.. Melia had ice cream again. So I had a beer. Checkmate.

After the shrine we returned to sasayama to explore downtown and shop. Robert me and 3 of the guides ran off to the local

Sake maker.. it was closed but when they saw me bouncing with excitement they opened it up for us to tour and taste. It was incredible how old this place was.. obviously making rice wine for at least a hundred years. this was the only osakeya (in the world!!!) to strap speakers to the vats and play classical music during the fermentation process. During the tasting the effects were beyond noticeable. Beethoven was easily my favorite. So I bought a few bottles for my host family as I cannot take them home thanx to tsa. Before we left Ogatasan gave me a Sake carafe and small sake glass as a gift. I was totally grateful! This guy was SO fun to hang with, and his English wasn’t bad either.

:::Suiyoubi [10.Oct.12]:::

Today while the students attended school at the high school, we ran off to a green tea field. They showed us how it grows, how its harvested, and how its processed.. which I learned the difference between green and black tea is nothing more than how its processed. It’s actually the same plant!

During the tour of the field I found my memory card in my camera was FULL. meaning no more pictures until I cleared some space! How agonizing, immediately all I could think about was that nasty 1.6gb file of the AVENGERS, which I’d now seen on the plane, lingering and holding space! I was able to dump a few blurry pics and reduce the resolution of the future pics to hopefully avoid this anytime in the next few hours.

Following that we joined them in the teahouse and had a rad ceremony of its brewing ... turned out the tea field was my host dad, Naotaka's sisters place.

I was returning to America, with my bag was stuffed with tea :)

On our way back to the school, a man that Granny Nishi had home stayed with spotted us by the tea house and invited us to come by. So we stopped there, they had a beautiful garden. And inside they told us many stories and asked us to look through their mothers artwork made from twisted and folded silk to recreate wonderful images of plants and flowers. Each of us was gifted our favorite.

We cruised back downtown into sasayama. Nearby there was an amazing restaurant, the Romantei. It was busy, but the food was INCREDIBLE.

When we picked the students back up from Homei HS we took them to an edamame farm to teach them how to pick edamame and harvest it. From plant to mouth. Then put them bitches to work. It was true immigrant work. We were explained the process, marched into the fields and lopped down the bushes of beans, hauled them back to the shed where we went to work, clipping off leaves and separating the beans from the branches. The students all did their one plant, though me and a select group of rad kids grabbed more and continued. I even led a group back into the field to cut down more bushes and continue.. there was still daylight wasn’t there? We were gifted a bag of the beans we cut, and some amazing fiddle faddle like candy that had the black beans in it.

So when the day was done and we got back to the city hall we all had about an hour to waste before our pick up was coming to take us home everyone chose to go shopping around the area.. I chose to go explore the castle that was literally a block away. $5 later and I was in a castle that was built for defending a critical waypoint for the transport of people and goods through Japan. but the warlord that built is had bigger plans. when it was complete he staged a giant assault on the nearby castle in Osaka. and guess who has two thumbs and is scheduled to go on a tour of Osaka castle with a group of students next Monday... this guy!!

Kouki would sit in the most uncomfortable position, hypnotized by the TV. Julie when not constantly sleeping as I'd tease her, would play on the laptop talking on msn.. yuuki played constantly .. incessantly. climbing on things and singing while he built structures with his blocks. sometimes I'd even recognize the tune of the pirates of the Caribbean .. and not snippets but the entire track. megumi's laugh was heartwarmingly addictive making me find ways to surpass the language barrier to crack her up. Tomoki had a smile to him that beamed understanding as I hacked my way thru Nihongo to amaze with stories of afar. Naotaka's consistent use of hacked English was fantastic, usually terrible proper English that lacked many needed words but got the point across and would chase it with "wakatta?" understand? the kids had 2 cousins that would roll over from across the street, AI who was too cute for her own good with equal parts of curiosity and shyness that would cause her to come explore then run laughing. And the boy.. dammit I could never catch his name. He always took the Joe cool approach, tomoki's age, and would mimic me like crazy .. he had a sense of humor that will take him far later in life. My nights were usually spent hanging with the family, watching TV, and talking with them about various things or just sharing fun pics or music. I'm gonna miss these guys.

I loaded their laptop with the Avengers and Tomoki and Kouki finished off their night almost sharing a seat watching it. Even if it wasn’t in nihongo.

:::Mokuyoubi[11.Oct.12]:::

Today was a day to remember.

It started out with the first morning with Hayden (one of the other kids from the group staying at the house I’m at as well )

I woke in the middle of the night to a scuffling sound like someone coming through a window, things being knocked over, etc. Hayden was dead asleep, yet had completely twisted a 180* in his sleep, to his feet were the other direction but his head remained on his pillow. I have no idea how, but what was more pressing at the moment was that his feet were IN the trophies. Pushed through them actually.. nothing was broken, but he had kicked a bunch of things over, so I woke him and told him to get out of there. "I'm cool" was his response. "DUDE, get your feet outta the trophies!" "what?" "Wake up and turn around jackass."

By morning, we woke again, and he fixed the decor. Then we had a breakfast I’m starting to get used to, big, and usually multicourse.

We headed to this amazing Tanba NamiKiMichi park that had some old style Japanese houses built within it. The first thing we all see when we get there were a bunch of playground toys and some animatronic rides like you'd find in front of a shopping center in the 80's. The trick with wrangling a bunch of teenagers is to be wilder than the wildest card in your deck. Before anyone had a chance to think I was sitting on the Doraemon ride. :) trumpt.

Alongside the kids, we donned aprons. I was lucky enough to borrow one from Mai, that was embroidered with "Athena Oregon" on it with a Scottish Highlander on it.) We were going to learn to make a Tenugui. A Japanese bandana dyed with natural dyes made from the chestnut which is part of the recent food celebration, the Kuri.

We folded, clamped, rubber banded our fabric and went through the process of dying and rinsing. every break we got were we waited for the next step I ran off and explored a new section of such an incredible park.

During lunch we were given a Bento Box full of wild Japanese foods and Oocha, Green tea. Which I learned from yesterday at the green tea farm, never loses its potency of vitamin C unlike so many other things that contain it. Me, Ryan, Davidson and Keanu (ha!) found a low table meant for sitting on the ground next to it to eat. As always it was fantastic, and as always half the kids found some excuse why they didn’t really touch it. pssh.

We had about 45 minutes to run about before the next project and me, Geneva and Bethany set off up a small trail I had spotted earlier.

It was a step set of stairs that climbed its way up the hill into the thick forest. We marched for about 15 minutes straight up when Geneva bailed out. I looked at Bethany, "I don’t know when u plan on being back in Japan, but I'm super curious as to where this goes.."

Me and Bethany continued on. It wasn’t long before the whole uphill battle was worth it. There in our path, at the top of the mountain stood a giant tree fort like vantage structure.. AMAZING!!! We clambered up there like kids at Christmas, the view was incredible. We stood up there just looking and talking for what thankfully only felt like a long time. Then the question begged to continue down the path, or to turn back down the way we came to get back. We only had 25 minutes left before the next project started. "I don’t know when you plan on coming back to japan..". We took the route unexplored. hehee. The trail ran the ridgeline of the mountain and as I hoped, but tried not to expect, (it very easily coulda landed us on the other side of this hill making us more than late). It started to decline and finally wrap down into the park. This place was GIGANTIC. Here we found the far side of the park and it was twice as big as the section we arrived in, and yet I had never seen this. 10 minutes to get back, we hustled.. but screeched to a halt, we both spotted the 50 foot giant slide built with rollers.. not just a slide. OF COURSE we had to ride it!!

After the slide, we had about 4 minutes to get back, we damn near ran back.. and got back just in time to join the rest of the group and head inside the traditional style house to learn the ways of making mochi, a rice cake made from steamed then beaten rice. When I say beaten, I mean with a giant mallet that would make Gallagher jealous. We all took turns hammering the rice clump. The old woman would slap it with water, and flip it "Hai!" another swing..

If there was one thing I wanted to do in japan it was hike through these lush forests that surround us. I was finding this day held far more satiating wonders.

After the mochi and tea ceremony, we got more free time to run about the park. So again, I used it to explore and try every path available. When I got back to join the group, Robert headed off my path with his camera to get a picture of me walking.. and another picture.. more.. what was he up to? That’s when my spider sense started tingling. I looked back, my heart hit my tonsils. I still am in awe..

Yuichiro. There he stood smiling, no longer a scrawny spikey haired boy. 9 years it’s been since he lived with us. the only thing I regret was not being back sooner.. apparently he was there waiting for me while I was in the thick forest trails chasing snakes and frogs on the mountain for about an hour..

GAHHHH!!! Fucking amazing, I hugged him, and tried my best to form coherent sentences in a language that is still so foreign to me.

There was only a few moments before I had to join everyone on the bus, so I unloaded my pockets of gifts into his hands and made sure I would see him later.. sounds like tomorrow I’ll see him at the goodbye ceremony, at least.

But it doesn’t end there. When we got back to city hall I ran like hell, 3 blocks away I ran back to that Osakeya, a sake cellar. where they make Sake. rice wine. I got a chance a few days ago to tour it, and a bottle of my favorite, Beethoven Sake, would make an amazing gift. I've spent the majority of my money buying gifts for people here in japan, not for people at home. 2 bottles of the Beethoven were needed, one for my next encounter with Yuichiro, and one for tonight.

Tonight was the night my host family joined me to visit the house of the first family I lived with when I came here 15 years ago. The Tsukanishi's. My host dad this year did some heavy leg work and had tracked them down.

When we arrived, there were a bit lost trying to find it, yet somehow I remembered and pointed out the route. We were greeted by the lady I called Okasan (mom) and to this day still don’t know her name. The driveway looked right but the house evaded my mind. It turned out, there was a fire years ago, and they lost their house as well as so many memories. Yayoi lived with them still with her husband and her 2 children. She looked great, not the chubby faced little tweener I met 15 years ago. She had two beautiful girls, Amane and Ataru. Yayoi's husband showed up and was a totally cool guy. pimped in flannel threads and baggy pants, he looked like someone I run with. He got such a kick out of hearing that I've Dj'd some shows that he ran off and brought me some "classic" Japanese dance vinyl. I was FLOORED, how COOL.

We traded gifts and stories of last time I was there, and what’s gone on since then for both me and them, over tea and Japanese treats.. I could have cried.. Hell I did. To make it worse, they brought Hiroko, the youngest sister into the reunion via a cool video fone call, she’s 30 years old and looks great.. with 2 rad girls as well, Ayano and Asahi (the beer?)!!! Even Hayden with us could tell that it was an epic moment when he wasn’t being ravenously mauled by their young house cat. my only hope is that I get at least one more chance to see them.. maybe in America...

We took pictures of me with the whole family ( and Hayden with his angry cat armband) Shared a bunch of hugs and as I left, the mother gifted me this wonderful wooden box, with dark writing down the front.

"Ten no Kogou ryouheika ki ju hoshuku kinen engi kakejiku takasago"

An 80 year old memorial for an emperor and empress, the Takasago luck scroll. Within it, there was a bamboo scroll that unrolled to a beautiful kanji poem and a painting of a man and woman.

:) words can’t describe how I still feel.

And all I had for them was 2 bottles of sake, a pepperoni stick, a marble, and peanut butter crackers.. so I popped off my mood ring from when I was a kid, trying to even the exchange :)

I'm so amazed with such amazing people in my life. I'm just afraid I’ll end up dead in a car wreck with the blessed levels of luck that I was able to have this day even happen.

:::Kinyoubi[12.Oct.12]:::

Friday was a fun adventure that was only a walk away from the city hall. We headed to a local civic art hall and looked at tons of paintings, pottery, drawings, floral arrangements, crochet creations, bonsai trees, paintings that were amazingly real and up-close you would see that they were made from silk and small leaves and flowers that made up full trees in the scene. Realistic paintings that when you look deep, they are created from torn pieces of paper. Poetry painted on wooden slats. So many inspiring and beautiful works from a culture that when you meet them face to face, you find are cut from the same beautiful and inspiring mold.

The point of coming here was deeper still then just being witness of such amazement, we were here to learn to cook. So we each got an apron and a bandana.. I had my ball cap on backwards so I figured my bandana would be better utilized over my beard. Combined with my lacey pink apron, I obviously got last choice because I was off running around, staring in wonder at the paintings, instead of picking out the most fashionable attire.

We made a great salad. A miso soup made from wild boar, tempura chicken, and a mix of rice with edamame beans and kuri (the sweet chestnut that was in season) Then we got to hang out and feast on the food we just made for our lunch.. which once again, this kichigai, colored outside the box and ate with the cooking chopsticks that are about 9 times longer than needed. Kichigai.

It was astounding at some times watching how some of these kids would opt out of opportunity to experience something they may never get to see in their lifetimes. So when the option to participate in a tea ceremony came up I was one of the first hands to go up.. so many didn’t even want to.. so they washed dishes as we sat cross legged in a tiny rice paper room and was served sweets and wonderful green tea by a girl in a kimono.

After that, we strolled around town, through the old city (Kawaramachi Tsumairi District), and wound our self’s though the old parks and bridges into a shrine where the local Nou Theater was. There was a long large stairway that led to a simple shrine in the forest. I paid my respects here for the energy felt just right. Then onto the Ojiyama Inari shrine.

This led us back down into the city and around the Sasayama castle and past the home of Kobayashi.

Mai Harada, took me and Ryan and Davidson to a local 2nd hand clothing store that was buried in the nooks of the shops within the shopping district. Along the way, we stopped by the most Japanese Hippie shop I'd seen yet. Yatsushi Iwashita's Bangladesh emporium. It was Ryan and Eli's host family, and they were the nicest people alive. They begged me to ride the Rickshaw Bicycle they parked out front, that was as flashy and wild as a mardi gras party, so we aired up the tires and climbed on, I kidnapped two Japanese women off the streets and gave them a leisurely spin, and only hit one parked car. Once we got to the 2nd hand clothing store, me, Davidson, and Ryan all decided to buy a Haori, the traditional top of a men’s kimono. Ryan went all out and bought the pants (hakama) as well to complete his get up. Tonight was the going away festival, we were going out in style. After shopping we cruised around with the Rickshaw, scaring and tormenting the kids that ran the streets and browsed the wares of the shops that were still in full tilt food festival mode. I had ice cream from the same Romantei place we ate a few days back.. it was amazing and only Y250.

The goodbye party was in the top floor of a local hotel. I remember it from last time. I waited at city hall and cruised in with a few of the kids and the pretty one from city hall that I never got the name of. My host family would meet us all there. As we waited for the Festivities to start, more and more of the students arrived. Most of the girls were all done in classic Kimono gear and me Ryan and Davidson were there to even the score. My host family came and I snuck across the floor during the speeches to sit at their table.

Ogatasan quickly scooted in and sat next to me, in his awesome broken engrish he asked if I would Kanpei. "Now?" "No no no.. ato de" I couldn’t tell if he wanted me to toast with just a one word toast or what, by the time the speeches were ended, the announcement went out to fill your glasses.. he handed me the mic "Speech.. please" fuck. I scrambled my brain slamming together a 4 year olds speech in my head. "Sasayama, is amazing. We have had and interesting time with much fun. KANPEI!" They cheered, we drank.

I was blessed with a wild surprise, Yayoi, her 2 daughters AND Hiroko, with her 2 daughters came as well! It was amazing seeing them all live. no video phone, no crappy facebook. Here the language barrier was rough. but we hacked through it and just enjoyed being in the same space. smiling. laughing. eating.

Yuichiro was there soon after. His English was about as shabby as my Japanese, so the language barrier still proved to be an issue, but not one we didn’t all over come. Taiko performances were done.. Many pictures were taken. dancing round the table. even a chicken dance by our American students. It was just good to see everyone and exchange that cool energy. Words weren’t needed.

After the party, we headed down stairs where I found that Yuichiro's entire family waited in the lobby. His mom, grandfather and grandmother were all there. I had emailed back and forth with her years ago when Yuichiro was living at my house, in preparation as well as after to express gratitude. But this was the first time I was able to meet her. It was an honor, and the grandparents were amazing people. My Japanese wasn’t fluent enough to have any meaningful conversation only that I was grateful to have met them and that their son was a great friend to me. In Japanese style we all took pictures together. His mom handed me a bag on the way out. It was loaded with gorgeous Tenugui, a pop gun, and classic toys. How cool!

Outside we were all parting ways, saying goodbyes and found that Yuichiro had a car to be proud of. It looked like something off the set of Fast and the furious. A Toyota Prius with Under glow, rim lights, angel eye rings in the headlights and a stereo with a Blu-ray player and 2 different monitors. :) Nice work for sure!

:::Daiyoubi[13.Oct.12]:::

Woke up and the house seemed on the quiet side, not the normal bustle of getting ready to get crazy. The TV was on, but the sound was low. There was a soccer game at 4am , Japan vs. France so I knew most of the family had got up, watched it, and went back to bed. So I stayed in stealth mode.

I popped on my shoes and grabbed Tomoki. I just told him "let’s explore", so we headed up the street. and he took me to this Jinja, a small temple within a rocks throw from the house.. it was gorgeous.

From the street there was a stone stairway that led up between to massive stone lanterns and past something that resembled a windmill without the prop on the top. The walkway was small but led straight to the main chamber. There was an off shoot to the right that was a stepping stone path to the well, a small hip level basin of water flowing from the mouth of a metal dragon. Here you wash hands and your mouth before entering the sacred area.

The main shrine was as big as a garage. There was 2 wooden structures you pass between when entering, that resembled giant benches. These were areas used as the temples office. at least 8 people could sit in both these areas

The shrine itself was a massive lattice work of wood. There was a huge bell that hung overhead in the peak of the shrine, with a thick hemp rope hanging to about knee level. A stone at the foot of the shrine could be used to propel one higher toward the bell. There you would light your candle or incense, bow, say your prayer, ring the bell , clap twice and bow, Sending the prayer into the stratosphere. 2 large metal lanterns hung to the sides of the rope where the candles go. Within the lattice ahead sometimes you could glimpse a form of a god or idol.. in this shrine I couldn’t make out what hid behind.

To the left there was 3 mini shrines all tiny versions of the bigger one. Each with their image, candle shelf , rope and bell.

To the right, was another.

Each one a telephone to its respective spirit. Maybe stone, the trees, water, children, etc.

Tomoki did a great job kind of explaining what he knew to help uncloud my western mind.

After we got back, the house was started to rise, Naotaka was up shortly after Yuuki. We ate a breakfast of egg sandwiches with lettuce on a strange bread that was really good.

Then me, Hayden, and Yuuki set off behind Naotaka to wander the neighborhood, this time the other direction.

As we walked away from the house, I spotted a plastic boomerang in the gutter, it became my toy to play with the entire walk. I made it return to me a few times and even found a way to explain to Naotaka how the aborigines never intended to have them return merely shift in direction to catch an unsuspecting bird that was midflight.

We walked the streets, I was exploring the rice fields, other yards. WE stopped in a nearby TatamiYa, a place that weaves the grass mats that lines the floors of most traditional Japanese houses. Yuuki was riding his minibicycle and feigning almost riding into the deep 2 foot gutters that lined the streets.

The entire visit I've been infatuated with the Jinja. The Temples that seem to be everywhere, for every god. The Futamura jinja was no exception. There was a long gravel road that led to the Torii gateway.. there was a chain across the road to disable cars from driving through. Yuuki had parked his bike back at the street and led the way. Upon entry I was already astounded, there next to a very ancient water holder of sorts, was a tree.. it was more like a branch. It was alive enough as there were still green leaves on its thin tiny branches. But, what amazed me the most, was the roots. This tree appeared to be floating. You could put your arm almost all the way through its roots as it only touched ground at a few places.. NAN de!?

Yuuki led us to the creek first where he looked in for living things. Across the bridge there was the Main shrine with its bench like office rooms, and a giant bell. He led the Ceremony. We all got pictures in front of it from Naotaka.

Aside from the main shrine there was a few mini ones scattered about the grounds. One for water, one for the great tree that stood to the left of the main shrine, one for stone maybe? and even another.. I took so many pictures. But building one in my yard is a likely plan.

When we returned Naotaka had a surprise planned. He unbolted the shed and swung it open. There stood his proud looking Heritage Harley. I was excited! We helmeted up and I climbed on back. We took off down the roads I was starting to become accustomed too. From this vantage though, it was a whole new view. We rode to the old style house that had been pointed out a few times, and looked around. They were closed. So we headed into downtown and rode to the Bangladesh merchant, where I had hijacked the rickshaw days before. There she served us some wonderful Black Bean Coffee, and talked motorcycles. I had built some, which was impressive to them, Naotaka had his pride out front, and Yatsushi pulled pics of his bike off the wall to show me. An amazing 70s style custom Chopper with a raked out springer front end.

After we rode back, Naotaka took off to meet us at Kouki's soccer game in Sanda. Me, Hayden, Yuuki and Julie piled into the car and picked up 2 of her friends on the way. Yuuki was being his typical wildass in the car on the way up, and at one point he thought it would be funny to rear up and stick his butt in my face, little did he know I was privy to the spray bottle of frebreeze in the pocket in front of me.. *shht shhht SHHHT* I made sure his 5yr old bum was coated. the girls behind me were laughing, I was cracking up and yuuki was trying to wipe himself clean on the car seat like a dog with an itchy bum HAH AH AHAHAHAHAHAHAAaa

The soccer game in Sanda was pretty cool, it was a scorcher that day and the kids did well. It was more interesting for me to see the etiquette of the games, like when players entered or left the field midgame they would bow while doing so.

Afterwards we wandered toward the car, and stopped in a HUGE electronics and appliance store while we waited for Megumi. The technology they sell over there was wild. A lot of 3D TVs and $5000 massaging chairs, pens with built in digital recorders, LED light bulbs, you name it.

Across the street there was a festival going on, There was Cowboy style line dancing going on, but everyone was dressed like a Mexican cowboy than the American variety I was used to. There was booths for drinks, games and some great food. We dove into some Ramen from the 2 friendliest vendors on the block. They told me I looked hella cool and I told them they needed to get pics with me to prove it.

We played a few of the carny games, Like throwing dice and picking the prize associated to the number. Yuuki led us to the pond of bouncy balls where you were given a tissue paper net to fetch them. You tried to get as many as possible without letting the net break through. I was able to fetch 7 balls, which equated to keeping 2. So I gave Yuuki his pick :) There was another booth that had a Cork gun that you fired at some hanging toys. Knock one off and you get the toy. When I walked up I offered the boy shooting my bandana so he could cover his face and shot it like a cowboy. They got such a kick from it they had me shoot 3 times for free, sadly to no avail.. I was close but no cigar.

The carny food was ok, but there was still a lingering hunger in Naotaka, so we headed toward the fancy mall arena and found a Pizzeria. Unlimited drinks and teeny little pizzas were shared with a bowl of chicken wings that Hayden devoured. On the way out we got pictures next to the Doraemon ride and played a taiko Hero video game, that thing was TOUGH but we played like 4 levels.. Tanoshii yo!

So one thing I thought was really neat was the amount of bicycles that existed that had an A frame style kickstand that would wrap up behind the back wheel.. this is EXACTLY what I needed for my burn Chopper back home. Directly across the doors from the Pizzeria was a Bicycle shop. I darted in there without hesitation and quickly found what I was seeking. $15 later I have the part I need for my bike.. now I just gotta figure out HOW I’m getting it home. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed this.. I’ll find a way.

One more stop into another comic book store and I walked out with a Comic about the god statues at Nara coming to life and raising all sorts of hell. How fitting! I actually was there days ago!

My nights quest was primarily packing as tomorrow we were running off with Yuichiro and I didn’t know what kind of time we'd have upon return to sort it out. So my Vinyl gifts and a few other things went with Hayden in his flat rolling bag that was destined for carry on. I was going to have to dump some goods if I was gonna get the rest in my bag. I grabbed my sharpie, and a few choice articles from my pile. I picked out a Bandana for Julie that I sketched a large heart and drew out Bring Love. I wrapped that around a small blank journal I had. For Kouki I Used my Long sleeve shirt and redrew my tatt on the same shoulder as mine, and signed my name in flames down the other arm. Tomoki got a pirate Logo as well on the front of a t-shirt I had. When Megumi got there she was super excited about what I was up to that next thing you know I was drawing a huge Dragon on a shirt of Yuuki's, as well as random shirts from a few other friends and family. I had a pile to go through now, so the rest of the night was spent inhaling Sharpie fumes, sketching on fabrics, and playing with Google translate to relate stories in better Japanese than I could fathom from my own brain.

:::Nichiyobi [14.Oct.12]:::

Yuichiro picked me and Hayden up around 830 in the morning. I had no idea what he was planning. It was less a surprise and more the language thing that kept the plan from unfolding early. Hayden climbed in the back, I jumped in shotgun.. which was the driver’s seat back home. That still got me running to the wrong side of the car. It was RAD inside. Super tinted in the back, Hayden was already playing his game. There was not only a monitor on the dash, but the rear view was replaced with one as well. And when you put it in reverse, that screen became the monitor for the rearview camera. Hakame!? And we took off in his pimp ride to Kobe.

There we headed to the Ion mall, which we found we were just a tad early, so the maze of store fronts were all metal rolling gate faces. It looked like some zombie outbreak area. Once the stores opened, we wandered all over. I was in search of crazy MangaHon, comics of a violent nature for a friend. Hayden snagged his first soda of the day at like 9am sharp. He found a Pepsi in a vending machine, oddly that was quite rare. He cracked it open as we walked and went to take a sip. God knows what went wrong, but the foam than exploded from his face sprayed in every direction. Me and Yuichiro Laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

We wandered up and down the streets and multifloors of department stores.. One could find everything in there. I got a 16gb card for my fone. Halloween has become quite popular so we tried on different costume attire and took pictures. Me and Yuichiro talked movies and music. Sampled some new tunes on the rack with the provided headphones and busted a move mid-entertainment isle.

Next, we headed to a huge Arcade. They had thousands of dance games, and toy claw machines and every form of childish casino entertainment you can think of. Skeet ball, bowling, punching machines where you fought dinosaurs with your bare hands, and some of the most up to date games I've seen. There was one zombie shooting game, where you climbed inside, put on 3d glasses and not only were the graphics super real, but the seat would vibrate and it would blast air in your face, as these zombie beasties would leap out from behind shadows. Kowaii.

We then climbed inside the Photo booth machines that were completely geared for the estrogen inclined, but they worked. We looked scary, we looked cute, we fist fought, and stood ground. I still have some of those from 15 years ago. They are some of the coolest gifts.

We worked up a good appetite laughing, so Yuichiro lead the way down into the city streets and found us a Korean buffet. You can always tell a good friend by the ability to sit comfortably in silence with them. The language barrier sadly kept things a lot more quiet than I preferred, but it was still a good vibe. Me and my dictionary worked together to at least try and close the gap during lunch with Yuichiro.

On our way home, we drove up to Rokkoyama, a mountain with an amazing view of the foggy cities below. Even without the clarity it was a breathtaking site.

When we got back to Sasayama, me and Hayden were half napping. That was a wild, cool, long day and the sun was already setting so we hit the Superstore for groceries. Tonight was gonna be a shindig. We grabbed, beer, whiskey, sparks, chips, soda, beer..

We got back home and the party was already started, the BBQ was fired up and Megumi was in the kitchen prepping the food. Weenies, peppers, steak, chicken, onions, mushrooms, cognac.. AMAZING ONCE AGAIN!!

Too make matters worse we were mixing poisons like crazy, we polished of that bottle of rum, nailed a huge dent in the whiskey and sucked down more beers and sparks than I need to remember.

By the time the BBQ was winding down, Naotaka said "Hot springs?"

Me, Naotaka, Megumi, Yuichiro and Yuuki piled into the car and headed off for the hot springs.

I was lit, and Yuichiro was probably not far behind. We laughed ourselves stupid in the back seat, taking pictures and making faces.

The Konda Yakushi Hot Springs has its hot water coming from a 1300m deep underground spring that flows into 2 baths, one made from local Tanba Pottery, and the other a Stone pool. When we got there the question arose of the ink I harbor on my arm, traditionally tattoos are frowned on, and entry into a traditional bath is forbidden. We risked it. Popped off our shoes and grabbed the shoe locker key and headed into the changing room. We stripped down and headed out into the cool night air and climbed into the wildly hot water. EPIC night :)

:::Getsuyoubi [15.Oct.12]:::

When I woke, I heard Yuichiro on his way out. Apparently the night was rough on him and he had a bit too much to drink the night before.. and I was right on his coattails. I must have tossed my cookies about 4 times that morning, but at least I got it sorted before we got on the bus.

This had to be the worst day in Japan. Saying goodbyes was heart wrenchingly hard. At one point, I damn near handed off my passport and boarding passes just to stay. There just hasn’t been enough time. I'll talk to Robert about next time being a 3 week run.

There was so many people to say goodbye to. The amazing workers at Sasayama city hall, the host families that were so giving, let alone my incredible host parents. Naotaka, and Megumi are permanently part of what I consider family. I was nothing short of teary.

Probably didn’t help that I was hung-over. Before I left my host dad was able to form some basic English to tell me "You smell of Whiskey, dakara, you shouldn’t speak closely" hehehe made me laugh, but he was right. My balance was shot, and I was woozy. This would have been a wonderful day for a morning shower. Combine this with having to let go of some people that you recently got very close with and it’s a really hard way to start the day. It was a long bus ride.

The castle in Osaka was the primary lands of the tokugowa family. I meandered the hallways very slowly, Taking as much time as I could to read the history panels with English. The flights of stairs took a lot of effort. I should have been sleeping off what I put myself through the night before, but I was still able to explore and really soak in the history and sights of such an ancient relic. We were served our last epic meal in the upper floor of the restaurant in the castle grounds, It was delicious, but my stomach was incredibly picky as to what it found delightful and what almost erupted in lunchtime terror.

We were able to hang out just a little longer with some of our friends from city hall in the airport, perusing the duty free shops and exercising my Japanese just a little longer. Once through security and it was the final Bai-Bai. On the way out of Japan you didn’t have to remove shoes and my one bag was stuffed to the gills but it went through security without getting ransacked, unpacked or being blamed for oversize limitations. The flight was a bit nerve-racking at first as during takeoff the storage doors were popping open and the bathroom smoke detector malfunctioned and went off without reason and was unable to be dismissed. This sent some of our more fearful students into tears. As much as I knew jetlag was gonna be rough on the other side, I slept almost the entire way home.

In SeaTac, We went through customs without issue, and were headed to the gate for our WW flight when Hayden’s name hit the intercom. I told Keatts to stick with the rest of the kids and I would take Hayden find the passport. It was like a wild goose chase. Nobody knew anything. The entire SeaTac airport was a conglomeration of entities that had zero communication with the other groups. Somehow luck found us, after giving up and telling Hayden he might stay in Seattle, I asked one more person and some guy overheard me. "I saw that passport!" Thank god.. "I handed off to Officer Paidtoomuch" The trail was hot. But after returning to him without avail, he opted to come with us. Two security doors later, behind the TSA area we couldn’t pass without clearance and we stood at the customs office. They had it. I had it.. and we both had about 5 minutes to catch a plane we should have boarded over 30 minutes ago. They had radioed ahead that we were coming and we were sprinting across the tarmac to make our final destination.

::Gifts::

a "go-EN" coin. The number 5 is "go" in Japanese, and "yen" is pronounced more like "en." So "go-EN" is a word that also means "honorably good luck" especially in terms of relationships. So people throw in these coins at shrines hoping to meet new people who might bring fortune, business, friendship or love. When I left I cashed out a bunch of my oKane for 5yen pieces for my friends and family.

Coming home to an empty house was so hard on me. luckily dad came by while I sifted through clothes, gifts, and tea. I returned with so much tea it was nuts.

I was instantly homesick after I showered for a home new to me for only a few week. the house was agonizingly empty. I found myself used to the skittles of activity of being the eldest brother in a family of 7. Luckily Katie, Josh, and Lisa were around to hang with and share stories.

my jetlag was worse coming home. I tried staying awake as long as I could but by 8 pm I was hanging on by a thread. now its 2 am and I can’t sleep. zzzZZZZzzzzzzzzz

:::[26.Sept.12]:::

Sweet mother of god. :) I straight up OWN my life right now. It's been a wild hayday of adventures for the past few weeks.. months? Starting with the Ye Olde Pirate Party that went off perfectly with only a few wildcards. Ran into the hills a few times to seek lost treasures and new places. river runs. Burning Man, which hands down had to be the greatest year I've got to experience yet.. even tho going in I thought to myself there is no way to trump what I'd already experienced. Which just goes to show that the universe is full of surprises. and if you are open to them, it's gonna blow yer mind.

I came home to a truckload of Bullshit drama that kinda was like hitting a wall at the end of a rollercoaster, but after the wild ride i've had, i felt like nothing could stop me. I own my responsibilty of the bad choices i've made, but life is a perpetual learning curve. Nobody needs drama. So i side stepped it and cut that shit clean. No looking back.

life presents obstacles. but when water comes to a rock it merely sidesteps and rolls past gaining in strength and speed. go ahead and bring your negativity and attempts to assault and control. it only builds my momentum. fuels my fire. #effortlesspower :)

Last weekend was the Oyster run, so me and AJ headed back up to the great NW to explore some islands on homemade motorcycles and help cause a shitshow in up there. En route i was able to pick up another fone at a Jack in the Box @ 10:30pm on sunday, to replace the one i destroyed bicycle jousting at the burn. Just in the nick of time too cause i'm off to Japan for a few weeks come this tuesday.

*inhale*

So now my week is already well underway.. I'm sorting out all the favors i'm asked, trying to learn more japanese, hanging with great new friends and incredible older ones, as well as still trying to scribble down the story of the burn and the OR before new chapters come piling in.. I NEED A SECRETARY. fuck it, i need my own comicbook.. cause ladies and gentlemens.. I am BACK. i'm larger than life and I found my cape. LOOK OUT.

and stay tuned.. i'll have a plethora of shit coming. pics. stories and amazement.

:::[13.Aug.12]:::

Searching for the Hellcat

With Burning Man lingering merely 2 weeks away, last week me and my buddy Jon Hickerson were talking as a group of us were enjoying the much deserved annual tradition of swimming the day after Ye Olde Pirate Party, we wanted to do a little backpacking, for one of my main summer goals this year was to GET TO KNOW MY BACK YARD. I've camped all over the world.. yet we have a massive wilderness region right here in the blues and I feel like i've barely scratched the foothills.. But that only left TWO weekends to do it before the great burn.. WHAT?!?! Where did the time go?? well, if it was going to happen, it needed to happen now, not later during prep.

So, this last week i was scurrying about finding something nearby to hike into. I talked to my cowpoke legend of a boss, Steve Hoffman about local trails and he suggested "Deadmans Peak", a trail that starts 30 minutes from my door and connects lewis peak to bluewood skihill if you walk far enough. But, the plot thickens! Apparantly an old plane had crashed nearby.

Later that week i was at the Jacksons house having dinner and checking into their computer systems to make sure everything was smooth and had mentioned that i was planning on doing some camping on the weekend. Jack got all excited, "Oh, my uncle used to have a cabin up near the watershed, and i know exactly where you shoud go.. Deadman's Peak!"

The universe was calling. Jack started spouting off about how in 1944 there was a 23 year old man in the Navy, Norman Jacobs that mysteriously crashed into the side of deadmans peak.. and wasnt found untill 7 months later, and even today the pieces of the plane are still scattered about in the brush of the northfacing hillside.

SO friday evening me and jon had our packs stuffed to the gills, which later we learned our lesson on, and map in hand, headed up lewis peak road. The map I have is a vague description of WHERE most trails can be located in the area, but detail is lacking in every form. At the end of the road we decided to duck under a gate to see where it heads.. and low and behold a cabin lay in our path. Dammit.

We decided to knock politely to reset our bearings and met an older fellow named Jim. He knew where we were headed and let us know that there were better ways to get up there, but considering we were burning daylight told us that skipping across his neighbors private property was probably the best bet, though he made it known that he did not know how they would feel about it. So me and Jon went back to the truck, geared up and set out to stealth across the next acre like theives in the night.

Eventually we made it all the way across the fields of private land, and stumbled on a sign "3211" nailed to an old tree.. to the west, the small trail looked almost like a deer track, but this was it. :) excited, we headed in. The trail skirted the Watershed area giving not only an amazing view, but let us know we were on the right path as every 100 feet was a yellow plastic reminder that even pissing to the south was forbidden.

It was gorgeous. Not a soul in sight. We wandered along that path makes estimated guesses as to where we were the whole way, somtimes loosing the trail and getting suckered into following animal runs only to find we were tricked, and had to back track to find the right trail. One of those moments came at the worst time. Dusk.

It was getting harder to see as the light diminished, I hadnt seen one of those yellow marker signs for quite some time.. we walked probably a quarter mile before we both relinquished and admitted that we dodnt think we were going the right way anymore. SwitchBack Spring should have been here. right? .. It was too dark to really see. So we decided to make camp right there. Some how we picked the one spot where the Burrs had claimed as their kingdom so the theme of the night was a quest against the burrs and they were routinely sacrificed to the fires throughout the night.

Intead of a tent i brought my new nylon hammock, and considering how beat up we were both feeling about bringing far TOO MUCH crap, the lighter weight of the hammock was a blessing. The majority of the night was spent talking about how we could have packed better, we both had enough goods on us to survive for probably a week a peice out here. So while we chatted we were attempting to consume as much food as possible so we wouldnt have to deal with it in the morning. Why jon packed canned goods still baffles me. Even now, i'm going through my pack and trying to find lighter weight versions of the same utensils.. it was a learning curve.

The next morning we broke camp.. and consumed more food. The goal was to backtrack till we found the original trail then maybe make sense of where we diverted from the trail. As we were walking back to where we thought we lost the trail we heard a whistle, jon waved and i saw the 2 hunters wander out of the sticks about 50 feet away.. They were coming out of where we SHOULD have been going in.. the trail. Had we been 10 minutes earlier or later i dont think we would have ever saw them. Just the night before we were talkig about how awesome it was not to see an single soul out there.. now i was glad we did when we did.

Turns out we were way farther back on the trail then i thought. took about a good hour or 2 to find the switchback, but when we did, the spring was there. ice cold. pure water. trickling out of the hillside. We sat there filling bottles, eating munchies and just enjoying life.

When we started back on the trail it was back to machete time as the jungles got thick. We kept on climbing in elevation and eventually ran into the same hunters again as they had wandered back up the deadman trail. They were with a man named, Larry Sherry. ?!? . He worked with the forestry dept and was trimming the trail to make it easier to get through.. so we put the machetes away. He clued us in on what was up ahead, and mainly where to find that downed plane.. so we took his advice and ditched our stupidly overloaded packs and headed up the trail. Bout a quarter of a mile and we found larry's trail marker and a game trail that led into the thicket.

Luckily, we found another couple in there that were up to the same thing. So together we all found about as much of that f6f Hellcat that probably coulda been found. The wing was incredible and still had the star on it. the rest of what we found was almost unidentifiable scrap metal strewn all over, i'm sure when that plane hit the trees it probably damn near exploded. The engine took a while but i spotted it only moments before i stepped on a fallen log and felt a branch stab right through my boot and go right between my toes.
Talk about scary.. i stood there frozen for a moment, trying to access whether I just crippled myself or not.. when i pulled my boot free, i found a perfect hole in the bottom. Lucky..

Even though we had the provisions and the right trail at this point, finding that plane gave us the feeling of accomplishment we sought. Staying longer wasnt needed so we Took the long journey back down the trail, stopping along the way to enjoy all the best spots. Good lookouts. the view of WW with tri cities in the background. The spring.

By the time we got back to the car we were exhausted and happy. We hitting a swimming hole on the way home to ditch the filth and made it back in time to catch the next adventure.

And now.. burning man :)

:::[06.Aug.12]:::

Twas an amazing year this year.. not too many things went wrong.. serious mess tho.. but we had the decks swabbed quickly. Next year i'll tighten security a bit more to save the amount of drama from those nonamers that tend ta crash the party and cause a mess. For any of ye that took pictures please contact me. i'd love to get copies :)

Special thanx to Adam Martin for being there from construction to destruction.. every step of the way.. and also andrew gatley for convincing that chick to clean up her friends puke.. and steve for helping me whip ass to a few drama starters that shoulda never brought it to my home.

Ideas for next year:
Implement horn, conch or bell to signify event or attention
Start earlier, 5pm.. end earlier lights out by 12. tho same schedule. let alone enact a security team to enforce costume or get out. :)

:::[09.July.12]:::

The Armada proudly presents the 8th Annual:

YE OLDE PIRATE PARTY

Come the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needdin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites. So, ye be invited.

@ 6.00pm The Ship sails, the grill be pipin hot for anything ye be likin ta char, and the lollygagging shall begin :)

@7:30 It be time for the Test of Skill! A sword duel be held opun the plank, climb up and show us who the greatest swashbuckler be this yeaarrrrrr.. (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@830 Ben McSpadden and his fanciful fingers be pluckin tha strings for our ears delight! Get your dancin shoes in order for quickly it'll be followed by some belly dancing and fire twirlin!!

@930 be the time we find the most charismatic of pirates amongst us :) it be a test of Clothes! Creativity! as well as Character! Judged by yer own peers we'll roust the best Bucco, and best Wench! (ta enter ye only need ta be in the raffle)

@1030 Is the Time we start handing out the BOOTY!!!! (IF ya wish to partake its $5 for a ticket or $20 for 5) All the tickets in the bucket will get mixed up and names be drawn! This year marks the year of gold, for i have more loot plunder than any other thus far :) so there nay be 3 prizes.. there be at least SEVEN, an when i say prize ye arms shall be loaded :)

Lest Not forget all night we'll have Music, and Tarot Readins bein done by our own local gypsies..

Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own fer lollygagin'... But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay the price. :D see ye tharr..

:::[07.May.12]:::

My latest project was something i've really been wanting to try and pull off for the better part of the last few years. In fact, my last burner bike (which Tim Schu is now the lucky capt of) was really the one i was thinking about doing this with.

It was all about making a full functional springer front end for a bicycle. The problem is, in order to do this properly you really need to start with a triple tree set on your neck. Well, last summer i came across a yard sale where some kid had a slew of bike parts.. and low and behold there was a West Coast Choppers endorsed Bicycle frame.. the front wheel was missing and the forks look like the kid had been ran over by a dumptruck. But for $20 i was allowed to cram it in the back of my insight.

From there it sat in my loft for about a year, and now that i've got the harley torn apart, i've realized i started a very hard daunting task.. What better than a quick easy project to lighten the mood and remind me: I CAN DO EVERYTHING.

I yanked that frame down, and the first thing was to replace the Fork piping, standard 1.5 inch OD steel. easy. $8 later i had forks that were 8 inch over :) it was already gonna be a wild bike. There was alot of precise measurements and drawings to be made that would create this front end.. the last thing you want is a springer that binds.. It took the better part of a few weeks of an hour here and an hour there to get it all together. Thank god for Lon and the aluminum welder. It made the base plate SO much easier to create let alone the stabilty gained.

After the front end was functional i needed a wheel, and handle bars, which i was lucky enough to have hanging on my garage wall.. so this became a helpful project that cleaned up my shop a bit. So many bolts were stripped and fukt up that i needed a myriad of replacements and fixes.. Had to chop the seat after the front end rose so far that the FIXED seat now had the wrong angle and one could easily slide ride off the back. So, i hacked the pipe and bent it into place and welded it back together.

The last step was adding a sissy bar to stabilize the reaf fender. Found some metal at lons and decided to just be quick and use the whole peice so again i ended up with an exageratingly huge sissy bar.. but hey, i got alotta space to strap shit to now.

I rode it all the way to wahi and back with lisa the other day and it was a GREAT ride.. was totally expecting it to be a whore to control. but it turns out its much easier than i thought. But boy did my ass hurt.. that unicycle seat was a terrible design. So, as i was riding back towards town i was thinkin about who i should call, or where i should look for one of those old cruiser seats with he built in springs when (i kid you not) there was a springy seat, right next to lisa's apt. i damn near ran it over. My next plan it to find a way to modd it so it'll work on this stupidly huge seat post.

Hell maybe next i'll jam an engine in it :)

:::[9.April.12]:::

This has been a treacherous week, yet full of wild adventures with a few good morals learned.. It started a few days after peters fun bday. That week i was to get a new tattoo done on my right shoulder. For years now, the pirate party has been an annual thing that has rendered my name almost synonymous with the swashbuckling adventurers of the salty seas.. 7 years and running now, and my house has become a mueseum of buccaneer trinkets complete with a big "Pluder Inn" sign on the front. It was high time I made me own mark.

Friday the 28th I was set to meet an od friend who I'd had classes with where we spent the majority of the time collaberating sketches and not paying attention. It was this reason I chose him months ago to start the latest collaberation that would be inked into my flesh.

I had slept with a bit of nervousness and woke with a gnarly crik in my neck and was barely able to turn my head from side to side, yet today was the day I was to sit unmoving for 4 hours while I patiently waited for our creation to be transferred to its final destination down in the bowels of Tatmandu

Just as he had predicted, my endorphines ran out about 3 hours into it, and by hour 4 it was done, and i needed a nap and some food. So i went down to my local hangout and was greeted by good friends and an amazing philly sammich and a glass of wine and then went home to turn on the tv and nap on the couch.

THe next day all was well, but my post tatted remorse had set in as I wook up thinking that artistically it had come out different than we had originally drawn and that in composition it felt a touch to busy..

That night, The enchanting Wizard of Rythym was scheduled to open the 5 dj rager that was going to destroy walla walla from within at the Underground. So many people were excited to see my work that was done and it was everyones critics of wonder and amazement that dispelled this doubt.

Sunday I had ran out of the A&D ointment they gave me and I switched to the TatWax.. by monday shit hit the fan.. I had little red bumps all over around the tatt and blisters were starting to appear at random places all over my body.

I was freaked. I hit everything from webmd.com to old medical books i'd gathered and by the sounds of it, it could have been anything from blood poisoning to herpes.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter what it was, i knew it was in my blood. So i consummed an entire bulb of garlic and began a 5 day detox fast. Day one I dropped meat, dairy, alchohal and sugar from my diet and went to raw fruits and vegatables. Day 2, was onto juice only. I was going to be doing this for 3 days then back to raw foods on my way back out. But by day 3 of juice I felt great, so why stop?! :)

During my detox a friend suggested Forks Over Knives, a documentary about the western world's health issues and its corelation to the current idea of what is healthy, I was intrigued! (check it out)

Soon the bumps and blisters had subsided. By now I'm sure it was an allergic reaction to either the tatwax ointment or the ink itself, but had it been ink i'm sure the reaction would have been sooner. I was starting to eat solids agaon by sunday, but after feeling how well I've been feeling (aside from the allergic upheaval) I'm considering holding a much more eastern style of eating, trying to limit the level of sugar and meat. Even tho, currently I've only just today introduced grains back into my system.

Saturday I burned the hell out of my finger at my firepit, and had to once again go on full alert in the healing department. I coulda swore it was just weeks ago I had thought to myself that I should buff up on my first aid knowledge. Apparantly, I got what i asked for, next time I think I'll just read a book or take a class..

Sunday morning i was a little distraught thanx to being covered in bandages and was down 2 fingers, so I decided that maybe I should just stay inside regaurdless of how nice it was outside, to avoid further damage.. But, when it rains it pours. By the time I accidently slammed a trunk lid on my left hand i figured fuck it, I'm going outside and gettin dirty..

Boy was yesterday productive. Planted a ton of seeds, built a gate into my fence amd even went off with peter to go geocaching with his new GPS I gave him for his bday. That was fun and surprisingly tick free considering the romping through the weeds. Glad he's getting more use outta it then me.. :)

hope you like it, I do.

:::[21.Mar.12]:::

I had went to seattle to visit some good friend. Shea's birthday is this week. Her shabang is this coming weekend. When i got there i went down the main street of Norht Korea, back pack in tow, you see I was gonna be there for along time. When thigns got a litte scary. II was When the mass arrest started the civil unrest had become to unbearable and i was put into one of the Detainment camps.

While i was in there i met a sweaty little man with glasses that didnt like what he was up to. He was like a glorified hall monitor, just a paid guy tryiing to raise his family. I bought him out. somehow i had enough things on me that he felt likek he could take my word. When we got back to the tribe, the large bearded men in homespun wool tabbers. We gathered the mass of guys that were willing to try and break out my friends little sister. She was in a different section of the camp. and wasnt able to get out. Once free I Could muster the troops. On our way there we spotted some ridge runners. Men on horseback followed us untill the bluffs broke onto the plains we rode across. Our captives while imprisoned had been Natives of the land

When they were closer we geared ourselves for the encounter. To our astonishment they were rebels that lived in the hills. True patriots looking for the moment to take down the rebel encampment.

When i woke, everyone made it out and the first of the detainment camps broke down. The war was just begining.

:::[5.Mar.12]:::

The weekend was an awesome load of nonplanned mayhem. I caught a ride up to seattle with a few friends and got to test the new features of my shitty new fone. The HTC wildfire S mad for virgin mobile sounded like a great idea at first. $45 a month for more minutes than I know what to do with and unlimited data and text, AND its a droid fone? Count me in!!! The saddest part was discovered within days of having the system up and running. It has an internal harddrive with 512MB of space. not gigs.. megs.. and over 75% of that space is for the OS alone.. so the user is left with a meager 140mb at best for adding programs. So i am able to watch flicks, listen to tunes, surf the net check email, facebook, ebay.. even wifi stumble.. but theres no room for anything else. and every other hour its giving me the stupid "sorry insufficiant memory to preform the most mundane task" error. So if you are on the market for a droid fone, steer clear of this POS.. my only hope is that i can root it and fix this bs with a new custom ROM.

My buddy in seattle seems to be doing ok, typical shitstorm of fires in his life that he somehow is always narrowly escaping. But at least it makes for some good stories.

So we spent the weekend talking video games, rebuilding old arcade units he's been collecting, and playing every arcade in town whilst drinking our joysticks into the cement. SHea joined to really bring the heat and help a fellow x winger shoot the frost off hoth.

Saturday was a big day with Pirates of the Puget Sound Rave in store, so i was parked as staff, dressed to the nines as my alter captain ego, and painted some giant flags into existance, then prepared myself for a night of partying to some amazing sound spectrums and getting to kick it with this planets baddest DJ's. If you ever get the chance to catch DJ Hypster in action, do it.

With no plans, the weekend couldnt have gone bad in the slightest. But that didnt stop the old AT Kommand from unleashing a fury of chaos amongst the ground we walked, i even accidently tipped an entire desk over in the NOC office of SpeakEasy. HA! TAKE THAT SEATTLE! I'll be back HAHAHahaaa!

:::[18.Jan.12]:::

Dear Congress, SOPA is the first and only true form of terrorism, it is blatant attack on the freedoms of the citizens. To infringe on the rights of the people would be an attack on our country. You are our first line of defense. IF you do not do something, the people will be forced to.

:::[5.Jan.12]:::

Xmas was great this year, my grandparents rolled in from NM to hang with us for xmas, so the whole family got a good chance to hang out again.

I was pretty happy about this years gift giving adventures, it was the first year in a while that i had everything sorted quickly and with almost no money spent at a retail store. Everything I gifted to others was either used, traded for, or handmade.

Peter probably had the most hands on project i invested in. I wanted to not only give him a THING, but rather a philosophy as a gift. So i packaged up a collection of items to match the significance, and gave him THIS.

:::[22.Dec.11]:::

Happy Solstice to all my friends/family. I've been having a hayday and a half lately.

THis year all the gifts I'm giving for xmas were all acquired thru trade, or bought used; and i think everyone is getting something they'll love :)

Been booked solid on Djing, this friday is my next gig 2 days before xmas following the 2nd annual showing of the Rocky Horror picture show at Sapolil! So, not only do i get the option of remixing Rocky Horror tracks, but also have my way with every Christmas tune from your childhood mUAHAHahahahaa.. :) it's gonna be a blast! It's the Solstice gathering tonight and there so many rad peoples to see :) Grandma & grandpa are in town so its a packed yet fun holiday!

:::[21.Nov.11]:::

This time of year always poses a moment of reflection as the skies dim greay and the tempature drop way below comfy.

As the sun does its usual abandonment, i usually find myself far more antsy. Plenty of Energy, but its like the ambition of what to do with it just tanks. Luckily lately i've had my hands full with a few things that have absolutely begun one of the greatest winter fires i'll start.

I've been hit up from time to time to be a Dj, but by no means do i claim to be one. This rarely is a deterrent, but usually the fact that i dont have the right equipment makes it even harder to be more than meets the eye. This weekend however, the pinnacle of my labor and research have proved to be a riteous thing. I build a fully digital DJ setup using my own home comp (woulda used a laptop but the sound 5.1 sound card can provide a virtual monitor port) using Mixxx, audacity and scrounging through tracks. Aside from that i brought samplers and mixers of all sorts. But really i found that just my box was enough.

I spent the previous month or more preparing and making sure it was gonna work. Friday came and the whole day was spent setting up and getting everything in order. Borrowed lights from my friend amber, Nick let me use his mixer for greater control, etc.. I was nervous tho. This isnt my forte.. but then.. what is?

Started things off with the oddities, just music that was loud and groovy.. something to wet the palate. By 930 i was dropping a set of funk tracks that everyone knew and hence let their gaurd down for.. the dancing had begun.. within the hour I had a good spark started on the dance for, it was time for the breaks,.. it was time for pouring gas on the fire.

I got the blaze i was after. It was a MadHouse in there. Wall to wall people. arms waving, people dancing. I threw down a party that damn near didnt quit. By the tim e it was done i even had a few local Dj's and burner buddys of mine standing somewhere between jealousy and awe. It felt good. it felt Great.

That is not going to be the last you see of the Enchanting Wizard of Rhythm.

My cough is getting better i think.. though its persistance is enough to drive me nuts. So saturday i slept in (didnt get home till after 3am..) and the rest of the day was spent laying low and trying to be good to myself in hopes to rid myself of this respiratory curse. But by the end of the night i was frustrated, afflicted by cabin fever, knowing this was going to be a long winter.

So yesterday i changed that channel. I was up early and built a fire outside after making a bacon & egg on a biscuit. It was a day to tackle the onslaught of leaves that were threatening to consume my yard. That night tim ran his super hero game and everyone was hanging out in my garage with the fire roaring. I think i accomplished less sunday, but just being outside makes it all so much easier.

Now my sights are starting to refocus, for i've been charged with a knew task at hand. Keating is pushing to teach me the art of physical chess. here we go.. :)

:::[30.Sept.11]:::

i got me a new sword. My grandfolks came into town this week. what better way to hang out then do something u both like. Like pillage peoples loot :) we navigated with grace thru the concrete seas deftly picking and parting people from their possessions.

One old man i met at an old house on the edges of the wheaty wild, had a very interesting story to tell. It was about an old knife that lay on his table of wares to appeal the market goer. It was held in a thick dark leather sheath. It had obviously at one time been a USMC kabar, but the handle was ornate, different. He went on to tell me of his friend. He was a US Marine that had been shot down over the south pacific. while he was there he used peices of the wrecked airplane to fashion a new handle for his knife.

If this is true the man that crafted the new handle definately had taken his time.. and obviously knew what he wanted. It draws like a 6shooter. Holds like a cutlass. the grip fits like a glove & the hilt holds a weapon catcher & gaurd. I found it wildly convenient that it mounted for a left hand draw. What more would an urban pirate want?

:::[26.Sept.11]:::

Last tuesday my friend George the Archeologist from tuscon rolled into town, picked him up from the airport and built a fire. The next few days we caught up, shared wild stories and talked fists N fury. He trained with keating the 2 days i worked and was destined to fly out friday morning very early on. They planned on training, but to conclude the adventure Jim, George and Alan of the local Tribe was headed into holy ground to do some ridge running and gleen georges more expert opinion on the lay of the land. Luckily J_Hough helped me out at work and i was able to cut out early so i could meet up with them and tag along. This started a wild wild weekend.

On the way there i had just enough time to throw some water in my camelbak and grab a fuel filter for my EMP bike, this weekend was gonna be the First time my lil girl got to see a bike rally.

2011 Oyster Run in Anacortes kicked off this weekend. For the past 3 years i've been rolling up there to meet with other like minded monkeys that enjoy building mini scoots and causing massive amount of mayhem on them. This year everyone finally took my lead of GOING TO ANACORTES BEFORE sunday when the actual rally takes place. Every year prior the group was meeting up in Everett, then on the morning of the OR itself they'd haul from down there all the way up to anacortes loosing parts along the way.. by the time they made it, it was almost over. So this year Shustarich set us up a SWANK space to camp in, had a garage to wrench in and everything.

Oyster Run 2011!!

So Friday morning i dropped of my Arch friend at the airport and went home to start packing for my weekends adventure, only to find that the plane was dead..

As luck would have it tho, the rearranged plane schedule required my bud to be in Pasco by 11. perfect. Me and AJ were planning on bouncing outta town by 10 putting us in the right place at the perfect time. So together we all packed up and hit the road.

We made Anacortes by early afternoon. Perfect timing to get the bikes out and go on a run. So like that it began. Felt like we were riding around almost every chance we got.

I had alot of things to tweak and fiddle with. I felt like the 17 tooth gear was just over geared (especially for all the hills around the area. ) so i needed to drop a tooth.. so that night when we got back from a wild run, i went at my bike with a fury. Somehow the left mirror wouldnt hold a position anymore, this started while they sat in a box.. wtF? swapped the gear, was now 2 or 3 drinks in.. i turned and shouted a retort to some bs, leaned on the bike *snap*.. fuck, that was my cheap rear left turn signal. i just snapped it off. duct tape. ok. wait, now the front right doesnt come on. GAHHH.. it unwired itself upfront.. ughh.. i KNEW i shoulda just soldered it all in place. OK. it works.. WTF?!? why doesnt the left front work? awesome i ripped the wire. i need another drink. That night the party was all around the fire and it was a great time.

Finally i got it all working. Tho now that i'm home i have a list of shit i need to tweak. (and that damn mirror is 1st on the list)

The next day was rad. we went on a ton of wild runs, starting with breakfast at the cornerstore. Then it was into the wild, where we found all sorts of tiny trailes to the peaks of the island with a stunning view and a completely straight up hill climb to the top.. Up narrow roads through the wet jungle, it was like at the top we were gonna find an elven temple. Epic.

Riding around that island was wild. the tempature would jump and drop around every side.. we came back to the ranch finally and laid some ribs on the grill. From there out things slowly ramped up, as we drank and wrenched. I traded pipes with a dude outta marysville. So now my bike looks even cooler. Later that nihgt Me and AJ dropped into town cause last year its like the streets were on fire with rowdiness.. sadly this year was just all out dissapointment.. the energy was just missing out there. So we returned back to the ranch and after some night riding on the bikes and what felt like defeat, we decided to raise cane right there.. and we did just that. within the hour, there was bear hats, girls spitting fire, cowboy cartwheels, burnouts and mayhem. and it didnt quit till about 5am.

Sunday morning came fast. We got on our bikes and shot down the freeway.. The Oyster Run has begun!! There were bikes on the road then anything else.. but DAMN the wind was GUSTY, once it threw me from one lane to the other without warning i slowed down a bit in hopes that at that speed i might recover easier.. Once we got to the run everyone scattered and browsed around. AJ jumped for a breakfast buffet, i found KC, marcy and chelsea and caught up for a while. ALl the bikes were great! even saw a pack of modded ruckas' and got to speak with the owner of This little cherry i saw on that site weeks ago. The lurkers on my bike were intense.. i'm not gonna be surprised if anyone spots my bike somewhere on the internet.. it had attention for sure.

The rain came, but only after everyone had packed up and left, we followed george back to his place to drop some stuff off and the rain came, and it poured but with only one block to go. Everyone lucked out this year :)

IT was 3pm. we started our homeward journey. Laughed. lived. Ate. Once home slept like a rock. today, i woke to reality. i dont dream. i have weekends that are living dreams.

:::[01.Sept.11]:::

Burner Reborn. I've noticed such a long story is coming. For the most part, i've needed time to digest what the hell happened the 2 weeks i was gone for the burn this year, tho the longer i wait and try to compile the memories the more faded they become. its coming.

:::[25.Aug.11]:::

The Summer of Dirt My road is under complete construction. New Water, sewer and concrete is projected to be what we'll score by probably october. But untill then its been a warzone in front of my place. Most of the time, we've been parking in the back. Sometimes i'll get the wild idea to blaze through the alley ways to avoid as much as possible and sneak the insight back into the driveway, or whenever possible i've been riding the EMP, which allows me the option of flying up the sidewalk till i can connect with something other than dirt.. as if dirt was the issue. I dont mind DIRT. But every 2 hours someone rolls thru with a giant water truck, spraying everything down.. i think to keep dust to a minimum.. but OMG. I cant tel you enough about how many times i've rolled in sometimes on no more than a 20 foot patch of "dirt" only to find it was a 10 foot mohawk shaped spray of mud behind me.. and when i'm on the bike.. that means i'm now covered in mud. :)

Burning Man started wayyy early for me this year. THe battle trailer has been coming along nicely, i've worked out a simple plan of conversion that will turn it into a full blown porch where i'll nest in a hammock. Solar lighting underneath the tarp awning. its a win.

I've not only created the ultimate playa ride, dubbegone n "The safari ride", but also helped create a FLEET of bikes.. the armada RIDES! dan built a whole new chopper with a battle sheild on the front. larry has his Deep Cycle mobil sound system, ora on the CowfacedShitwagon.. It's what i'm excited most about. and to think, today will be the major test. we roll out on a chaos ride in Full form.

Costumes and packing have been filling in all the unuised space in between major projects. the bat belt should be done today, as well as my hat and a few other sneaky surprises.

Oh damn this year is gonna be good.

:::[17.Aug.11]:::

Battle Trailer [b4]

So much to DO! so little time.

Damn, things have been busy lately, but luckily its been almost all play and only work that was needed to make it happen.

The pirate piarty went off seamlessly this year! best one to date easy. The crowd wasnt AS big as last year, but damn close and the intensity was easily just as fierce. This was the first year i felt i could actually hang out, party, play. It's all about deligation! Sheridan hosted the sword fight, Pete got the costume comp roarin and the amount of willing hands and great faces there to make it fun for all was just stellar! (pics soon!)

So after the pirate party a week after the epic rafting run.. i've got less than a week to get things ready for burning man.. OMG. so many things to do still! and everyday i slam out more and more!

I made a brand new janky junkyard bike complete with a 4 foot sissy bar to be my mega ride out on the playa, costumes are flying along. But now, i have a bigger project.. THE BATTLE TRAILER.

Let alone PACK. i been ran sackin yardsales lately not only trying to recoup my losses on the capsizing of the raft, but to find extra things that may give me a far bette burn. I ordered a new awesome 10x25 $20 monocular (you know thats cool) and the day it came, was the day i scored a set of 10x25 BiNoculars for $5 at a yardsale. HAHAH. these are my life frustrations. hehehe.

The greatest way to ever prep for a burning man, DONT EVER LET IT END.. so what do we do? Wild chaos bicycle rides thru town in costume blairing music. Even tho my time is short lately with all the wild things to do.. i still got time for these. ya missed the last one yesterday :) The Faun rode on!

:::[01.Aug.11]:::

I wanted adventure. I asked for Epic. I got it.

We headed out thursday night to catch up with the crew that had all built homemade rafts that we were planning to sail down the yakima river.

The moment we got there we walked into a party, so we had a blast that night and stayed up late under the stars. The next day just after getting a little food we headed into the great yakima river armed with a bottle of beer, a straw sun hat and a tube each. We did about 2-3 floats that whole day, really got a feel for the water.. it was a blast!

Saturday came after another night of partying campside, and we couldnt be more excited. ok, so long story short, i received a one 2 punch from MuthaNature. Just got the boat loaded into the water, Nobody aside from ryan and shaggy had seen it. The canopy was up and loaded with my rash gaurd from australia a few bags of marshmellow "ammo" and a potato cannon i snuck on as my secret weapon. We jumped on, haphazardly throwing the ropes and bungees, water bottles and other goods on the deck. The plan was to sort it out once on the water. But little did anyone know that we should have put in 100 feet downwater.. cause our expectations of the day were about to insanely differ from reality. The current was strong where we were, i was still trying to sort out the oars and ropes when we were sucked into some lowlying branches.. before i had a chance to even push off the canopy was ripped from the boat.. my shade. my ammo.. my god. I scrambled to grab the remains and throw them to the deck.. but by the time i turned around i found myself sitting on ropes from the anchor, ropes in my lap from the peices of the canopy and a huge downed tree swallowing another raft ahead of us whole. Their plywood and tube raft was woodchips in a heartbeat, jumping off and pulling the raft wasnt an option and it was only a chance to breathe in deep before we hit. Shaggy braced his legs against the tree, and the entire boat flipped. Capsized. Underwater. THe carpet of the deck against my face as i pressed up for air. well, she floats, so theirs air somewhere. Relax, flow. Fuck. i came up behind the boat, Chris was bounding through the water in attempt to pull me up "Get off me i'm fine, the BOAT dammit!" i cried. Like a true captain, i didnt care that my side bags containing my food, water, tools, supplies for the next 6 hour journey were ripped from the structure.. fuck the oars, fuck the canopy.. I'm not letting this river take my boat. WE were able together to pull it to shallow water where we could right the craft, then it took off.. i hopped aboard. Dropping the anchor i could pull and drift. i jmped off a little ways down and stopped the vessel. Everything was gone. SHaggy retrieved my oar. My luau style straw hat drifted up to me.. it was a wreck. like a mad max huck finn i was just happy i hadnt chaged into my short sleeve shirt. I lost everything... i was truly huck finn, left with only nature gave me. But i made it :) I had my boat, m oar, my hat, and my life. The next 6 hours were on full alert. But looking back.. i had fun. I wanted epic. i wanted waterworld. I wanted a story. I always get what i want.

So now I'm looking at my loss of so many things that were eaten by the waters as an oppurtunity to upgrade. A better Monocular. A better Flashlight. A better multitool. But really, i was reminded that i dont need anything but me.

The Pirate Party is Going to be a smash hit this year. I have prizes from Tatmandu, InlovewithBodyCare, Le Chateau Winery, Tan-A-Rama just to name a few.. Remember its BYOB so bring whatever you want to drink, and if ye bring something for me table of finger foods i'd be Much abliged. Tenative schedule coming soon!

:::[27.July.11]:::

Woke up at 4am this morning. Brain engaged so fast i couldnt stop it. No wonder though yesterday i was floorboarding at mach 18. So much to do lately. With the epic rafting adventure happening this weekend, the pirate party next weekend, and only a few weeks later Burning Man, its a wonder i havent died of stress.. but frankly i'm taking this entire load in serious stride.. The trick is deligation and timing. So for now the only things i need to worry about are the imediate threats, followed closely by the secondary attacks that will quickly follow.

By this time Saturday i'll be Huck Finn reincarnated. Last night i mounted the anchor, stressed about the cargo nets, gotthe campsite prepaid for cause curtis is headed there RIGHT NOW, and we'll be following him tomorrow evening. But now my concerns are coolers, food and making sure all my camping gear is in order.. WHy the HEll is my bug out bag scattered all over the place.. and wheres my roach belly?!?

So yer sayin i need to steal a toilet? fine by me.. So in the midst of thei rafting trip chaos i got a pirate party to work out. This year i'm locking the house down as last year people deciding to have a free for all with my kitchen.. Cleaning up the yard after a party took a few hours.. Cleaning up the kitchen took days. So i figure what better than get a PortaJon to appease the masses.. wait what? They're out? whattyaMEAN yer OUT of chem Toilets.. what do you expect me to do? MAKE ONE.. ew.. steal one? I'm sure i'll figure something out. I'm resourceful.

Speaking of resourceful, Last year at the pirate SHindig i had this rad cooler made from a wine barrel. Yesterday it dawned on me that after i brought it back, the saagers GAVE me a barrel to make my own out of, and i'll be damned if i hadnt forgot! So right when i got off work i went to it. and in an hour i had a cooler :) later that night Ben n Brian came over to sand and stain it.. DAMN IT LOOKS GOOD! another off the list. PRizes, and deligation next! Sheridan will be my Sargent at arms this year manning the Plank Duels, an di've already built the boffer blades. Pete is on the Costume comp, tan-a-rama and Inlove with Bodycare are both sponsering prizes for that.. I've got blades coming for the duel prizes (please get here in time!) Le chateua, Tatmandu and maybe more are all sponsering prizes!! Jim and Dana are doing Tarot Readings.. and Ben Mcspadden is gonna be rocking the LIVE FIDDLE! this year is gonna be rock :)

:::[19.July.11]:::

Think of all the great words and great teachings as your deadly enemy. Avoid them, because you have to find your own source. You have to not be a follower, an imitator. You have to be an original individual; you have to find your innermost core on your own, with no guide, no guiding scriptures. It is a dark night, but with the intense fire of inquiry, you are bound to come to the sunrise. Others only believe. Those who believe are not religious, they are avoiding the great adventure of religon by believing. --wisdom from an amazing friend, on a late night.

The Raft was an amazing success. 3 of us piled on the 2 man craft and not only did it float, but was amazingly stable. We jumped off it, swam around it, shook it, hung out on it, drank on it, made sandwiches on it, fished off it. It couldnt have been more a success. Ryans got the pics, but they'll come. Now i need to sort our "saddle bags" and other amenities :) And in less then 2 weeks, WE RAFT!!! down the yakima river. there should be an entire fleet with the number of peeps going. i cant wait!

:::[06.July.11]:::

Ye waited long enough

Come the first saturday of August, we be gatherin once again to set aside our blades and drink up. It's invite only so dont be blabbin about, nobody be needdin rats on their boat.. but ye are me favorites, me fans. So avid readers, ye be invited. Plan yerself for a multi prize raffle again this year, as well as the prizes for best costume n dont forget the sword fight! Bring yer own meats fer the grill n as much grog as ye wish to consume. I'll be creatin a world within our own to lollygag within. But remember, if ye not look like one of us, ye'll pay a price. :D see ye tharr..

Freedom = Anarchy. And i had PLEnty. Grindshows, bouncy castles, Blackberry bush fights, Battle raft plans, Cannon Fire, and more bbq's and Bonfires than i know what to do with. Happy 4th. Remember what it means to be free.

After a wild weekend of bbq after bbq i'm following up without a moment of recovery. It's on to the coming adventures!!

Looking at my calender, which resembles a van gogh done by a paintball gun, I've got a lineup that just wont quit.

Thursday, we'll be meeting at 630 at the green where we'll be commencing yet another Bad Ass Bicycle Flashmob. I've been organizing these wild chaos mobs on bicycles that rally through the back alleys of ww about every other thursday. THese just seem to keep getting bigger and better. This time it'll end at Crossroads where i've booked Dj's and a growing mob of nuts.

The summer is in full tilt, the luau is coming up, which i have no idea if i'll even make it. It's been hotter than hell here , and i couldnt have been more impatient. Finally got out to the river and i'm fixing to get back asap.

I have less than 3 weeks to prepare for a camping adventure that will border a huck finn adventure. Team G had a makeshift raft run down the yakima river last year that happened while i was at "the Burn" so i missed out(or did they?) But this year it happens when i can go! But i need a ship!! The challenge was designing a raft that will be easy to disassemble and reassemble, let alone will hold me and me first mate shaggy. I spent all night last night with a tape measure and circular saw constructing my design. :) I'm hoping to have it done by friday, i'll be spending a few days and nights out at the river. If its ready by then i'll test it out. :) It needs to be fully tested and ready for war by the end of this month when we set sail.

The week after the raft run, Just into August, the 7th Annual Ye Olde Pirate Party will be setting fire to the summer and turning the Plunder Inn back into Tortuga. I cant stand the wait :) ye be warned.

After that i'll barely have 2 weeks to relax before i'm heading back to Black Rock City for another burning man, and this time i'm coming with a vengance and a whole new array of plans that should make it even more fun. I'm building a new bike as we speak that will be my transportation this year with far more forthought, and maybe even a 2 stroke engine.

So aside from a huck finn raft, a burner bike, Chaos Cycle contraptions, and whatever other weird plans i get into, i got my new 110 that having carb issues, a yard thats blooming all types of useful goodies, a house that is begging to be cleaned. But, without contest a life that is being lived. Climb a tree, nap in a hammock, ride a bike till 2 am. laugh.

:::[23.June.11]:::

WOW!! too much epic chaos has unfolded as the sun FINALLY stopped dickin around and got back to what we all know as SUMMER!

It's been a barage of old faces and great new people all with event after event! SO much live music, late night laughs and great memory makin.

TONIGHT! there is another Chaos Ride planned thru the streets of this tiny town and i'm not letting this one get away with being a mild giggle. It's getting bigger and so is the outrageousness of the bikes.

I finally sold the Pegged Legged Kikker. A new Rider is on the horizon and damn does this cat fit the ride! Now its a matter of getting the EMP road worthy. having some issues with the bars, but nothing i cant handle :) in due time friends.. in due time.

:::[14.June.11]:::

When you see crazy comin, cross the street.

:::[13.June.11]:::

Today came with its normal ups and downs. but the frustration level was too much to deal with as yet again everyone wanted something, and as usual for the cost of nothing.

Horsebacking through the PanJab wilderness definately put my mind and body is a position to make some changes again, and as fate usually does with me, i found this interesting article. It disects most frustrations of the modern man into a simplistic equation, akin to my own quest in life.

I'm learning more every day in life as we all should be. I've made a few mistakes, but luckily never made any as as bad as the one's made against me. Continue to pursue intellegence.

:::[09.June.11]:::

Thank god the sun has CAME HOME! bout time too, i thought we were heading into another episode of "Junuary" and i was getting damn sickl of it.. i mean thats why i went south. To Shake booty and bring that beast home.

The weekend after i got back i went up to harass my good friends in spokane, and damn was it fun. Steve0, kelsi, gill. You guys wail. That was a blast.

Well Things have been hella hectic since i been home. Tons of comp work awaited my return. So it's been a long haul trying to get everything from viruses, to putting up a 16 foot sign 60 feet in the air (Thats planned for tomorrow if you feel like throwing shit at me in the easgate parking lot while i'm in a bucket truck), networks to rework and whatever else..

Last weekend we did a mega yardsale that cleaned up heaps of stuff that lingered around the house that was either a duplicate of somethig else or just things i dont need. It was refreshing to get rid of so much.. but now there is straight upheaval in the plunder inn as i clean up the mess i made tearing the house a new one, let alone putting the leftovers back into a place that isnt a pile in the middle of the garage. If your looking for anything wild like computers, air guns, nunchucks, etc.. i still got plenty.

So many plans are lining up for the summer, its now getting to the point where i'm having to actually book my events :p luau, rafting events, burning man, pirate party,.let alone all the things i wanna build or work on. I wanna refloor my garage, and this year my folks are planning on knocking down one of their garages and repaving the drive, so WHY NOT jump on the bandwagon.. i mean hell the city only has my street torn to shit for the duration of the summer.. :p

i'm building a new cruiser single speed bike that'll look like a chopper, and now with the help of Lon it sounds like i might be adding a 68cc engine hehehehehe how sick would that be to rip around the Playa on?

I was able to get my plants in for the season, so hopefully i'll have some good veggies all summer, but off course i cant gaurantee that without first chopping the fucking legs off my brothers god damn cats. So now i'm in the market for bear traps or other violent maming devices that might act as a better deterant then the bs powder the kids decided to sprinkle in my turnips.. which this morning i found was futile considering my turnips now look like a sandbox. So i'll demand half of their turnip yeild in compensation or the head of one cat. :) i think its fair.

So tonight is another chapter of the Chaos Bike rides me and stacy set up. last Year we pulled off ONE.. just one. Our first one this year was 13 people strong and we were able to scream, dance and stop traffic quite easy.. today theres 20 confirmed.. i'm sure its gonna be an army of nutcases. :) I cant WAIT.

Tomorrow i'm gonna use the day to pack and get ready, for tomorrow night i'm headed up the tukannon with AJ and maybe steve (who gave himself first class pants shitting food poisoning last night, and may not make it) to do a bit of foraging, horseback riding and other random mayhem. yyeyeee!!!!

:::[14.May.11]:::

So the sites back up!! Luckily i didnt have to do much, looked like the power got pulled while i was gone, few calls later she reappeared on the radar as fast as it vanished. So, we are back, live and tryig to update the site quickly. The outtage kinda caused me to leave quite a few big holes in the story.

Homeward Bound: The first crap weather i'd seen in weeks. I woke in pdx in Popkorns house where a slow morning was in progress slowly wandered into the garage where we tried to logically decypher the mystery behind the dying 250 twin engine that he had. It was a fuel issue of some kind..

I headed to Sandy, OR to head to the coolest bar in the PNW. Kc and Marcy were meeting me at the Gateway Pub, for $6 you can get the biggest fattest burger and fries in the area. We caught up and relayed wild tales of my near ended adventure. The plans were in motion for the weekend that follows the fourth of july is a huge bike rally that shuts that little town down and brings the noise. What better than a kikker there:)

The clouds were starting to converge in portland, i finished my giant burger and started to gear up for the last leg home. It was right about cascade locks that the entire sky opened up and the water fell. I'd say rain, but it was more like a torrential cleansing of the earth.. The wind was gusty, the rain was endless.. When i reached Walla Walla people all had stories of power outtages and thunderstons and lightening that was show stopping. I cant tell you how much i miss the sun again. Luckily the days ahead look promising.

Seemed the world waited patiently for me to return, when i got home i was almost immediately buried in the things i was trying to purge during my journey. The first few days back was a time for REcleansing. (all good now)

:::[13.May.11]:::

No fleas. :) I woke up on carrises couch. Spent a good morning just chatting and catching up. We drove around a bit, had some junk food for lunch and laughed over fries. Got carrrise to work and headed off toward pdx.

Met up with with another kikker kompadre, that had the most janky 200 i'd seen in a while. Wires hung out everywhere. No battery. No kickstart. True bobber, that had only one way to start.. push start hAHHAHa. We ripped that city up, drove all over. Lost a few parts. So we visted various bike shops, talked trash, and a few hardware stores to rebuild on the fly. Good times with some fun peeps.

by 10 Joel was headed to bed, and i had the bike back in the van and headed off to find Megan at coasters. Always a happy surprise i snuck in to brighten the night. Then found Popkorn and followed him back to his place to crash.

:::[12.May.11]:::

Where the fuck is your place? the sticks?!!? omg.. i didnt really mean that..

Invader zim

A Carrot with pants on..

:::[11.May.11]:::

Today has been so far much like yesterday. I woke On genevas couch, the nightingale had finally simmered down. Had toast with neva, and told a few more stories with her till she had to go to work. I had to find a place Me and Kjack played pool together, cause they kinda jacked my id. So before leaving LA i had one stop. Then it was all road. I spent the most of the day , behind the wheel. Surfing through the radio frequencies, in search of something interesting. Be it music or bs.. I read the entertainment weekly that i jacked from the beach house,while i was cruising the i5. Sounds like this next pirates movie is gonna rock things back to where they were when they started that franchise, and i cant wait! I only really stopped to break once, doing as i am now, writing or reading, with the van door open laying next to the bike. Still got it, but its been fun driving it at almost every place i stop.

I made it to Rick and hildas last night near 5. Rick had the bbq on grilling some amazing chicken. I skated around the area, took a few pics of places i spent time when i was really young.. it was wild to see how things changed all over the planet. After the sun went down we watchhed tv, as i sorted ou a virus inflicted machine that hilda and rick had been limping along with.. By morning i had it racing. Now i'm back on the road, reading, listening, writing stories of the apocalypse in my head. Stopping only shortly to strech and get sun.. i wanna try and make ryan's by 4 so i can roll with him for an adventure..

Quickly that plan changed, luckily in time for me to only slightly modify my route and I met Ryan in Klamath falls. We had some errands to run, but it ended with him piling into my rig and we drove back with a sack full of corndogs toward medford where the night was a tumble of goofy netflix and talkin shop.

:::[9.May.11]:::

This morning we made a concoction of leftovers for breaky, it was funky but good. It was head to hollywood time. Jarred had a audition for something to go to and i was ready to explore random chunks of that wild city. Found a couple of bike parts shops and monkeyed around till jarred was done then we headed to Fantasia Billiard hall, where kjack wanted to apply and we ended up playing pool and darts over a plate of wings and continuing the bs we started the night prior.

Later that night i got ahold of Geneva and we went to snatch her from her abode to take her with us to dinner. It was a smokey Korean BBQ joint and it smelled like tasty deadness.. it was when they started bringing us the bowls of raw meet that we cooked on the built in wok that the laughing started about neva being vegimatarian. HAHHAHa.

Stayed with Geneva that night, we stole some bikes and rode to a bar where i found my ID was snagged by that dumb girl at the pool hall that "needed it for collateral" dumb.. SO we went to another bar, that was soooo seedy, but they didnt check id. :) We drank, we rode, we talked. It was so great seeing her. She's happy and lives in a funky house with the partridge family on the LA river. Awesome.

:::[8.May.11]:::

Today i left Imperial Beach. Had a few things to tie up at the beach house, did some laundry and checked a few things online before locking the keys within as i headed for the car. dammit. left my waterbottle in the fridge. Oh well. Headed up the road and found the last 3.99 per gallon gas i'd see for a while.

Made it to LA that night and met up with Jarred Kjack. With a few beers and a Wii, we used the remainder of the night racing karts and catching up. Turned out it'd been alot longer than i thought since i'd seen that nut. COMING SOONSan diego.

:::[3.May.11]:::

On the way I found that the airwaves were almost as desolate as the road. The only audial entertainment i had was 3 seperate mariachi stations.. not even a single "buy my jesus" channel.. But!, with a road like that you're always bound to find strange ghost towns to hide in for a while.

:::[30.April.11]:::

Left Unkle Lennys and drove back through Tucson, passing picaho peak yet again, this time on the way to unite with my oldest friend Jon Reiff, for more than just a moment of food and bs.

The next few days were filled with bbq's, poolside lounging, fishing the local pond for giant bass and riding my minibike all over phx. When i got there it wasnt too late and jon had already started calling the troops in for a bbq. My allergies had freaked out the day before and were taking their time calming back down so i was out of my mind as everyone showed up. Doesnt matter how many meds yer on, an aussie style burger is something you dont forget.

:::[28.April.11]:::

It was almost 1 am when i made it to grandpas place, tuesday night.. the gps was being insane and was trying to convince me that their house was 50 feet down the road.. shifting back and forth from reverse to forward has become a comical yet frequent adventure. I pulled upside the house and crawled in the back, curling up next to the bike in a tangle of sleepinig bags, blankets, jackets and random other items that didnt get pushed outta the way.

7am hit fast, the desert nights are cold, but the day makes up for is quickly. Grandpa was banging on the side of the van, yelling thru the window that I was going to miss out on daylight if i didnt get up. :).

We caught up quickly and let the stories fly. After breakfast with grandma, me and grandpa pulled the bike out of the garage-van and went on talking and wandering about. I doubt it was 30 minutes later that someone in a truck pulled up, grandpa frowned confusedd who it could be. "Bet they are looking at the bike.." i said.. i was right. We kicked it over and talked specs and ended up riding around out front.

The next few days was loaded with laughter and stories flying in both directions. First time i really got into a card game, phase 10 became like a foe i needed to defeat.

Grandpa is all about projects (whos that sound like?) he's always working on something. I woke up this morning and he needed my keys. the tail pipe on the garagevanapartment was almost dragging on the ground. So after breakfast we were crawling under to see. i assumed it had broke loose somewhere out in the swarrow forest while i was offroading a minivan in attempt to reach georges house, or back out to civilization.. but the way the metal was rubbed raw, it looked like it had busted loose and had been hanging over the rear axle since easily before i left WW..

My project while i was over was to sort out the mystery behind grandmas comp that up and died the day before i arrived. It smelled like the power supply. the next morning was the soonest i could get a new one, from a really cool comp tech named thom, which we quickly found was the motherboard not the power.. as a capacitor caught fire right before my eyes as i plugged it all back in. Luckily i was smart enoughh to throw a spare computer in my car that i set up as a loaner box as i sort her machine out back home. I know, who the fuck does that?? i did.. and apparantly for a great reason.

i already started to miss them as i pulled out the driveway. tonight my journey was to my uncle lenny and aunt rhondas. halfway there my high beams started a flickering lightshow that was like something from a webbwerx production that spooked me, but i made it. somewhere between lordsburg and silver city, lenny built a minimansion, and its gorgeous. I'm in a room full of clowns as i write. everyones in bed, but these are the hours i pitch my thoughts into cyberspace. stay tuned.

Wind. Lots of wind was todays menu. This didnt stop me froom trekking around Uncle Lens' property, it seems like every nook and cranny in this world has signs that at some point man has been everywhere. Old purple glass Autocrat Whiskey bottle reminants scattered around the desert acres that surround this house, and they werent far from old mining claims that still showed signs of someone digging for gold. That night, we went out for the "best mexican food in the world" according to my uncle, and tonight he proved to not be far off. I found it immensly funny that the restaraunt was right next to the pet store.

:::[26.April.11]:::

Today George had a plan to show me around his kingdom, and there was no shortage of surprises. I met this guy during a knife training seminar, and he stuck out having a great attitude about things along with some great stories. His goal started by just wanting to live somewhere warm. He bout a parcel of land outside tucson and built a house.. The tour started with the story, and then was a wander thru the house that he had built to be completely off the grid. fully solar and a private well he was set up perfectly to live in TEOTWAKI. It was so quiet last night with the view of almost every star from the porch. This guy is living a dream that many will never see.

The drive in last night was hilarious, the directions were a bit odd, the farther i drove the more off road the trek became. Finally I met up with george in his red Jeep and follwed him on the last leg to his compound and it was like driving a minivan on a motocross track.

We filled up water bottles and made sure we were ready, after the house tour, our next journey was just outside the door. george is in an archeologist, and the most remarkable coincedence for him, was that he built a house on an archeological site. Much to his surprise. We spent hours wandering thru the land. He knew all sorts of spots marked on his gps of cave paintings, pottery shards, ancient tools chipped from obsidien and basalt that was transported in thousands of years before. We only had one run in with hostile natives, a rattlesnake warned us early and we had a minor stand off in a wash untill he allowed us to pass. Old mining claims that still held the ladders that led to some subterranian history lesson, and an old ranch that was a hippy commune for a while were also spots along our journey.

I stayed and waited untill dusk to head towards grandmas, Once again george led the way in his jeep on an off road adventure back to the paved concrete sea.

I was burned heavily, but it was worth its weight in gold considering what i gained today.

:::[25.April.11]:::

This morning i woke up in my buds house, on his couch. It's my birthday today. We had alotta fun the night before and we had to get going pretty quick. He was a bit stressed that his housing situation was in jeapordy. We headed off to Terrible's for some cheap greasy steak and eggs, which afterward i was roadbound again, headed toward George's house near tucson. En route, I got ahold of Jon reiff and popped in for drinks and dinner. Then headed into the swarrow forest out past Picacho Peak. This whole trip was a birthday celebration, but to wake, dine, and crash amongst the friends in my life, on the day I made it to 32 was really cool.

:::[24.April.11]:::

Zombie Jesus day, Everyone was hungover (aside from me) and packing up to head back to wherever they came from. Many goodbyes and alot of sorting.. but before i could get all sentimental i found out Mizu was hanging out in my hotel in a room Nikoli got.. so we all met up and wandered about the strip untill nik had to fly out.. then it was off to the ART district.

As the lights and neon faded behind us, the more ghetto buildings opened in our path to a world of spray paint and imagination. It had to be the most incredible example of what the west coast had to offer in Graffeti, all in a 7 block radius. Truely amazing.

For the Nights entertainment me and mizu crashed the tail end of the Viva Las Vegas show, most cars were scattered amongst the lot, but there was plenty of festivities within.

:::[23.April.11]:::

The next day was all about the Knock Knation. Once the crew gathered we headed off in attempt to reach Sunset Park for a mass BBQ. The police were in full effect and it was like battle riding down the strip trying to make the other side without getting tagged. They were out like hawks catching mice. Anything that moved was fair game. A few bikes got shut down and trucked, others we lost track of as they split off, even once a cop stopped the entire presession of ours only to Ask where he could acquire a Kikker hHAhaa, after business cards were thrown we finally made it.

The Viva Las Vegas Car show was the weekends main attractions, but it was the AntiViva show that i got sucked into, with 0 cover for someone with a cool ride and way better energy a small crew of us headed there after the bbq, and we couldnt have been dissapointed. Tons of wild cars and a great collection of wild people, all about a city block from where we stayed.

That night was an epic one, i joined DougiePR on the Shuttle along with popkorn , spicolli and like 15 others. We were in full effect party mode. Everyone was sloshed by the time we made the Vegas sign for our Pic yet that was only our first stop. Dancin, eatin, yellin, roughhousin.. the night went wild and i was in front row.

:::[22.April.11]:::

The morning came on cold. i woke a few times trying to make myself warm, once waking to find the world in that strange twilight. the bright moon hanging in the dark black sky, gradient fade to the purple to pink sunrise, as horus battled set, again for domination.

we stopped a few times to feel the sun cut thru the cold that was clinging to our clothes, it was windy, but we were still layered up, used to the chill of winter. beer bottled tossed in the gutters became enemy targets for the slingshot. reviving our minds and snacking before we hit the last stretch to vegas.

Vegas, it was dusk when we reached the edge of the city. I weaved through the huge monoliths of light and flash, to the back side of the Sahara. The Kikker Crew were welcome to park in the Valet garage on the 2nd story. as i pulled in i found that the spot i parked was like the nexxus of where the mechanics wired and tweaked a slew of machines at all hours of the day for the entire weekend. My neighbors, fellow kikkers.

popkorn was one of the first i found, he offered to let me crash in his room. The build off was just coming to a finish when we got there and voting time was on.

The next few hours I was hellbent on one motive; To ride the bike i built with my own hands down Las Vegas' main Strip. A crew of the knocknatioin had left for drinking and teetshows in the Karaoke Shuttle Bus. I on the other hand had gathered a crew with the help of tim from Tim's kustoms, and we sailed the neon strip for the better part of the night. This was probably the pinnale of the vegas stop for me. Riding a bike i built, with a group of people that did the same, riding down the vegas strip.. holy. crap.

:::[21.April.11]:::

The day i bailed from life couldn't have had more bumps in the road. Not that these these are abnormal, or even something i cant overcome quickly.. if anything i knew that expectations were the breeding grounds of hiccups to occur. I had 3 good people hit me up for computer help as i was counting hours and triple checking my supplies for the journey ahead. Each one sorted outwit dizzying accuracy and speed. props to the janthes computer carnivore for chewing up what i didn't have time to swallow.

By 7 i was on the road, nik threw his stuff inside my new apartment/garage/tour bus/galactic-adventure-trolley.. and we were on the road. It wasn't more that 30 minutes into my trip, that we discovered the tape player produces a sound akin to someone tearing sheets to the beat of whatever music emanated from the roller heads.. I was at the mercy of the radio gods for audible amusement for the duration of my trip.

my plan for todays leg of the journey, was merely to make it to malad gorge near twin falls idaho. that goal was met about 1am. nik constructed his shelter by the moonlight as i was creating my bed next to the bike.i dozed off thinking about the state parks idea of charging $5 fee for entry, with the included threat of a $10 fine for not paying.. if you got caught.. decent gamble. especially for someone heading to Vegas.

:::[20.April.11]:::

Today is the final countdown. The last moment to make sure all my ducks are in a row. I'm heading out tomorrow after work, and the vacation couldnt have come at a better time.

The EMP bike works now. i got it to fire.. just as i thought the cdi went to shit. Thank god for a rad community to provide the needed parts to get the wheels turning. The first ride looked amazing, even letting dan spin off on it and see its ghostly red glow fade into the night was rad to be part of.

That said, i got so wound into the idea of bringing the Pegged Legged Kikker for one last hoorah and maybe find it a better home while i'm away that i've been shining and tweaking it in preperation. Damn does she look great again.

The tenative plan is tomorrow right after work, i'll jump into what will be my house for the next 3 weeks, and by midnight hopefully be at Malad Gorge. After that.. its an all out free for all. I'm winging the plan from there.

I do know that a HUGE crowd of kikkers are meeting me and the Pegged legged Kikker at the Viva Las Vegas 14 rockabilly show this weekend.. after that.. me. road. desert. sun. purge all the icy bs from my heart and fill it with a renewed approach. When i get back, i'll hit the ground running for summer.. you fuckers look out.

and now.. its packing time.

:::[13.April.11]:::

With a little less than 2 weeks to prepare, It was time to get all the machines ready for this epic adventure.

My original plan was to find a junk mini truck like a chevy s-10 and jam my new bike in the back and ride across country. After looking into it, the MPG was about the same as the minivan in my family. Tuning up the minivan would be far cheaper and way better than a truck. I mean, hell, i could sleep in the minivan worse to worse. The minivan had good tires, suspension checked out, oil had recently been changed. Spark plugs on the other hand, were due for a change. My dad said that he did it 10 years ago.. and thet he'd never do it again. Retrospectively, I see why. The front tires had to be removed to even SEE 4 out of the 6 plugs.. the other 2, came down to blind contortion and trusting where your greasy hands go. Thank god I had shit vision as a kid.

The Fun part came when i pulled out the NEW E.M.P. bike i had been building all winter. Bled the brakes, added oil, added fuel.. fuck, fuel leak in 2 places. Few trips to the store and some pipedope later and that was sorted.. Then came the moment to actually GIVE IT A RIDE!!!!!

Quickly, my anticipation was extingiushed in almost tear jerking dissapointment. There was no spark. Its what brought frankenstein to life, and i too was missing this key ingredient. It was almost like this bike, that mind you i rode last summer, got jealous. I took her inside, stripped her down to every bolt and nut, and with care put the whole bike back together with a whole new look, feel and idea all her own. But the day i bring her back into the garage , with the 200 i built the year before, she gave up the ghost.

So, with barely 1 week left i have her pulled apart all over the garage. Everything checks out, and far as i can tell its either the cdi or something worse. :(..

While talkin to the NerdLeague last sunday the point was brought up that i DO have a back up. I could take the 200. Not only would it be one last hoorah with the bike i learned to build on, considering it's now on the market for a new home, but on the road i'll have a better chance and a bigger market to show her off too. :D.

The universe works in strange ways. The trick is to not let the things you have no control over get you down. But, find the silver lining and realize that you can RIDE that wave you thought was gonna crush you only moments before.

:::[05.April.11]:::

Spring is Finally here, been workin on bikes, meaning motorcycles and bicycles. I got my 110cc finished and it looks gorgeous (and currently still chilling in my living room lookin awesome. ) and the 200cc is finially tweaked to riding perfection, but i told myself that i wouldnt build another unless i sold the first, so now that the suns out it's time to let go. The Pegged Legged Kikker is for Sale.

My shop has become a wild foray of bicycle parts as me and my roomie have been scraping random bikes for the sake of creating bigger, weirder more rad bikes in their image. Yay being a grease monkey. :) My best thought with outside is getting the most out of my yard so i want everything i plant and work with to give back in some way. So i'm mainly getting some food planted and generally just standing in the belated and missed sun. My entire creek is brimming with watercress.. between that and the strawberries and cherries.. i dont need alot to make a full on grocery store out there.

I'm planning a Wild Circuit run through the southwest. As it gets closer i've been updating the rally plan.. but mind you it's only a plan as i'm generally winging it.

April 21st i leave ww the moment i'm off work.. making something close to twin falls or boise that night.. April 22nd - 250 kikker motorbikes (like mine) and their owners are rallying in vegas, for the Roackabilly Viva Las Vegas Car show
By the 24th i'll bail vegas and roll thru Pheonix, to have a cold one with my best bro who has a child due!
onward to Tuscon - awesome archeologist friend of mine resides.
Deming, NM I'm the first grandkid to really build anything. Grandpa has built everything from hudson's to studebakers.
San diego - dusty and an open invite to a beach house.
LA - geneva skeen and jarred Kjack.
Medford - ryan TurnerBacher
eugene OR - carrise.
plan: to jam my newest baddest bike in the back of a rig and tote it round the west. Riding it everywhere i roam. :)
If it works out.. i should be back by june.

Make your own generator.

:::[07.March.11]:::

This weekend was completely spent training with keating, blades and blades from all angles and some great faces from all over the globe to offer new energies and wild wisdom, and i'm beat. I was there friday thru sunday with enough time in between to get home and sleep.. and tonight i'll be back by 6. :p

Lately i've been following a few blogs about the current political situations and overall welfare in the world which apparantly is setting itself up for an inevitable economic collapse. This has probably more steming from my interest in survival and self reliance. but the beuaty has been the amount of research it's led me toward and the fun things to help prepare that are on the internet. For such a wild scenario theres a few things you can do from buying rice and beans and storing them, learn your area well, and at least have a Bug Out Bag

I recently had the oppurtunity fall in my lap to digitize a conversation few have had the privilege to hear. Bruce Lee and Dan Lee, had a phone conversation around 1969 after the Green Hornet series ended and bruce was packing for Hong Kong. Little did i know that such a short conversation could have held such remarkable wisdom. The CD is complete and now digitally cemented into history.

:::[22.Feb.11]:::

WOW. my weekend is finally done.

Thursday night it began. the moment i got off work it was a mad dash back home to throw a few clothes in a bag and grab water. I was portland bound.

By 11pm i had got to KC's wild place and what followed was a midnight tour of the megafarm and bike show that he was hiding in his garage. You'll never see a warmer heart than from a biker.

We crashed in a college dorm at PSU and the events that unfolded were nothing short of artistic amusement. Friday was all bars. After getting retardedly lost within the concrete jungle and catwalks for prostitutes, i gave the finger to the upper scrapers and wandered bake out to find KC and marcy, met them at the Gateway and lost the next have the day eating, playing pinball and laughing our drunk asses off. Found meghan at her stomping ground, with a few new friends in tow and by the end of the night was shooting thru a roller coaster and drifted off on a couch.

Saturday was a day of Pillaging and bin digging at a bulk rate goodwill, and a few other places. I scored some good loot and the drive home was totally chill.

Sunday was the funeral of keith. Dusty was in town as well as a lot of old faces. We held a rally in his honor and everyone rode in on their respective machines, this time the biting cold didnt get the best of me.. and yes, you CAN ride a motorcycle with mittens :)

Monday i had to work, but directly following me & dusty climbed into my car and it was a mad dash to spokane where he was flying out. Met up with steve lightfoot and his bro. It was karaoke night at the Monteray Cafe, and damn do they make a good pizza.

I was pulling outta town a bit later than i expected and the snow flurries were just beginning. 2:45am. back home. safe & sound.. what a ride.

:::[14.Feb.11]:::

Keith riggins. Long time old friend. A man that probably thot i was the spawn of the devil, but a man i looked up too anyway. You'll be missed Friend. Wish you coulda saw the bike. :(

Had a wild weekend, with old friends in town. Older friends to hang with. Fun peeps to wreck cras with in the hills and solo adventures driving thru the night with DnB slammed to 11.

The PirateBox my friend ben shot me this.. found it too cool not to pass on. THink i'll have to make one :)

The EMP is complete! pics still to come, the only thing it needs now is critical fliuds to run.. but if its still winter than i'd rather enjoy the bike in my livingroom still. So i rearranged the funiture and gave it a "shrine" of sorts. hehehe. Looks great!

:::[01.Feb.11]:::

So the painting went off better than expected! It took alot LONGER than expected, but hell, my grandpa always said, "If you set out to do one thing, you always end up doing 8 just to accomplish the first.." So I shoulda known. It was an almost full 12 hour run. If i was less nuts i woulda done it in 3 days, prepping the artwork one day, painting the next and clearcoating the 3rd.. instead I started weeding the vinyl about 2pm on saturday and was running thinner thru the clear gun about 1.30am. but we were SO jazzed about the job that we still had tim eto buy a round of drinks for all involved. Darwin, i owe you one!

So i went with the Grenade version of the EMP series (and yes this bike will be called "The EMP") mainly due to my friend in puerto ricos advice. "I'd go with the grenade.. out of everything you've came up with, thats the one least likely to cause confusion and alotta questions" Well said. So without further ado check it! (i'll post a full gallery when she's done)

:::[16.Jan.11]:::

The EMP series

Got some great news that the bars will be done by this weekend as well as getting the paint done! Thanx a ton for all the guys helping me out, credit is due! Droppin an appropriate track in honor of the new bike. Amon Tobin - Esthers

:::[12.Jan.11]:::

So today I did something that made my stomach sick. In the midst of Rebuilding a friends computer (a winBlows machine that yet again commited acts of self destruction) into a dual boot: windows-mint linux machine, I pushed a button that i regretted deepy the moment i pushed it. I was COMpletely done with the install. Data partition for his files. pics of costa rica, ex gf's mexico trips.. memories to say the least. Xp installed, drivers all configured. Mint installed, dual boot worked perfect and was setting up a way to share the data drive as a shared home directory.. so no matter what OS you were in the SAME stuff was in your home folder.. COOL!.. in a flash i watched 15gb of data vanish. every file, pic, homework assignment.. GONE.

I wanted to puke. But luckily within a few hours of trying one thing then another, i found this: Restoration A freeware program that i ran on my windows box at home and was able to yank the deleted files back from the dead. I stand proud again. A golden God of the digital children.

In other news. I wanna give props to a mind altering weekend with the Indigo Children. HHAHAHAHAHHAHahahahahahaaha.

Lately, i've been reading alot on emergency preparedness.. found this Survival Seed Bank $150 to get a supply of seeds that'll fill an acre and are not terminator seeds that wont regenerate. These will actually be reseedable unlike most instore seeds.

:::[03.Jan.11]:::

What an epic weekend. Newyears was fun, ran about town seeing old friends and having a good laugh and ended up crashed out by 1am :) But that just means i was up early on saturday with a sunny day ahead to work on projects and make the world spin better.

Whats your Fav?

Sunday, Me and Anthes hit the skihill with a vengence and it couldnt have been more amazing! (but sweet god do i ache today.. ) The snow was thick, the music was pumpin in the earbuds and we SHREDDED!! There wasnt a single run that didnt start or end in the trees, i had no bounderies and pushed myself to the brink and DAMN did it feel good. At one point i lost my fone off the ski lift, we both watched it fall all the way to the ground and it was a quick descsion to change plans and make a bomb run straight down the center to fetch it.. I flew so fast down that hill i lost jon hAHAHAhaa.. IT WAS SO FUN. and i got my fone! hAHAHaaa. I totally realized that if i ride with someone that can keep up, and i can keep the pace i want all day, not only do my feet stay warm all day, but my knees dont hurt, the 2 things that usually kill a day on the hill for me for years. :) ITS ALL THAT Standin around waiting for flounderers. HAHAH. The snow was so think , 3 feet of powder that even after days of no new snow, the subfreezing temp kept it as pristine as if it just fell. top it off with the sun shining and it was a stellar day. Sadly jon didnt last as ling as me, but only cause he flew into the snow like a lawn dart at one point, and found a buried stump with his head.. from that ride on, he was a little less anthes, and alot more goofy. :)

I worked alot on the bike all weekend, and even after the Nerdleague showed up i stayed in my corner of the living room and tinkered as we played. By the time the game was over and the weekend pulled to a close, i had the whole Ground Effects system install and the Angel Eye light put together .. ALL i need now are my tank and bars!! and i can start painting!!

I have a great idea for the paint scheme, its gonna involve a Robot. :) I've built a thumbnail collage of my final picks, which do you like the best? I'm posting it here and on facebook, with your help i'll have this design finished soon!

:::[01.Jan.11]:::

This year was filled with incredible levels of BS. but, i can say it was educational. I have a feeling this coming year is bound to be extrodinary on amazing levels. Karmically it has to balance :)

:::[27.Dec.10]:::

Happy Solstice

Yo! Hold on, i'll be there as soon as i'm done eating this peacock!

Winter Solstice is kickin in FULL swing for sure, and its time for me to check in again. Parties galore and revilry of all kinds, its been weeks of feasts and pink dreadlocks. I feel like i'm going nowhere but up and away :) The snow cover has changed the face of the world. But it's brought us all together again. Gave my dad those bad underwear you see on the left and a BBgun. Pete got turned to the darkside known as linux and mom pulled into the digital age with a new camera. It was a solid year! I even scored a complete Zombie survival kit, how cool! But ultimately the celebration for me was the most traditional. I cant wait to see the sun again, celebrating her return couldnt hit closer to my heart.

A few weeks back the festivities started and i ended up at Hatti's place aka The Shady Lady. It's a bitchin hobbit hole near the old blockbuster. The fires were blazing, the food was great but the company was better. That night Banyan decided the black and Pink dreadlock wig suited me better than my stock knit cap. That started a long few weeks of rockin that wig at every party I knew of. The Pocketinet.com christmas party was hilarious in it, old friends at the Future Xmas party seemed to come out of the woodwork.. i blame that wild do. (not really)

Halloween was a hoot, Theres a Slew of pics to see from the funkytimes, [but lately i'm been too busy to post em.] I dressed like a 7 foot Faun, goat horns in my wig, big hairy legs that covered my stilts to make my legs looks wrong. :) This year with halloween on sunday, it was a solid all weekend party! Friday, saturday and then a mellow get together on sunday. Saw alot of people but not nearly as many as i'd a liked.. that costume was FUN! But my feet were Dead after that.

Started the build of my 110cc bike, got a great paint idea in mind, (think silhouetted cropcricles in a red on black look) and alot of parts to order still but its in the works!! I've been an Ebay warrior lately buying one light at a time, grips, switches.. peice by peice my bike is coming together, but i've ran my paypal dry:p. It wasnt more that a few days after getting my xmas tree decorated that i had finished the major frame mods to the bike and had the whole thing in the living room to work on the electrics. :) it looks awesome next to the tree. To top it off i now know of 3 full size awesome harley hardtails that are up for grabs.. and i've been contemplating heavily about my next project. hmmm!!! My other projects lately have been more about cleaning shit out.. i got a ton of computers now that need homes. I finished that weird bmx chopper, painted it and gave it to Dan etchell as a Xmas gift with the next burn in mind. :)

thenerdleague.org has been going NUTS lately. It was travis' brain child, and within days we had it set up. Now its a multo author visage of Nerdness and a haven for all those looking for something cool in a world where our digital goofiness leaves alot to be desired with the controlled media at our public disposal. We post pics, stories, rants and link to the nerd leagues forum board. Since the recharge in the form of a blogroll it seems our games have been more frequent and the interest level has gained immensely! its been a hoot on sundays and now we can all get our fix throughout the week.

:::[28.Oct.10]:::

This year is gonna be a wild one. All you ghouls and goblins get ready!! the antics this yeard for me started early. I've been workin my tail off trying to get everything ready. My costume this year is a bit "complex" as you will all see soon. But most of the rush was because everyone else has the festivities starting early this year :) TSA at the airport here is hosting a Pumpkin carving contest this morning at 11. so last night i had to crack out a wicked great pumpkin asap. [pics soon]

There was no time to delay onthe costume, kurtis is renting out the entire modern restaraunt tomorrow, costumes required! so i had to work, paint, sew, construct every spare moment i got just to get done by tomorrow night.

The house isnt ready yet, but i figure saturday is my day to creepify the neighborhood. I got new lights to work with and a ton of new music! thanx to pandora and a band called Midnight Syndicate:) I'll be building my normal AndyFM and broadcasting to the area and setting up boomboxes all about so the whole street is audibly terrorizing. At one there will be a toy run that day, so i figured its a great time to a) support the local octopus issue, buy a toy and meet up with the bikers at lorenzos, of course, on the day before halloween, i'll be in costume.. on the bike!:) That night there's a few great parties to go to , so as long as i'm physically able i will done this years costume and hopefully take a prize :)

Sunday should be just as fun. I'm picking up a ton of candy, i've got a slew of REALLY screwed up creepy movies and having all my halloweeny best come over for a movie/scare-the-piss-outta-kids night :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

:::[29.Sept.10]:::

Oyster Run 2010 This weekend was a hayday of fun. I didnt think i was gonna get to go, i had Gone last year, and it was epic! My buddy barlow who went last year with me, but this year he was given tickets to a major footie game in pheonix. I dont blame him for backing out this year, but i was left with no way up. AJ had a huge camping trip planned that got cancelled and called me to see what plans i had. Within minutes my whole cancelled trip looked up and it sounded as if aj was gonna use one of my new bikes (now that i have 3?!?) and pile into his truck and use it as a camper for the weekend. The Oyster run was back on!! The next day he came by to try the bike.. and it was a laugh. he's like 7foot6, on my little bike he looked like Ichabod Crane

Things took an interesting turn. That night, barlows ex shelly called me asking if i new anyone that wanted a bike.. she was selling her 250 rebel for $600. The next night we were loading up my 200cc Pegged legged kikker and a 250 honda rebel :) Quickly we were turning a cowboy into a biker.

We met the crew in everett that night. 30 bikes much like mine, all with their own custom feel (pics are coming!!) We took a wild rip thru town that night with Deldova thru the everett portside. Then blew $$$ feasting at a funky chinese restaraunt and called it a night. The next day we all geared up and rode to Duvall and had breakfast and a good laugh the whole way. So many bikes! BBq'd that afternoon on Tim's boathouse where there was some awesome prehistoric birds eating the bread for the bbq out of the back of a truck hHAaa. That night, we found a way to pack both our bikes, plus another into the truck. We headed to Anacortes with a local kikker in the cab. We parked at georges place and unloaded all the bikes and took a night tour downtown and found the scene was blowing up down there. Aj made the suggestion that we should go back for the truck.. i think it was time to party. Too Slim and StrangeHold (i think) were 2 bands we saw play at the various bars downtown, where bikers and biker fans alike have been piling in to get some party on. It was a wild night that night.. but it wasnt over. After we both got back to georges to park for the night.. we swaggered and staggered about getting things situated for the night. I was trying to just move the spare off the mattress in the back and AJ was just getting out of the cab as he watched the spare fly out the back, my silly ass chasing it into the road where i jump tackled it to the assphault and interupted the path of a minivan.. How i made it to 31 i never figured out.

The next day was cold and rainy.. but the plan was to meet the rest of the kikkers outside of town and ride in.. halfway there we heard they turned back, but we were doing the same when georges bike copped an attitude. It took us almost an hour pulling him back with aj's belt hahahahah. Once back, we 3 ran downtown to enjoy the biker rally, and I was able to catch up with KC, my dads old friend. We hadnt been parked for more than 30 when we caught word the kikker crew was rolling into town! So we saddled up and bolted and was able to catch up and ride in together. Like last year the kikkers made a huge impression, we got flocked, but like last year they whole crew only stuck around for about 20 before hightailing it outta town. This time we stayed and played without em. All up the weekend was a great one. i even made the evening news.

Since i've been home i've been working on getting that gold bike in superb condition for Chelsea, KC's daughter is 17 and its time to ride. Biker Born, Biker Bred.. when i'm gone Biker dead.

Afterburn bike project. what was once just a bmx.

:::[20.Sept.10]:::

In no way do i assume i'm gonna aptly recreate a summer like this one, let alone attempt to tell the story even close to its glory. There was as many changes in my life as there were events. So i've been collaberating this info for days, as most of it still is being digested within.

Burning Man For years i've had a plethora of friends that shared a common "You've never been to burning man? You out of anyone i know would love burning man!" But untill this year the opportunity never really presented itself like it did this year. it was Webbwerx that really made this happen. A while back he hit me for $ so he could make it to LA to pimp a story he'd written to some highUps in LA. Paying me back didnt happen fast, and it wasnt till partly into the summer that what i found out was he bought me a ticket to repay the remainder of a large some of money. At first i was a bit ticked.. a ticket? not the $$ i gave.. but it was after I returned from the most surreal dream where i lived in a world of 50,000 variants of me, and we had a rave during a pirate party, but it was all after the apocalypse and everyone had weird bikes and flame throwing cars. I could spend months telling stories from the monolith of a week i experienced, and never will it equate to the minor value of the ticket price paid.

Getting there was gonna be interesting. i had the option to drive UP to seattle, to meet the SPECTRE camp crew and drive back DOWN with them.. but that woulda tacked on way more hours and $ to the trip.. and like outta the clouds etchell found a 9 seated short bus on craigslist that might become our vessel. I drove him to Orofino ID to take a look at it, it was that army tan color, making it look more like an older tank than a bus. But it was perfect. Within the hour we were headed back caravaning the bus back to ww. The next few days were all about making sure everything was up to par on the machine. adding stereos and speakers, checking the engine and electrical.. etc. It was when we added the rear tank back online that things really went nuts. That tank hadnt been used in whoKnows how long.. the best idea woulda been cleaning it out BEFORE putting it back online.. unfortunately that idea was a forthought. That bus became a mechanical nightmare quickly as the varnished bad gas clogged its way to the carb. It seems that more and more problems arose around the bus, when really it was one goof that set off a myriad of engine destruction. Worry not readers! with only a day till departure it seemed we finally had the bus back under reigns... and we were off!

We made it to our destination 10 hours later.. the Black rock desert in NV. It was the dead of night when we arrived, and found the river of light. The string of cars that were lined up to get in seemed to stretch on forever into the horizon. Stop n Go traffic lasted all night. As we entered the gates, the Sun was cresting the horizon. It was a new beginning on so many levels. Looking around we were surrounded by a desolate wasteland. Mad Max never felt so real. The gategreeters found that me, nick and ebby were virgins in the experience, had us ring the bell for all to hear, and rolled us in the playa. A fine alkaline salt dust that for the next week would cover reality in white.

Before we got any kind of settling happening. We parked the bus and unloaded the bikes. a grande runabout was in order. Etchell lead the way, and we went to the reason we all came first. The man. 5 stories high, the giant stick figure loomed on a 3 story tower that looked like an industrial age gothic building. From the top i used my spotting scope to really get a look at what was a salt flat not long before, was now quickly going from camground to city.

The Temple. In the distance, to to north, in the opposing direction from the city was a structure that resembled a wooden fire. As we entered into the twisted monolith it became apparant that this was a place of thoughts, wishes, and prayers. Everyone was welcome to tack and scribble on the walls. writing anything they wish to send to the flames later in the week. It was a powerful place to be sure.

I had erected my small boyscout A frame tent behind one of travis' carports. But, within the hour there was a dark cloud approaching. As the wind kicked up, i worked fast to build a shelter for my shelter. I was just securing the ground lines on the tarp overhead when the ran hit. That night was cold after the rain subsided. But my stuff was dry and safe for the rest of my stay.

schedule? When i first arrived i was given a schedule of events that were taking place throughout Black Rock City. This quickly became a distant memory as i found that the city was evolving and moving so quickly around me that it was a) impossible to find half the destinations on the map that had moved since the layout was designed.. b) impossible to make it in time when it seemed like every camp you passed stood with open arms and had something inticing to check out, taste, touch.. whatever. The Schedule pamphlet was missing on day 2 and i never gave it much thought.

The most interesting part about BRC, was comparing it to any other city i'd ever seen all over this world. Imagine watching the etch a sketch get shaken and a city grow from scratch before your eyes. Imagine taking everything you know, wiping the slate clean, and you and your best of friends gathering together to start over but do it the way you want. Quickly, i was realize i stood in the heart of this idea, and the beat of its heart sounded like dubstep HAHhaaa. I found a sociological restart bears peace from chaos. It was anarchy, but a mutal communal desire for freedom to express without harm; this means that everyone walked with the ease of stride that they knew they could do anything they want without fear of social reprocussion, yet also knowing that they didnt have to worry about the next jackass over doing something to put them in harms way. I saw people be the people they want to be. Drive what they wanna drive, make what they wanna make, and connect deeper because of it.

To all you burners. I salute you.

i wanna climb back into thunderdome. rock the bassNectar, lets get dirty.

Kikk This! I now own 3 kikkers. The dilemma has brought forth a curious clarity on life tho.

I spent countless hours and over $3k putting together the Pegged Legged Kikker Just recently i had the oppurtunity to purchase a pair of kikkers, preassembled for the same price.. i jumped on it. Selling was my plan. buy cheap, fix lightly and turn them around. Then i started to again fall in love with the build. The process of construction, creation, the art of making something amazing out of not much. But, i have a bike. The only way i'd really throw myself into it would be if it was the only one i had. I found that it boiled down to keep my first build, or sell. OMG.. keep or sell. which do i keep , which do i sell?!!? Do i hold onto something i've spent so much energy on making? or Do i learn to let go so i can build something BETTER.

Projects~N~Parties burner bike.

I'm back in the shackles. Pocketinet asks me to reprise my role of techmonkey. Help them on their journey, and in return put a little stability back into my life. I already miss the warm embrace of freedom and the slow mornings that were my life as free man. for now i'm reinstated in the bonds of the debt system, but my goal now is to work diligently to find a path that will break those bonds so i can be the sole hands on my wheel. :) I have a feeling its gonna be in the form of Body Care.

People. quincy, blue hammer, katy, sara.

:::[23.Aug.10]:::

Its late and i'm coming to the realization that when i'm quiet on here, its not cause things aren't going right. It's cause things are going perfect :) Things have been epic lately. Story after story to the point where by the time i sit here to scribble.. so much is going on that i gotta jet, or that i cant remember what happened yesterday..

Burning Man A virgin, but you'd never expected it, i've been writing post apoc stories for over a decade and this will be the first time i travel to the (now uber trendy) carnival of mad maxness in NV. I'm the mech. the short bus will ride. the man will burn, eli is only a book. bring on the reality of my dream.

first hangovers, pool parties, old friends snapping, new places, great faces. omg this summer has been wild.. please dont be ending yet!

:::[9.Aug.10]:::

This had to easily be the best pirate party ever!!! Year 6 went off without a hitch. Sure there was a few minor issues and a ton of crashers (which i'll deal with better next time) but all up, we had over 170 pirates tiered in my yard this year, even the police had a blast!

For all you that hung on to your raffle tickets i'd like to announce the winners!!

============================
3rd place winner of a Bottle of Barbossa Spiced Rum is : Stu NEHER !
2nd place winner of Tickets to the next WW Sweets Roller Derby bout goes to : JC!
And 1st place winner of a $50 Tattoo from Tatmandu goes to: Jeremy Gradwohl
============================

Anyone that took pics, i would be honored to somehow get copies, if you'ld like to ftp them to me, or get me a disc, or borrow a thumbdrive or just have me come over, please contact me so i can start compiling :)

This year was unbeatable, even by all the over parties in town i heard. I seriously couldnt have done it without my wonderful army of pirate friends. Thanx so much for being there and making this all possible. i sincerely feel blessed to know you all.

:::[10.July.10]:::

I woke at 8. Today i was destined to begin by pillaging. Me and my team of yard sa*i*ling wenches scoured the town for the next few hours picking up random goods and funky items all for nickles and dimes. The last stop i found an amusing coat for 50 cents which i bought in a heatbeat.. in the pocket held at least one greenback. In the car i found within held more than what i had spent all morning.. It was gonna be a fun fun day.

By 10:30 i was dressed like a pirate and headed downtown with Scurvy and adam, to begin Treasure Quest 2010, The idea was to decipher 30 plus clues of local businesses and get them marked off like a passport. The fun part is, 3 of us dressed like pirates walk into a winery, cock a flintlock, and yell at the top of our lungs, didnt just bring surprise but free drinks and laughter. By the time we completed the quest a few hours later, i was staggering drunk. But thanx be deserved to the nini and her weenie for helping me balance my lack of food to overabudance of alchohol ratio.

Then it was off to Guzman's BBQ where more shenanigans took place as the sun wound down, within a few hours, laughs and pizza and, ya, more drinks.. the luau began downtown.. and Damn was that a blast. I ran into more old friends that night then i have in a while. It was packed and the fire spinners were in full form, even a random percussionist was playing alongside DJ lotek for the nights wicked tunes.

Today, i slept smiling. It was perfect.

:::[8.July.10]:::

Dworshak I left with my folks to a lake i'd never heard of in the mountains of Idaho. When i say mountains i mean it.. we had to haul the boat way up into the hills, and coming down into the high natural canyon, the brakes caught fire.. :) Sitting on the roadside letting them stop smoldering we ate hommade granola bars nancy made. This lake was beautiful. My folks were camping in the campground with nancy and phyllis, i was destined to sleep in the boat. The docks were so lit up that sleep of anykind would feel more like napping in the daytime. so i took the boat each night to a new camping spot, where tranquility and solitude surrounded me. My own fires, my own boat, my own time.

All by myself for miles.. How could I be safer?
July 5 at 9:20pm
Everything I ever need, that my soul desires.. Will come, as long as I stop & wait.' said mr. Tree.
July 5 at 9:20pm
Today I swam under a waterfall in a lagoon. The beach was made of gold.
July 6 at 4:37pm
People always measure things in excess. Why is how rich u are based on what u have after you've attained what u needed? Cost less have more..
July 7 at 6:11pm
So if u wanna be excessively happy make it easier to be. Want less have more.
July 7 at 6:13pm

:::[21.June.10]:::

Soltice!! What a time of the year to really watch things Spin back to Reality, Shit! theres goes gravity!

I found myself watching the skies open up and cry as i slid into a reclusive internal battle that had me holding kinship with the weather, a month ago. But, life and grass alike stood on halt waiting to resume with great anticipation, sucking in all the nourishment of tears only to watch the sun BURST outta the coulds like a sadistic version of superman making all living thing scream back to life like a man on fire.

During the times of crying skies, I had to let go of some very important [noun] in my life. Most of which ending lie the final of a long semester of some good lessons in the art of life. Sometimes the last test is a quick one, ending with almost violent anger that you even were in the class in the first place, others something you'll miss greatly. Others putting you the brink of your [attribute here], before teaching you about the thresholds. Some were only week long classes, others had been going for years. Each had an ending, but it was how we got there that matters.

And He said, push that button, dude, and there was light. The sun revealed itself, and the world leapt to meet it. Bicycling lowriders round the city, bucking up to the torment of a rototiller, rake, drag, level, flatten, I am all that is beast! another lap around the city on the bike! top it off with a sauna. I drifted off to sleep that night thinking, "OMG, i just did that in one day" I woke the next day my throat trying to strangle me from within. TOo much. Way too much.. i tried to relax, tea, fruit,. this is getting worse, its a bug, .. let me sit down. no shower.. For the first time in my life i found my self stopping a shower, hot, relaxing shoulders that a day before were dirt gladiators, and being wise enough to lose my cookies in the toilet and not on my still wet feet in the tub. Jesus.. tomorrow i leave to live.

I crashed out and woke feeling better, but not great. I seeded the entire lawn that day with the help of the mates on my ship. i was spent, but it was sunny, and i wasnt gonna let one more day go to waste :) How wild that at thatt moment i had no idea how far from the truth i still was, my insides still raining.

Up to seattle the next day, my car loaded with the neccesities to survive, and yes, that meant toys too :) Webbworks met me in seattle to kick back, talk life, talk raves, talk parties, and just be travis. He wasn't the travis i saww last tho,. in fact, this is the OLD travis, nay, the HAppy travis?!?! holy shit, no dark cloud over his sloppy head. in fact there was a purple haired hottie in his posse that holds more attention than the computer screen. holy shit! comics, disney, the creations of this kid were coming to reality.. i hugged kat. w..t..f.. :) nice dude.

Olympia that night. i finally found her house in the dark, my gps placed the "shea are here" sticker about a block off, and inebbitably i found her house, or more a smoking cliff in the doorway. "hey! hey grumpy frumpy, you'se gonne get ass punched if you dont get off the fone and say hi!" i was the only visitor that night.. but then, i'm the only one you really need :) we packed and planned and prepped in unison. The next day we drove passed the nuclear silos to an area of the west coast not many ever see.

I lived in Clallum Bay when i was about 3.. giving me just enough memory to think it was all a dream. We met the rest of the crew at the trailhead to Shi Shi beach, old people all from random various points on the timeline of me, some decades ago, but none less than 8 years back. We had a 2 mile hike ahead of us, and a level of tequila induced disorginization that took over an hour to overcome. But is wasnt long before we were on our way down a boardwalk in the evergreen rainforest of the olympic rainforest, it was amazing, like degoba. Thats when we realized just why Luke seemed like such a poopypants there. It was mud up to your knees in places, with a fully loaded pack this was a 50 \ 50 gamble that you might come out with both shoes. "Throw me a stick" was a good line outta taylor. :) Now, if you didnt wanna squish through the bogg of sorrow, there were awesome mini hiways and byways made by man.. or animal, hard to tell cause these were designed for the cast of avatar than a man with a backpack.. but hey, i'm nimble right? :)

The beach was Incredible. And seemingly untouched.. given we saw people there, but it was so massive and they were so sparse if seemed like ours. like we were Lost. hehehe. The tides were the lowest of the year while we were there, the tidepool tours were pretty wild. As usual with camping with people that only read about the "wilderness" in National Geographic, supplies had ran dry on day 2. hHAAHahaa.. now i didnt take orders of what was needed, but i accompanied a drunken Morello and gonzoles waitstaff and we hiked back through Pandora to townin search of hotdogs beer and .. and? *shrug*. The time spent hiking out and getting things completely took longer than all of us thought, we had enough energy and daylight to get back to watch the sunset.. back through degoba. This time, do it like your the lode runner.

My tent had one of those tarp material bottoms that apparanty reached its lifespan. It frayed at everymove, my pup tent was now a set of walls on a sandy floor. (luau in my tent!) I passed out, beat, and this was only days after working myself SIck. heheheh. I woke for sunset and fire time. a few Lost comrades felt they didnt get their order correct and hiked back into town to make the order themselves.. "i hope they brought a flashlight" i said, looking at the cresting sun. They didnt make it halfway back before ebbies trusty flashlight from the 40's failed. No worries, readers, taylor had glowstick bracelets. hehahah HAHAHAH aHAaa I heard the story the next morning after they returned from a long night sitting on a stump with yoda.

Pandora, once more.. fully packed and getting rid of any and all weight possible. I had to walk that trail once more, and my knees didnt feel good.. by the end, i was gandalf and walked about 60 years older. By the time i got to shea's i could barely walk. My knees gave me the finger. Just like so many things in life .. :( bailing out. My god.. i was breaking in half. Drowning in my cup of Tea. i marched on.. wait. I jumped back out of the car, the enginge warming before i was driving to portland that night. I hobbled to the bushes. Wood, wines all over, i pulled hard and the Sector 9 Bamboo 5 foot longboard came out.. and into the car. VVMmmmmmmm* into the night i went.

Family, is a term like home. Its a safety thing. I landed at the steps of Meghans house, she awaited my tales and company and stayed up until 3 catching up on life. Each time my tale growing in magnitude throughout the week. My knees were giving out. She caught me before i fell. There was much that needed repair.

The next few days were an explosion of Ups and Downs. The history wrapped into every individual upped the ante on every single connection. Every smile genuine. Every word crafted for my ears alone. What ensued was something that nobody could have for saw. Nobody now would be able to look back and understand. What happened was very key elements introduced into my story at precision timing. Even Fate's puppets that delivered every exciting, heartbreaking, mind melding, life changing words had no idea what they held, a useless trinket that combined by my mind alone resulted in a cataclysm of what i felt was the dawning of a new sun.

I Stayed longer than i had anticipated, connection deeper than i was ready for, perplexed in a way that so many puzzles before have never boggled me. And i had conquered far more than i ever dreamed. I was right. there was a leak inside, brought to my limit and weighed-down till my knees gave in. But, there are characters in every story, that maybe at one point dont seem to play a large role, in the industry, we call this foreshadowing. :) I found myself with the weight of the galaxy on my shoulders.. in that moment when it seemed that the pressure was blowing the drums in my ears. I had been scrabbling for a desperate answer. a life line. Everything in the cosmos seemed outta whack. Then i was handed something, it was simple. like a screwdriver. It wasnt the answer by any means, but it was the right tools at the right time, one twist of the adjustment screw and there was clarity. The world wasnt outta whack, my lens was, my scope of perception was off just enough to where i found myself blurred and stuck in a loop. As i looked around with new vision, I realized every single second. every moment i was seeing what i needed to see, hearing the perfect response for the precise moment. My answers were right in front of me. The farther i looked in all directions of space and time, everything i had seen, heard, been handed by friends and enemies aike was what i had been seeking if i only had the screwdriver.

This man caught on fire Ladies and gentlemens.

When i was in australia, i brought a video camera. The plan was to document visually the journey that lay ahead of me, like some scifi, video journal. Eventually i found myself not being able to get the camera out in time.. or just outright being caught up in life far faster than i can record. Sometimes i feel like i havent been able to sit down enough to scribble my tales out, and within the past week its exponentially increased in magnitude. Overseas, i decided to stop living life through a lens and start LIVING life. Theres no way i could explain all the massive wonders that have exploded lately. The last few days alone, i've built motorcycle caddys, a retractable stair system for my garage, websites, IT backbones, motorcycle rallys, pool parties.. I've travelled hard, rode wild, traded goods, information and connected to so many that If i blogged every 10 minutes i still think i"d miss things. But for my avid readers i"ll try, but i can say that even if my deliveries are sparse in comparison to the action packed life i've self bestowed, the snippets you do read will be the ones i value most. :)

Life is blowing up in the best way possible around me now, i've never been more excited. my life is just starting ;)

:::[27.May.10]:::

Rain it wells from deep within the cosmos. the atmosphere hides it like feelings. As the stress builds and the turbulence of disturbance starts to grow theres less and less that can be done to hide it. People start to notice. the clouds that hang overhead. The darker shapes that appear throughout the day. Try as you do, continuing the projects and daily tasks as normal, the clouds build and grow thicker, and becoming harder to ignore. Preperation is begun for the storm that may be coming. Pull back, hesitate, maybe lets reschedule due to the percipitation.

Drizzles begin. Daily life becomes more of a chore than before, but its those closest to the atmosphere that feel the effects first. The rain washes things. Makes them new. Brings life forth. But if the sky has more to bring the sun wont return yet. It always builds stronger as it goes, what starts as a drizzle usually needs to be a downpour before its over. When it rains it pours. today i found myself in empathetic rapture by the weather. I was cold and drizzley, but no level of rain would empty the clouds. It was only after the peak of the storm where the waters rose and the world was washed away that i was feeling the sun again and for that moment truely seeing what was left standing and wasnt just a mud statue that was melted and washed into the retreating aquafer. Clarity comes only after the sky is darkest.

:::[16.May.09]:::

Life. Earths greatest miracle. Something we all celebrate daily in some form or another. Yet, for life, there is a multitude of tiny requirements. For a plant, the right amount of sun, the right Ph level in the soil, enough water, yet not too much.. All these environmental variables that when they are tailor fitted for the plant perfectly this one example of life can bloom to it's fullest potential. It's these moments when something fits us like a Lego that burn into our memory and from then on are used as basis of comparison. We can be all that we can be. Prior to experiencing such perfection, life knows nothing better. But after, striving to match those variables to achieve maximum potential becomes lifes great destination. Without water, plants wilt. Without Love the heart will hate. Without Sun, the darkness invades. When you find what you need, there inst a doubt in your mind what obstacles you can overcome. Without sustenance there is nothing we do not doubt.

:::[07.May.10]:::

So much has happened in the last few weeks..

Starting with a visit from my NM family, uncle lyn, aunt rhonda, grandma & grandpa all joiced up here for a gathering for eatser which fell on moms bday this year!

Check the Gallery of the bday festivities!

Since then MY bday has gone down and the festivities were weeks on end for me.

It started with a journey to meet up with my favorite person, which took me on a wild goose chase hiking into the mountains to bagby hotsprings, which was buried in a forest of redwood ceder somewhere near mount hood. After that there was breif escapades in pdx before jyn set my compass to the coast. She had rented a cabin all for us right on the beach, we scoured the coastline hitting every little goofy thing that struck our fancy. The days spent there were breathtaking*.

It was hard to leave, but i had a great costume party planned for the coming weekend. We doned random costumes and laughed our asses off, there were alot of faces i missed, but glad everyone who made it could. The day after, mom was recognized for an award for her contributions for early childhood education, so i was there to raise a bit of hell and enjoy the banquet.

Sunday was a wild way to finish off the celebration, it was the anniversary of Tiff and Arlan's wedding, so we climbed back up the twin sisters and stood sideways in the gusting gorge wind and kinda had a mini rewed session :)

After we piled back into the car it was off the the Grruesome Twosome tour, where Alice Cooper opened for Rob Zombie that me nor my whiplashed neck will forget.

to: r.Zombie and j.Nelson, I'm never gonna forget this bday.

since then, i've had an interested play of events. I had a peice of coral that came from maui.. i mailed it back feeeling like since i brought it home, i had a nasty string of bad luck. It had to have been returned by now.. but my lucks worse. ha! whoda Thought.

:::[19.April.09]:::

Lately, my head has bounded from the way outer limits of the imagination to the dirt and gritty of my yard. I've been living like a minor wonderboy tweaking systems or fixing issues either here or for others. but in exchange its been fun, even had a buddy drop by today to suss out sprinklers for my yard. i"m gonna build a paradse. Soo thanx to my opposable thumbs the yard has been my major project. Cutting down trees to planting new ones. Even cleaning out my neighbors yard so it looked better :). I'm leaving the 10 foott stump of the Juniper i took down so i can carve it into a toem pool to let it live on longer.

Today was all metal. I weldded together 2 T-bars that stand 12 feet tall and 6 feet acroos so i can hang hammocks that two 350lb tub oh corns could hang in at the same time.. and double as a hammock hanger. Welding is great fun.. just remember your goggles. i almost scarred my eye for real. Arrgyle style.

Its been beautiful out lately. so all this yardwork has been good, and in between efforts its been playing in the surf of life on my Pegged Legged Kikker HAHhaaa. Its been hilarious touring the nooks and crannies of Walla Walla aside my Ruckas riding apedog.

The imagination delves deep as i've been weekly playing out chapters of a story i"ve long written, as i been detaiiling the peices i've been listening to compositions and dreaming not only the story at hand but books ahead of itself birthing itself for the next crew.

I'm gonna throw a costume party on the 30th of april for my birthday and just our early summer:) And psst.. Pirate party August 7th. First Saturday of August. Ye be warned..

:::[15.April.09]:::

I stopped my cd of faith no more halfway thru the remake of "war pigs" cause earlier today i heard Ozzy's original version at a friends place. What awaited my on the radio station as the cd stopped was nothing other than ozzy himself seeing about the black masses..

:::[04.April.09]:::

Happy birthday mom, on this easter. Hope you found your egg.

:::[30.March.09]:::

Its been along time coming. The bike is COMPLETE!! and to mark the occasion i've been setting up a mini site (for my portfolio as well as for you) that tells the trials and tribulations of this epic journey. It's still under construction. I got alot to add. But for now you can see the progress and get a kick outta the bs i went through.

Today was a full moon. It was so very apparant. So many people that i do truely care about just seemed to have the roughest day. Frustrations, tears, anger, hands flailing into the air in surrender then swinging to manic excitement over that which worked flawlessly. Back and forth. Normally i'd be right in the mix of this rollercoaster trying to figure out wtf went amiss with my rudder. Yet, oddly enough, i felt completely detached from the flow of the lunacy this round. My day had its ups and downs.. butall up it was mellow. Just a nice even keeled groove to it, like i was the spectator of this wildly maniacal tv show where all the contestants are people i know and they all get to have a hard time. Needless to say it put me on the edge of my sit, but like a TeleVeiwer I too had to surrender knowing there was no level of screaming or grabbing the tube to tell the people trapped within what to do.

To update everyone on the happenings of the Andy. Things have been a day to day stream of accomplishments. some on the house. some fixing things long since forgotten. Others are creating new wild options in the world. As the sun returns, so does my voraciousness for life. :) Oh you grey days go away, get me high again this way.

I couldnt be more thankful for the disasters that 6 months back brought in my life. Like the Old man that fell from the Waterfall, i went along for the ride and it put me exactly where i needed to be.. and all my wishes are coming true.

:::[21.Feb.09]:::

It's never "too late". Everyday. every moment can be grabbed onto and ran with in a fit of hysterics.. I went stark raving mad last night, and Loved every minute of it. It was a barrage of star studded epiphenies and a wild stallion of ideas. I didn't lay down till 4am when i was done scribbling every idea into existance.

The gas tank paint and a shoulder tatt are far closer to reality than i ever thought. i pinpointed the design idea and even step by step layout with a shopping list of what i'll need :) ..waking up to a cloudless sky with that gorgeous orb cruising through the sky.. it's time to get that machine back into action.

I have a Castle. It dawned on me. A full blown multistory fortress complete with a dungeon and even a dragon. Sometimes late into the night you can hear his roar. HAHHaahaa.

You can do anything you want. Just step up to the plate. The only thing holding any of us back.. is ourselves. :)

You guys have a killer day :)

:::[26.Mar.09]:::

Happy Birtday petey.

:::[06.Feb.09]:::

Unemployed/SelfEnjoyed Well life has really been treating me fantastic lately. Nothing better then getting off the leash of society. No more being just another number. a cog in the greater debt machine. Nott only is it like vacation. It's like a taste of what life really should be like. Like summer break.. only all year. I'm Loving it. and the best part? not only have i had time to do MY thing again.. but i've been happy to help everyone with there's. So if any of you avid readers need anything, or know someone who does, gimme a jingle. I'd love to help.

Brundage So Last week during one of the many wild nights at the Plunder Inn, gurnette's brother was over and asked if i would be interested in coming along on a ski trip.. When? Where? Brundage, McCall idaho and in like 2 days!! Well, going to a megaMountain with 4 lifts and fresh powder, with a private cabin with a hottub, for less than $200 a head for 4nights... I couldnt say no.

Needless to say it was killer. took it easy, Rode 2 outta 3 days with a day off in the middle. the cabin was better than i coulda expected and the ppl i went with were all great friends. I stayed in the loft area with dawz, kurtis and nathan.. it was the 2nd night i found my couch was actually a hide-A-bed... hahahahah duh. to every morning i woke to the view of snow covered trees out my skylite. rad. The snow was awesome, and on the middle day while exploring the badass little town of McCall i even scored new boots for $2.. hHAA

the last night we boarded all day and straight after headed to a Hot Springs Dawes heard about.. after being there.. THIS alone woulda been a good reason to drive the whole way. It was ran by a lady in a dimly lit yert. $8 entry and our clothes got stashed in a milk crate. The cove was like something out of a pirate story. Torch light being the only thing showing the path to the 6 pools.. a large rock wall along one side, and each pool being a different size and bottom cover. even sand on a few :) it was almost religious.

I'm back now, but theres no way i can forget where i just was.

KogaBoards The Boards are BACK!! with a little coaxing and some patience, let alone great friends, the NerdLeague now has the Koga Boards in full function again. :)SO far we got a seperate forum from every running game (almost) and some for party's events, links and other things.. it's like the Koga Kommunity!! Thanx a ton guys!!

KogaStart Recently i also set out and made MY OWN googley Start Page So if you want, you can set it as your homepage, and use it to get where you know and love.. and if you have any suggestions as to things to add, let me know! I'm gonna be modding it a bit more to include a few more links, so i can use it as a dynamic start for my front room kiosk again (i'm rebuilding it)

Plunderin' the Plunder Inn So many little projects and a few biggies. had floods in the basement, a wood stove i'm putting in, a skins raccoon, leather work, room rearrangement. If i was working for the man.. i dont think i'd ever get this much done :) If its been a while since you seen the place.. COME OVER its rad.

:::[28.Dec.09]:::

Like some traveller in roadkill. i smelled. The room wasnt heated and hadnt looked touched in months. I was freezing when i woke but stayed curled to try and use the mornings warmth to sleep in just a bit. The tub had bugs within that had long since given up the fight for escape. As i rocked the lever for the water into place the pipes deep underground groaned like i was waking some demon that has overslept for too long. The water came. And the tub began to fill. The drain was open but the water had already overcome its ability to vanquish. the insect carcasses swirled in the cascading water, merging from the clear water to the black water as the rust within the pipes cleared. I stopped the water and let the drain catch up. Then began again & activated the shower. Cold bed to a hot shower. And best yet, Sun. Pouring through the window.

My disneyland connection fell thru. But thanx to alot of debate and an ingenious thing called ebay i may have a Cheap way (tho not free) into disneyland a day late. My trip hasnt been completely relaxed.. but it's been a growing proccess as i hoped.

:::[27.Dec.09]:::

Happy Solstice Avid readers, Xmas came with a bang, friends, cookies and much merrymaking. Its been a few weeks now that i've been unemployed. But lately its been more like a much needed vacation. I havent posted in a while, but I'll try to catch you all up.

The wildest variable recently was loosing my job due to poor management.. but the only downside to this situation will be loosing my free internet connection. So for now I'm off to finish a few things left long since undone and to have a well needed vacation..

I sit now in a small mobile home in sacramento. Left xmas day and have since, seen some great friends that are too far to include in daily life, but wish i could. Today i was able to drive an expanse of road that years ago i wrote stories along this very road. Ate dinner in Redding.

:::[15.Nov.09]:::

YEAH!!!! Mornin people. Nothin like making a rad realization that you just hit rock bottom to leave you feeling like a fuse is burning and about to send you skyward. So here i am waking to the feeling theres a fire lit thats already outta control and man is it amazing :)

:::[10.Nov.09]:::

"Andy, if you didn't have like 9 irons in the fire at once, i'd be concerned you might be dead.."
I really know how to make a week hectic dont i? Most days i have way too much going on at once. Today is no different. I need a good solid core to a Roadkill game i'm gonna run tonight. So as i'm writing that up, i'm also writing a Litany for the wedding i'm preforming on Saturday. Crap, that means i need a Clergy Stole. I'm also creating a WiFi bridge for the MFR Fire dept. and Jay handed me a macbook that needs a power supply. My mini comp is all sorted, tho my car still needs to be fixed since the wreck. Wow. I'm actually kinda proud i keep it together for at least the majority of a day. :p

:::[7.Nov.09]:::

Typical day in the Life.

Flu Bye - One week till halloween. I felt cold. Hair folicles hurt, head was dizzy, and i had to brace myself on everything i walked past like i was 30 going on 87. It was a flu, complete with a fever. The next 3 days i was quarantined to my house. This was a needed vacation. Good food, good sleep and alot of idle time to tie up a few loose ends. The trick to feeling better really fast? water. sleep. spicy food.

Roach Belly - being home sick for days on end has perks. time being one. I recently scored a great new blade. the Cold Steel - Roach Belly. Its a great littel knife and more durable than i could imagine. My only complaint was the black Cordura sheath it came with. For a knife this oldschool and classic, a futuristic (cheap and akward) sheath just wasnt fitting. So i dug through storage and found a scrap of leather. By the time i was done cutting, sewing and dyeing, i had this.

Handmade Leather Sheath

Spooktactix - The plan was to hit the Corn Maze. i try and see it every year.. this time i missed it thanx to feeling like crud. The costume was done. i finished the crown during my days in quarantine. Thursday night i was up to at least going out, so i went to talk to some friend that put on the haunted Temple near kmart. $8 later and i was wandering through a terror palace. :) It was the next night i'd be there joining the ranks in the ScareArmy. Friday night I met up with the crew a few hours before the doors opened and worked to make the place even more terrorfying then the night before. Removed lights, added sneaky corners and helped with makeup to make everyone absolutely ghastly. I was deemed the zombie king, and with my minions of the undead I came up with an audial que system that the screams from our spooksters would trigger the next. so when jack the zombie appetizer screamed "oh god!" mortimer the zombie would know that 4 tweener girls were rounding the corner.. etc. This was hilarious, by the time we had each other in sync, people were running full tilt just to get out of our infected area.

By the first break, everyone was seething in the amusment in scaring people nearly to tears. Elizabeth asked if it'd be alright to transfer me to help her with her section. So i relinquished my throne as ZombieLord and ripped much of my makeup off and found a mime's mask. Using teeth and nail I turned that things into a destroyed version of the phantom of the opera. The room was dark. the strobe light was the only thing reminding you were the walls were. plastic sheeting was strewn everywhere. like a shower room that someone tore through with something very sharp. The girl struggled in the tub, her hands and feet bound to the claw feet of the ceramic coated vessel. She screamed to anyone who entered asking where he was, and to make sure he wouldnt hurt her. Her corset heaved in her panic. the fishnets torn to shreds. I stepped right through the crowd that stood watching in horror. Gruffly telling them they were just in time. She flailed wildly as i grabbed her hair. The next few moments were a violent enactment of a gruesome scene. Ususally ending with me screaming "your next" and running at whatever girl screamed first. :)

Halloween night was a whole different play of events:) By sundown my house was fully decorated. Mo, perched on the tip of the garage, his eyes shining into the night sky. The reaper was lurking amongst the dead plants and spider webs. Bloody handprints left from a year before in one window and the spectre hovering in the other. All the while, haunting music and effects played across the alexander compound. Tiffany joined me to hand out candy to kids, and watch rob zombie's Halloween. by 9 we were heading to the social events of the season.

Charles Stanger does a corn roast thats pretty wild with live bands and a slew of people. He topped it easy with his Halloween Barn party. 400 People easy. Cars that would fill a football field. This barn was shoulder to shoulder packed and i barely knew anyone. It was rock solid and jumping. The band was great. The barn hand handmade chandeliers outta bicycles. All the while I rocked the Max's suit from where the wild things are!! [Pix soon]

From there i caught another ride to the airport Dance party spun by dj dan and met up with tons of friends and had some very extreme laughs and donned my crown to dance along side the king of kings.

All up this Halloween was one to remember. Thanx to everybody that made it amazing.

eeeBuntu - Breathing new life in to my miniLaptop. Years ago i switched from an iBook to an Asus eeePc netbook. It was one of the first in its class. Netbooks were still new and asus has been around and its experience showed. One of the best features to me was the variant of Linux that was installed instead of Windows. Not only did it make the device cheaper on the consumer end, but less susceptible to virus' and other MS only bs. The downside was the lack of software, and the somewhat behind-the-times feel. Hulu was choppy, facebook was buggy, skype seemed to be a bit lacking in features.. so, the last few days i've been play testing NEW linux versions that could take what was a great all in one super portable laptop into a easy to use, very functional for anything kind of machine.

Ubuntu 9.10 was just released & with it, many updates were available on 2 versions of ubuntu built FOR the eeepc. EasyPeasy and eeeBuntu. I made the choice after fiddling with all (even tried windows 7) and last night i finished the install of eeeBuntu. I've never seen this machine fly so fast and feel so functional.

:::[16.Oct.09]:::

So i came up with this great idea for a halloween costume over a year ago. It started as a real life rendition of disney's lost boys from peter pan.. Then it dawned on me. Why not Maxx from Where the Wild Things Are. I grew up with that book and loved it as a kid.. then in a taoist smack to relinquish the desire to take credit for the originality of such a costume the movie deduts a mere 2 weeks before halloween. The costume is done, i'll be rockin it halloween. And i'll be going to the theater in 15 minutes to see the premeire.

:::[06.Oct.09]:::

Gas tank Concept: Mark I

Welcome to october >:D

This is a great time of year. i was looking forward to riding my bike in the fall weather, leather jackets, leaves falling, and hot cider on point B. After last weekend i found a motormount sheared (due to poor frame design) so the winter project of putting her up on blocks and balancing tires, rerunning wires, new chain, fix headlight, etc.. has begun prematurely. :) One of the main projects i really was excited to do was repainting the gas tank. I have a flat black tank, and Glossy fenders.. it clashes. At first i starting thinkin of ideas to flat the fenders, but that glossy is cool looking, so how do you make the tank match? It finally hit me. Glossy Realistic Black flames on a flat black tank.. SICK!!:).. then it started to evolve in my head.

The last week i've started compiling resources and example ideas.. Prepare yourself.. this is gonna look good.

:::[29.Sept.09]:::

One Epic Weekend.

The plan was to leave right after work on friday. Me and my kikker brother brian barlow, were gonna load our bikes into his truck and haul ass up to seattle. At 4, i found brian at a loss with a turnsignal issue that was blowing fuses left and right. By the time we had it sorted it was past 8. So, we chilled for the night, and i went to see 9 Great flick.

The next morning we woke early to get the bikes loaded and hit the road. When we arrived at Tims Kustoms, havoc was already in full steam ahead! bikes galore, over 30 kikkers, and 2 bbqs. there was more wrenching and laughing than a guy could deal with ahahahaa. Pistol pete was there pinstriping. Spicolli laughin and filmin. Tim was wrenchin, tattoos being done, drag racing in the alley, Even the now infamous Brent was there.

Introductions were more about putting faces to screen names and getting a huge laugh. After food we rode like 30 madmen up to a local spot and got alot more footage. Hopefully someone got footage of Canadian Kelly pushing the DirtySanchez with his foot on the axle at 40mph for about 5 miles. We surrounded them like a swarm of bees, no one even knew :) hahahaa

That night we drove to Anacortes to party at the oyster run pre parties and met up with matt and mary and took the night real Isely. By 3am it got over twice the Isely and it got downright Hysterical.

The next morning was a groggy slow one. But we got our shit together and unloaded the bikes and drove 10 miles back to meet up with the crew of kikkers that were driving from Everett up to Anacortes. At 65 miles an hour the resonance that shook through the bike confirmed my lack of remorse on not making the whole ride from seattle up.. my wheels need balancing.* We waited over 4 hours for the rest of them to show. By the time we found the last 3 lost stragglers it had really been a long day at a gas station.

Up untill this moment i'd been having a great time. Met some great people and really been feelin good. Then we all lined up ready to ride into the oyster run together, 2x2, in a long jawdropping lineup of 80 unique bikes. Thats when my clutch wouldnt re-Engage. Are you FUCKING kidding??? i had to drag my bike to the curb and in a rush try and resolve the issue. Within 5 minutes i was back in full functioning order. But left in the dust of my brethren. FUCK FUCK Fuck. I hauled ASS. brought my bike to 70, which to be honest was Terrifying. I wasnt to far back, i could still make it!!! I adjusted my mirrors so i could see the light show behind me, realizing it was a stater. not a rave. dammit.. YES my headlights fine. i hit a bump and it must have flicked off. see? thanx, ya, i'm trying to catch up. bye... RIIIIIAAWWWRRRRRR!!! 10 minutes in dust.. i caught up with them right after they parked. unreal. i missed the 10 minutes we drove this whole way for.

Amazing Friends and Absynthwell, that kicked me in a rotten mood. I tried to be optimistic, we were at the rally! Sarah is here!, dusty came in to meet up! lets get some good grub! it was my first bite that clarified the fact that i picked the one food vendor in the entire place that was substituting alpo for terriyaki sauce.. wtF? this had to be the worst thing i've ever put in my mouth.. and the worst part.. i've actually TRIED alpo before. (havent you ever been curious) Within an hour, the kikker krew was jetting out, so i at least got to ride out with them, 10 miles back to the shell. ALong the slow traffic jammed way, we all were being a rowdy bunch, revving engines, smoking, passing drinks around, even barlow hit on a carload of girls HAHAHa. yes, it's all on tape. After saying our goodbyes me and barlow rolled back to anacortes to hang at the IselyRV and started our own party.

These girls are a riot, with enough wild concoctions and wilder conversation we were in hysterics and deeply thinking all at once. It was a nice night, and after Anna's shocking request who didnt need air? hahaha But outside i found myself delving chindeep into some amazing talk that now begs a reprise :) Packed into a car, we sought an open bar and found empty streets! the casino had drinks and a money trap that i dropped $20 into within minutes.. the sheer luck of today was appauling, the fact that i was still breathing was fantastic though. but that was the last straw and i was just fed up. I'm all for things going any direction, but there must be balance. Retrospectively tho, i know now there was. Cause i fell asleep smiling and knowing i started the day with some people i knew, and ended it with friends.

:::[20.Sept.09]:::

Soliloquy for an amazing day

I wake to the sun. It was a good late night after a wedding for bob and stacy, hell of a party and great people all around. Sitting outside, yawning into the day, the sun is warm and i watch a butterfly that perches on a stick in my firepit. I warn her of the impending doom if she was to stick around later than night, but within minutes she's onto another spot of sun elsewhere.

The remainder of my morning was spent lazily cleaning up messes that started from parties from long ago, and other ending only the night before. I found the garter i caught at the wedding last night, and picked up trinkets from the pirate party and bottle caps left from the bbq weeks ago. I hang my clothes to dry and climb into the hammock while listening to "Hybrid - Saladin", mille decided this was the best time to stealth in beneath me and use all 4 paws to claw into the most low hanging extremities of the hammock, i later found that her full name is maleficent..

It was a lazy mornin, but felt great. Part of my lack of starting my fires early on was due to my wait for dad, the boat was coming out of the water today (colder weather is coming and the next few weekends of good weather are booked) but it wasn't till afternoon that i had heard anything. And by that time, the rest of the days plans were already underway. Still though, the ritualistic boat retrival is a significant milestone every year for the summer coming to a close and the journey into darkness beginning again. I dont look forward to the cold, but death is a necessity to appreciating life.

Indy FilmThe days main event, was a local indy film project called, "crotch rocket" that i've been recruited into being a sturdy hand in. We needed bikes today, and help getting everything ready for the shots. So i decided, what better than to ride out myself to the touchet set on my now fully functioning "lub macheene". That was a great ride, rolling thru the fields of wheat, dropping through nippy pockets of cold irrigated air then back up thru the warm summer sun.

Once on location, the plan was to help pick up the last of the bikes and set them up on scene. So i hopped in the crash wag, and took off to get the last of the rice burners. Traffic was held up for miles on hwy12 due to construction, but luckily we got stopped right in from of harrisons place, my buddy's dads!, we pulled outta line and into his drive, had a beer, laughed our asses off then took off another way completely bypassing the traffic jam.

On set i was the "most experienced" rider that was left so they had me tearing around on this homebuilt rickety looking crotch rocket in a large gravel patch. The plan was to have me skid to a stop and also get shots of the rider peeling out. So it was inevitable that something could go bad, but i knew that from the start.. The good part?! it's all on film, so hopefully soon, i'll be on youtube shredding on a badd ass cafe racer and throwing the bike down.. on my own leg..

I was fine, pride hurt worse than any injury sustained, and the last of the wrecks (yes there were a few) disabled the bike and snapped the rear controls. By then the sun was setting quickly. So i needed to get home, cause it wasnt gonna be goose bumps on the way home.

That had to be the coldest ride ever. no Low beam, no sun. Every valley felt like and ice cave.. i awaited each warm hill crest like a man in the desert awaits water. on Frog hollow, i found a safe haven, and great friend from long ago. Shannon was there, offering a warm house, and a great time catchin gup on my insane stories to date and hers as well :) looks like we both ran the ringer, but came out just fine.

At home depot i noticed i had no tail light.. getting the rest of the way home like this would've ended with a ticket for sure. I stopped in the home depoet lot, under the light, and with numb hands opened up the bike to find the reason why i had no lights. Looks like i had no lights the whole way out, as the plug was detached... wow. I'm headed home!!

It was getting colder by the minute, but it wasnt long before i was home, to find the Nerdleague waiting with a fire roaring.. roasted food, good laughs and great people. Was lulled into relaxation by a good tale, passed hotdogs around, then we were visited by a huge owl.

What could possibley make a day like this any better?? How bout getting picked up around midnight, and taken to a swank yogic b&b outside of town by a rad friend with super clandestine access? We fired up the sauna, rocked the stereo, raided the fridge and cultivated ultimate relaxation. At 3am my head hit my pillow smiling. what an amazing day.

:::[12.Sept.09]:::

Ever have those moments where you feel like you lost your shiniest penny? like you've been busting your ass trying and no matter how you exceed your efforts the same fruitless effects come out of it? It's frustrating to say the least.. but down right intimidating after too long. god dammit.. when am *I* gonna see the f*cking sailboat.

:::[11.Sept.09]:::

911.. remember. remember that your government is just a group of people trying to push power over another group of people. Enacting Laws, staging punishments, and even using terrorizing tactics to make people think we need them. thank you 911. and thank you usa for keeping us in fear.

trying to update this really wont go far.. i've been quite numb for a while. feeling more mechanical than man. So, why not own it? lately i've been pouring my time into fixing everything i've let linger for far too long. ethernet in the garage. check. mfrfd. tanarama. inlovewithbodycare.com. bike. glue. handle. scabbord. this. that. fix. fix. fix. out of the 14 hour days of late.. a few moments of thought protrude.

"I dont make clients.. i make friends."

"Ya, its more like an erector set that you can ride :)"

:::[19.Aug.09]:::

Its been forever since i've updated it, and frankly ALOT has happened. The pirate party was a mega success, i only had one stabbing and 2 naked people. :) I gave away concert tickets, tattoos and swords. All up it was fantastic, and those that showed had a blast! If you didn't, damn, did you miss out.

Reunited to Ancient Family : Missouri

Flights have a feeling of a new book being opened, Even in preperation, you know that opening the cover is starting a new adventure, and leaving behind reality even for a moment, as this r venture may put you in a completely new places, with new faces, and new stories that forever leave you changed. This is what I've been needing lately. A new Beginning. My story as of late, was by no means stale. but the roots of the plant in progress had twisted and turned from years of growing so closely that they seemed entangled and therefore complex. When trying to decipher what needed to be done it was overwhelming. Sometimes the beginning can start in harsh reality breaking numbness like a punch to the face.

steve In life there are sometimes people that, even tho you may havent talked to in close to 10 years, are there for you in the drop of a hat, holding structure when yours crumbles under your feet. Santuary in the moment of chaos. Talking under the haze of cigar smoke about fighting on all levels, with a place to sleep providing and a ride to the airport. A City uninviting had a backdoor.

The first night there was warm, and like a break from reality. Me and dad jacked crab breakers from joes crab shack and argued gps vs gut feeling till we landed at my Great Aunt Dorris'

it smelled oddly, like aus.

Finding clarity through chaos.

I found myself swinging from the sign of an ancient cemetary. It was where my Great Great Great Great Grandfather is Buried, Henry Houchin, oct 3 1881. It was here i found refuge*. :) That night, we all sat on the back porch of my great aunt dorris, checking out the mystique that is fireflies. IMagine seeing a faerie in real life. or some other mythical thing that you've only read about in books. It's like magic to see them in your eyes. So in that hot magic night, Mischief was in full throttle so sneaking a swim in the neighbors pool was a must. Dad saw me plan my route and slip in. It was when i was getting out and stealthfully darting back to my home turf that the rest of the entire family was on the deck. They had no chance to scorn me cause when i leapt back onto the deck my wet feet on the newly painted surface made a perfect frictionless union and sent me right off the other side slamming me full tilt into a post. Gotta pay to play.. The runion was set in a park, and it was amazing to see my Grandpa reunite with his siters and all their kids, and their kids..etc.. My family is HUGE. Most of these people i hadn't seen since i was 10, others were either absent when i was their, or hadnt been introduced into the picture yet. Blood is definately thicker than water. being in the shade awning with 70 people you barely know, yet not feeling like your surrounded by strangers, is welcoming. I hadnt seen jason in over 20 years. Last time i saw him was when we first met. It was a week of caddle prods, jalepenos, milk fights, truck rallying, swimming and more laughing then a gut could take. It was like seeing an old friend, and immediately kicked back into gear, after the reunion we headed back to his place, still out on the farm, but a ways off where he built his own house. Was it nice! He did a great job. Leah his sister met us there, where we proceeded to continue the festivities that were started in the park. "Hey, lets go swimmin'" Jason jumped on his dirt bike, i took the 4 wheeler with leah on the back and we set out to look at the creek, then pond to decide where to swim. A 4 wheeler has a throttling system that took a bit to get used to, its a thumb trigger that is activated when you Squeeze*. Hauling ass through the ozarks, it was a fast, dirty, trail full of gravel, sharp turns and the occanional tree trunk to jump over.. with leah screaming in a hyper thrilled fun. somehow i rode it like a champ and didnt faulter once. to the creek and back, to the pond, we ride. We decided to swim in the pond and headed back to the better side. Shredding back, like a minor race, i turned hard toward the pond to cut jason off, the 4wheeler rocked onto 2 wheels, and leah screamed again, only this time it was terror, shit went bad when i Squeezed* the brakes. We were heading right for a cluster of trees, fuck it, i wrenched the bars and pulled it to the left, we slid barely missing the trees, rocking hard back onto 2 wheels leah was thrown clean from the 4wheeler, the weight shifted and slammed me back to all 4. i then realized i had been throttling and let off screaming into another cluster of trees locking the breaks, i was airbourne, twisting my ankle as i cartwheeled into the pond. one deep breath later i swam backward into the warmer water.. "I think i lost another button".. Leah was laughing, jason had thrown his bike down and had ran at us to see if we were ok. i climbed out.. drenched. After realizing somehow both me and Leah were fine, the laughter really took off :) HAHAha AHAHahahaa , jason looks at leah, "sis, you pissed your pants" HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH AHAHahAH AHAh AHAha We were still laughing 2 days later.

The empty seat next to me on the plane reminded me of the ever changing home i was returning to lonliness is hard, but it is the void of the bucket that allows it to fill. had i not been alone i would not had the story i have.
cuts and bruises are the cost of experience. evolve let the chips fall. be ready to flow as water , like my reminder says daily.,

:::[09.July.09]:::

THats right, it's time yet again!! Ready yourselfs my friends, this year, its bigger, badder, bolder.. and camping is available to my favorite friends. Come early and pitch a tent :)

Bring your meats to grill, flaggons of Swill and chests for ye to fill. For this year, its booty galore, as we hand out plunder for all the events!

Pirate Croquet will begin at 4:00pm

Follwed by the bbq. Bring yer own Meats to grill and flasks of swill! donate fruit to the table if ye wishes.

At 7:00pm a sword fight competition across a high rise plank, with a prize for the winner will begin!

The Costume Competition will be held before 10

A cash pot awaits the winner of the Kuriki game afterward

Promptly at Midnight we'll have a MultiPrize raffle this year with everything to win from pirate swag, rum, a real sword and even a Certificate for a free tattoo. Tickets are one for $5, or 5 for $20

Don yer garb, dress like a pirate, for only pirates be welcome! Others be soaked and flogged.

:::[30.June.09]:::

For so long i have refrained from saying what is on my mind in fear that i will dissapoint those i care for so much.

Why is it after lunch my ambition bombs out.. it's like when i'm tired i can't make my mind want to do anything. That mid-day lull is killer. But i find when i'm sleepy theres more to tackle. Logic and courage seems to take back burner to a sleepy mind, emotional desire seems to take precidence. Things that, for the short term, FEEL better seems to be the right answer. I've always put so many peoples hopes and dreams over mine? Why.. cause everything will work out wont it? i need to learn to be a bit more responsible for what i have control of. I think it'll make so many that much happier. The only reason i havent been so vocal is fear that being vocal might cause waves in my potluck.

Never did i do anyone justice when i have no direction, when i'm not trying to reach for what i want. I was the kid waiting till everyone went round the potluck and just eat what was left.. i shouldnt expect people to guess what i'd prefer, let alone expect them to leave me any. No wonder i get frustrated when things dont work out. wheres MY brownie?? I need to be assertive and at least reach for my brownie, and maybe then could i make others happy for real.

Now this is all easier said than done. Imagine never putting your ideas first, letting the weather dictate when you will be outside, then, make the descision that it really would be best to at least be more vocal. How do you go about that? what do you say? It's like always sitting passenger and then decideing, fuck it, i'll drive.. buttons, wheel, pedals.. its overwhelming. If theres one thing i know from lunch, overwhelmed is a great state of mind to be in when you dont wanna try.. but being overwhelmed because you want to? conundrum. Like a chinese finger trap. And like those it's a matter of RELAXing.. the light will come quickly if you sleep through the night.

:::[18.May.09]:::

Comps With the release of Fallout 3 i finally had a reason to upgrade and get a better computer :) Luckily one just so happened to fall in my lap :)

bikes I finished my chopper. But i'm sure everyone is now wondering why i havent been riding it? well i finished it right before that 1st snow we had. that snow was hard and stuck. i wasnt gonna ride till spring so i figured thats one great time to do some custom work. I wanted to move the fuel petcock to a lower location on the tank, giving me more out of each tank. When your tank holds 1.5 gallons, not being able to reach that last half gallon is a big deal. One of my step cousins was recommended by a local bike shop as someone that could do this.. 4 months later (well into the good spring riding weather) i finally got it back.. i say "it" because it wasnt a tank anymore, and that chunk of slag wouldnt even fit on the bike anymore.. let alone get gas to the engine. i was pissed. So now i'm tankless. But thanx to the kikker nation I got to meet up with a few people to look into different gas tank options and even have jforbes going to bat for me and getting me a stock tank. I was thinkin about putting a harley peanut tank on , but the time, mods, and $$ that woulda needed to be done far outweighed a basic stock tank. i just wanna ride. so hopefully by next week i'll be back on the road.

balloonatic I rode one. Some things in life you only get one shot at. Don't pass it up.

kites - Its amazing what something so simple can teach. No matter how much you pull, tug or even ingeniously design a wind machine, really a kite will only fly when the winds are right. The moment they are, the flight is effortless.

SO maybe i do make shit harder than it needs to be, but theres one thing i learned in life.. and that go at your own pace. Water never struggles to get downhill, it goes as fast as it needs to. Keep things easy. Take your time. Enjoy the process. Stress is harmful. If you ever feel likke its not working just let go. Fly a kite, remember how it should go.

:::[28.April.09]:::

Blades are in , and things are starting to look better :)

:::[17.April.09]:::

Why so serious?? Relax. Lets put the FUN back in Functional. A happy worker is a productive worker. A fun person is great to have around. Relax, evolve let the chips fall where they may. :) I'm a pirate for sure, but i'm not looking to harm anyone just point A to point B without the red tape and crappy rules that stifle life, and maybe a laugh on the way. Put a plant in a pot, i gaurantee it'll only grow a fraction of it's potential. Bonsai. Even Laotsu's kicking against the Confusianist box, created Taoism.

:::[14.April.09]:::

Reverend Andy, at your service. I am now officially Ordained. ya. no kidding.. i am just as amused. Marry and Bury. Exorcise and Baptise. So the story is basically that a great friend of mine is getting married. Its going to be a very high Juju, low key and close knit wedding, and they asked ME to do the ceremony.. :| ... :D YA!!, i said without thinking.. "I want it to be something heartfelt and sincire, what better than a good friend bringing us together.. "Ya!" i kept saying.. It was unsure whether i was qualified or not, but i was to do the service regaurdless.
Last nihgt i got a call from the Hubby to Be, "dude.. turns out for the state to recognize htis as legit we have to get you ordained.." "ya!!" i blurted out.. "so your down?" "Ya!!".. "alright good!, cause you've been a Reverend for about a week, i just wanted to make sure you were cool with it!".. "shhhhyeaaah!!! BOYyeeee!" I even get a clergy park permit. So let me know if you need me to Vanquish demons, pour a 40 over your new baby, christen a ship, or bury your pet. :)

I was up way late last night after celebrating my new fatherhood, and in a moment of pure compulsory consumerism, i bought wasteland Radios.. perfect for a Bug Out bag. Not that i think you care about my new flashlight, but the bug out concept is interesting, as well as a good idea; keep a bag of emergency "lets bail" neccesities in case the chemical depot takes a dump or hanford has a conniption fit.

Saturday, me, Jyn, and shaggy went and played LaserTag which was mad fun, i'd never done it before, played my share of paintball and war games.. but not lasertag. There was about 10 adults total and an army of kneehigh hobbits. We had a blast, and the shire was ours. It really got me thinkin.. why dont we do more of this!! So i looked into Airsoft, and Paintball, Nerf games and even some of the old classics like Kick the Can and Capture the Flag:) I paticularly like the Humans versus Zombies game.. Where a team of humans try to survive the Zombie Outbreak. If tagged by a zombie, you drop weapons and join their undead ranks. If you are human and shoot a zombie they have to "freeze" for a 20 count. :) last human living wins. I'm seeing we can get bulk Nerf darts for cheap online ;)

:::[26.Mar.09]:::

People are complex. We all have many sides to us that are attractive and others that are not so. Everyone has there upsides, and darksides too. I can think of a handful of people that i'd trust about any given skill needed, but each of them has other things they lack at. I've got friends that can SHred at guitar, but i'll be damned if i'm gonna let em near my bike engine with a wrench. Others, i'd be releived to know they are under my hood, but taking their advice on health advice might come with a grain of salt. etc. Everyone has something to offer, sometimes many things just depending on the perspective of who needs help. But, as a grown man, its up to me to discern what advice to take, and what to leave in my wake. I could be judgemental, and neglect all the great information thats is being offered, and focus my attention on some dark side of that coin that we all have. Why waste all that musical talent that is being offered, all because the guy sharing it does a line of coke from time to time. Sometimes its just part of the package. Every cat has claws.

:::[24.Mar.09]:::

Sometimes in life you just gotta do something dangerous. Tempt fate a bit. Keep that blade of life sharp; drive fast, skydive, get in a fight, drink a liquor with a black mamba in it :) You never really know what might happen so live life to the fullest.

I find myself trying to pack all the thoughts that seem to come at me in bursts when i actually get a sec to update this. I think my hands are on a different time plane then my mind.. what a conundrum.

I had a great weekend. Spent alot time with the girl i care most about, and got to hang out with some good oldskool friends. It's always cool to find that some of the "biggest" moments arent the one's that you'd planned for, sometimes its about the right peice of cherry pie or a wrong turn down gibbon road. HajiBababa:)..

Post Apoc News: Broken Sea Audio, a web radio show producer, just released Mad Max Tomorrow Road. Terminator Salvation has a New Trailer out that is like Mad Max meets Transformers!

Where is my gas tank.. it is totally time to throttle up.

.. will write more later. Recently i've finally turned my eeepc into the best embedded all in one device for everything.. Now if i could just get a chance to sit down and use it.

:::[10.Mar.09]:::

Sometimes we all need a superhero

I really should get a tattoo of an ethernet jack below my ear. Lately my ventures have been so computer related its been almost daunting. Web site construction, fixing boxes, building laptops, selling others, NAS construction and even buying the cusp of the new tech wave. I must say, i'm jealous cause jyn's new laptop, the hp mini 1030 is SICK!! and it makes me wanna sell mine.. But really, thats a pattern that if i get into, i'll never actually USE a device, only consistantly upgrade. All up, i really feel like i've been repairing the world :) It's been busy lately but by choice, even my freetime has been circuited and bitted & byted.

So wanna talk nerdness? I just finished making my eeepc all that it can be. Totally usable and every function i can think of is working (short of a rebrth like 303 emu :)) ok.. now the nerdy part.. I'm seriously considering trying out another OS on it, like ubuntu or eeebuntu that are supposedly way cooler than the default Xandros OS. BUT i did all that work!!!,.. Now, i'm sure some of you uber NERDS are saying "livecd!!!!" as am i.. :) a livecd is the easiet way to test drive an OS without damaging or comprmising any installed data. in the case of an eeepc, let alone many netbooks have no cd drive.
install a LiveCD to a bootable ThumbDrive!! :) so my project now is to try out 3 different OS's than what i currently have.. if i fall in love, then my dear Xandros may be facing the axe.. but i can't say that it hasnt been a blast and a serious learning curve:)

Push yourself daily.. Do something you either are afraid to, or have never done.

Stories galore pour from moments like these, and thanx to finally geting my laptop into a fully functional USABLE machine, I am really kinda stoked to start writing agin, and finishing the tale of our dusty friends that seek the darkest corner of the apoc world. Let alone been having a blast playing Spirit of the Century, with the NerdLeague. *talk about success of a mailing list.. whew*

WTF is up in the world: Store owner fights off armed robber Suspect flees with $200 but leaves one shoe, & weapon..

Vista to XP 'downgrade' lawsuit : Microsoft has used its market power to take advantage of consumer demand for the Windows XP operating system by requiring consumers to purchase a PC that includes a licence for the use of the Vista operating system and to pay money to downgrade to the Windows XP Professional operating system"

Spoof Magazine Covers and More at WriteOnIt

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” - Bruce Lee

Drinking a tea brewed from freshly gathered herbs is an easy way to get nature's healing force into your body-something we all need, whether we are healthy or fighting illness.

:::[24.Feb.09]:::

Ringfinger: I drive to portland, this has been an ongoing thing, we talk, text continue contact, but i'm looking for an answer to a question that has been holding me tightly in the position i've been standing in. we in, we out, thumbs up? or thumbs down? yay or nay? Within moments after arriving a rush of emotions not felt anyother place on the planet engulf the senses.. Fingers trace her jawline as I pinch myself. Heres a face i could never forget, yet i could spend decades trying to memorize.

The weekend was a blast, not only was the answer i needed there, but in such magnitude it almost bowled me over. Still buzzing, we reunited like stars colliding, 2 days passed and my grin hasn't faded. The call was a shock to everyone that got it. Tami Huff was gone. Heart problems from an accident 9 years ago finally beat her. Jennilyn already had bought a train ticket, i told her i'd be there to pick her up.

What started as a few days of mourning, turned into an entire week of passion on all fronts. Near the end, tangled in arms and legs, breathing souls, words weaved into a web too strong to be anything fanciful and fantasy. "Can I keep you?".. "Really?".. "Really." "i always thought you were kidding". *digging through pirate treasure i find the smallest trinket that fits my pinky, on her its loose, but holds fast.
Does that look like i was kidding :)? .. *she flutters her eyes and rocks like a drunk.*

The hows and when's have been the biggest question left unanswered for time will tell these things, but the what was the question i believe we both needed. I think we both may have hesitated before, unsure if the other would call if we ante'd up. You'll never win big if you don't play big.

On another note: I think a huge defining moment in the transistion between childhood and adulthood, is when naps cease to be a dreaded idea, and start becoming something to anticipate. When cookies and naps go from far opposing ends of "WOOHOO!" spectrum to basically the same team, face it, you're older now. :)

:::[02.Feb.09]:::

Random Ramblings

i think we evolved faster than our host.. we have circumceeded the planet and evolve faster than she can provide. it is our evolutions greatest feat.. yet greatest folley. .. but if it wasnt us.. it would be one of our other primeval brothers.

In life there are those in pursuit and those being pursued. its healthy to have balance of both in your life. Having both the strength of the hunt and the abilty to evade capture.. but its also heathly to have both something in your sights as well being sought after. i am worth being the object of the chase too..

I was thinking the other day.. really heavily actually. What happened between Mad Max 1 and the Road Warrior? i mean max watched civilization collapse around him. survived it.. whats the story of the ripped sleeve? when did the shotgun get cut? how did he meet dog??? when did he add the charges to the gas tank?:) All stories i'm intrigued to know.. and something i would pay heavy money to watch a prequil of.

:::[26.Jan.09]:::

This weekend was a wild ride of ups and downs. Building new memories and feeling the pang of old memories of times past.

Seems like everyday within hours my time is booked solid. This weekend we were blessed with a blanket of snow yet again. roadtrips turned into catching rides. Quick runs to the store became, postponed chores for later. SO plans changed a bit, but as some things cancelled, others rose in their place to excite anew :)

The Backbone: The main plan of the weekend, SevenDust was opening for Disturbed in Kenniwick this weekend. Even the bands said it.. the energy here beats even the bigger mega cities. It was a riot of energy, complete with wristband piracy and merchandise theivery. :) I came home smelling of 16 fat brickworkers and just beat from keeping my tiny ass alive in the pit. but it paid off. I got closer than many to the bands, even got to knock knuckles with Lajon Witherspoon, fastest way to the front? Take the HighWay.. crowd surf baby.

That night was unforgettable, with tim, tammy, ryan and crew it was a blast.

This next morning i woke late, the night before still buzzing through my head.. but i had another plan.. "my secret project" had a vital step to be done.. and low and behond with arms reach was a friend that could help!! i shall soon, unleash the demonseed i have been incubating all winter. ;) after that was done, i had many things to clean up, insulation is on the way to my house so i needed to clear a path.. this had me diving through old postcards and boxes of trinkets of my past. left me feeling empty and ill. Between talks with an amazing friend, and just fun companions i had new stories building and new perspective to remind me how good the things are that we had once.. and not to forget, but never regret. tide in, tide out. Birth

:::[13.Jan.09]:::

"We have our civilization, our personal plans, our own petty emotions. We divorce ourselves from process, even as we yearn for love, companionship, understanding and communion. We constantly defeat ourselvesby questioning, asserting ourselves at the wrong times, or letting hatred or pride cloud our perceptions. Our alienation is self-generated.

In the meantime, all of nature continues its constant flow. We need to let ourselves go, enter freely into the process of nature, and become absorbed in it. If we integrate ourselves with that process, we will find success. Then the sequence of things will be evident as the coming of the sun and the moon, and everything will be as it should be. "

--Deng Ming Dao

:::[04.Jan.09]:::

Web Chain Wallets.

I used to rock a chain wallet. in fact it was something i picked up from my dads friends when i was younger. They wore them cause on a rocked back, hardtail chopped bike, your ass was kicked up at an angle as you thundered around corners on a vibrating 1200 cubic inch Shovelhead.

Wasnt a bad idea, considering any length of time on a machine horse and your wallet is bound to work its way out and leap for its death on the asphalt sea below the stern. Made sense to me, that and i was so damned wound up i was trying to do flips off walls and climbed anyth9ing that stood in front of me long enough to pose a challenge.

That wallet was an inevitable loss, to join its brethren my glasses, retainers and pagers, whitch were sacrificed at the river to the void that belongs to the elemental gods like water. But, THere was hope , teathering the wallet to me with a link of cord or even badder lookin.. chain, in hopes that at the inevitable escape of my wallet, it wouldnt go far for the retrival of the fugitive.

Why did i stop wearing one? This takes us back to the rockin days of 90's american corperate takeover of the public high schools. At one point my chain was pointed toward "gang relations" HAHHAHAahaaa.. and also "improvised weaponry on hand" or whatever technical excuse they had. It was the days after the institution forced me to unleash myself and disarm my silver embelishment, that i lost my wallet. dammit.

Why did not put it back on? beats me.. guess i got used to it. yeesh. And this is yet another reason i love the net. In my quick search for wallets that support the chain tether, as well as chains themselves.. i found theres quite a market for these. In fact theres an almost undercurrent of society (much like any underground society) that crafts and peddles them, as well as dons them. During my search i sumbled on http://weblog.failure.net/, and was quickly intrigued.

This is what to me the internet is all about.. its not so much about the posted sites that are advertised on the net "click here for shoes" , but people. people with personal ideas. in this case someone had wrote up about their thoughts on wallet chains as well as his story of his own quest across the planescape that is cyberspace.

At one point he even is giving his personal review of the 2 online peddlers he found and how they rated. "i finally narrowed it down to two sites. my favorite (www.walletchain.net) had much cooler choices, but they were in south korea and their english wasn't so great. it made me a bit worried about their legitimacy. i was getting ready to go with my second choice (www.amigaz.com), then i saw that walletchain.net was selling their wares on ebay. they had a lot of positive scores and comments and very few negatives or neutrals, so i decided they were probably legit."

Not only did my discovery lead me to 2 sites that harbor the wares i seek.. but opened my up to a whole cache of information. This kid has written on a multitude of subjects.. much like i do in my odd outbursts and rants.. its certainly not a diary is it?

Now, if i do this.. and this kid does it, imagine what other possibilities you could find by searching or "spidering" the OH-so_baddass cyberspeak term for crawling from link to link surfing the personal interconnections of the web-Admin's site.

yes. when datajacks are available to be wetworked into your cranial mainframe.. i will be one of the first in line. :)

:::[02.Jan.09]:::

Last night i was up late dreaming of wonderful things, woke up feeling groggy and oblivious to my suroundings.. i had to work today so it was a typical run of protocol.
Putting on my shoes was easier now, thanx to all the snow melting i was able to wear something other then mud stomping boots. I was popping on one shoe when a ruthless crash came from out front. *rolling my eyes* wtf was that?... I stood hanging out my front door staring at this "widowmaker", A gigantic branch that fell from the heavens and wedged itself ominously in the tree just above my driveway threatening anyone who dares venture beneath it, it had finally crashed down seemingly diving between the wires i would have thought been ripped down for sure.

I took my shoes of and dug my boots back out, leaving a trail of size 10 footprints between downtown and my house..

:::[21.Dec.08]:::

werd up santa..

Happy Solstice to all.. and to all a Long night.

Christmas or Christ's Mass is one of the most popular Christian celebrations as well as one of the most globally recognized midwinter celebrations. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the God Incarnate or Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth, later known as Jesus Christ. The birth is observed on December 25, which was the winter solstice upon establishment of the Julian Calendar. Banned by the Catholic Church in its infancy as a pagan practice stemming out of the Sol Invictus celebrations,[9] Christian churches eventually recognized the sustained practices as a Christian festival in various cultures within the past several hundred years, allowing much of the folklore and traditions of local pagan festivals to be preserved. So today, the old festivals such as Jul, ...... and Karácsony, are still celebrated in many parts of Europe, but the Christian Nativity is now often representational as the meaning behind the holiday. This is why Yule and Christmas are considered interchangeable in Anglo-Christendom. Universal activities include feasting, midnight masses and singing Christmas carols about the Nativity. Good deeds and gift giving in the tradition of St. Nicholas by not admitting to being the actual gift giver is also observed by some countries. Many observe the holiday for twelve days leading up to the Epiphany. Read More here..

Sometimes you just need some good people to dance with.

:::[24.Nov.08]:::

This transmission is coming to you from the stellarsphere ;) Talk about a great morning, and to top it off the youth of WW gave me a fantastic reason for me to happy for having a camera on my fone ;)

This weekend was a blitzkreig of accomplishment.
My secret project now has all the needed parts.
My car has all nonfactory speakers now.
The house is finally looking like mine

So now i'm just laughing at not only the mischeif of kids, but this story of a private investigator that illegally was searching houses, but would leave a huge crap in the toilet but leave everything else untouched..
I'm the God-Damned Devil. HAHAHAHAhaahaahahahahahahaaha.. i feel like me again ;)

:::[11.Nov.08]:::

If at first you dont succeed, try, try again... It's funny how quickly repeated failure can eat one's self worth to a shadow of its previous standing.. and once this state is attained, how minor the fault need be to incure immense wrath.

i'm gonna have to resort to attempting a maccaroni noodle necklace.. just to gain a sense of accomplishment.

:::[31.Oct.08]:::

Happy Halloween everyone!

New Halloween Gallery for 2008

I've started the day in full holiday spirit, and at 40 mph i came screaming off rose onto 2nd on my way to work and found myself inches from tearing a mans leg off with my bumper, he was so scared he leaped out of harms way and ran, not just to safety.. but kept running. Needless to say it scared us both. What a great way to start the holiday.

That said, I'm back.. and check out where i swam :)

Moments after taking this, i dove in ;)

Maui was rock solid cool. In so many ways it reminded my of parts of Australia, sewed together with chunks of Mexico. WIthin the first 24 hours I was already exploring, finding great dives to eat in, funky hangouts and street vendors. There was even one guy that built bicycles in his garage that offered to sell us bikes then by them back when we were leaving. by the end of that 2nd day I'd already surfed.

One part of the trek led into a park that was completely shaded by the trees around.. only upon closer inspection it was one tree. A banyon tree will branch out and root down, creating an interconnected forested grove.

It was SO warm there. Even the water was bath tempature. So it was hard keeping me out. The next few days consisted of snorkelling, swimming with sea turtles, clownfish, collecting coral peices and body surfing, let alone just hanging out in shorts again.

Within days I was good friends with a few of the guys in the wedding party and found hilarious company.

To submerse ourselves in the culture as quick as possible, we went to a proper luau, roasted pig and hula dancers conbined. .. WOW. i thought belly dancers had hip action.

The plan was at one point travel the "road to hana" a winding roaded journey through the backside of maui, leading to a town known as a "true" hawaiin town by harley.. but after finding three cars already heading that way, i opted for saving $ and joining brandon & james in the car o laughter .. it totally lived up to expectations.

Our accomidations was at a 5 star resort is personal porches and 11 tennis courts. wtf?

Great food, Great people. All up it was spendy, but well worth it. Check the Pix!

:::[20.Oct.08]:::

projex up to my elbows!! As if i didnt have enough crap to do, i keep finding myself getting inspired to do more.

• I'm turning an old blade and a chunk of antler into a new knife
• Making a custom "rocker" patch for my dads old biker cut.
• Halloween is here and i got a great costume in mind, let alone pumpkins to carve!
• Hawaii - i'm going and i still havent packed.
• Once again my studio is up and i've been working on a few new tracks
• My house is a relentless project.. i should at least put up the ship painting.

When i was younger, i loved howto books.. they were way more fun to me then novels. Lately, for all my wild hares, i found This Site to help show me the light :)

Insecurities are like pitbulls, if you dont have control of yours, it could bite someone you care about.

:::[17.Oct.08]:::

When i was younger, i remember alot of people would mention that it just seemed like everything worked for me. I used to laugh cause it was like "what??" cause to me it was just how htings went.. i was lucky.. but really it boiled down to alot more, we are all just cars in the bigger freeway and if we are to do whats best for ourselves, then the rest of the stream can act accordingly. no miscommunication, no collision. Big city traffic to me is easy. why? people drive like they have an agenda.

I watched my brother once almost lose everything solely because he was spreading himself too thin trying to help others. "take care of yourself first dude, then you'll have everything you need to help others.. how much help can you be to anyone if you cant even hold yourself up." sometimes to make life good, just let life be good.. not make, force or wrangle it into what you want.. just ALLOW it to be. And its my time to just release, and stop fretting and just allow my boat to pull itself back into the wind. I need to put myself first and just breathe. i need to be an adult.

I almost spaced it, but it's like it came at the perfect timing. Hawaii. I've venturing off mainland to go to a world of sunshine and rest. I need a break, from the clouds, the cold, my life. So on my journey i'm keeping an open mind, and an even more open schedule. i have no expectations, for its a new land with new people, so how could i.. though i must say, i have a few goals in mind.

• breathe.
• Rent a Motorcycle and cruise the shoreline
• Surf.

i need sand under my feet not eggshells.

:::[13.Oct.08]:::

On a dark and chilly morning its hard to have a smile big enough to cut through the frost, so to help combat that wombat I've included an essential tools that can be used in case of an emergency..

Laugh. it makes the world go round. :) i think i just peed myself.. HAHAHahahaa

:::[08.Oct.08]:::

Sometimes it feels like going with the flow sends you into a dead end. It's a bit discouraging, but nothing you can be upset about because its circumstance usually. But if theres enough dead ends at once it feels like you got off at the wrong stop.. or straight woke up in the twilight zone.

I really need to reassess what i want in life.

:::[29.Sept.08]:::

Recently i've become quite the fan of FX's Sons of Anarchy And near the end of the last episode, the narrator refrences Emma Goldman, who had written several great essays on everything from feminism, atheism, and Anarchism :)

"Anarchism, then, really stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion; the liberation of the human body from the dominion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. Anarchism stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals for the purpose of producing real social wealth; an order that will guarantee to every human being free access to the earth and full enjoyment of the necessities of life, according to individual desires, tastes, and inclinations."

:::[17.Sept.08]:::

Life is a wild ride at times.. and soon you'll all understand ;) Theres been a surge of creativity and I've really only let a few people in on the secret mad scientist work ;) But worry not, i shall unviel my work shortly.

I'm an Uncle :)!!

Its a Wee Houchin..

:::[30.Aug.08]:::

My biggest motivation as of late, is to just figure out what i want outta my life. Cause its really only up to me.. Funny how sometimes things get dropped into your lap without even asking:

Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for For Living –

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
   1. Respect for self
   2. Respect for others
   3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

:::[29.Aug.08]:::

this has been a very trying summer. I was forced to let go of something i desired greatly. this became a journey that started with drowning and became learning to tread water again.

now my path puts me back in the water. I gave myself hope. I Forgave the unforgiving. My folly was putting forth to much faith. I got sent home from work monday cause i couldn't keep it together.. i hadnt slept all night and it was severly impacting those that counted on me. I was gurgling on water again after thinking things had changed.. only to find myself battered but knowing now i need to hold true to myself. have faith in myself and trust that my gut is only looking out for me. fall off and get hurt once.. hey things happen. get hurt again, shame on me. But, i Tried. :) and i'll try more than most of you.

I'm weary. I'm exhausted. i'm finding that no matter how i put a wrench to things the situation it still isn't correcting the issue. This is the moment i tell most people to put it down.. walk away.. let it be. The situations sometimes isnt about wrenching it.. sometimes the source of the issue is beyond what you can accomplish with your hands. Sometimes the more you meddle the worse the problem becomes. ask yourself "what is this going to help?" take your hand off the wheel. I've been spending alot of time by myself and have many good things to show from it. my desire now is to continue that & ramp up the legacies i've created and renew the ANDY that you all know. :)

laugh when you can, apologize when you should
& let go of what you can't change
kiss slowly, play hard, forgive quickly
take chances, give everything & have no regrets.
life's too short to be anything but happy

:::[17.Aug.08]:::

There was a knot in my gut.. something formed long ago that recent events have undone with the ease of putting peanut butter in the hair of a kid who had bubblegum in their hair.. its like the world shifted right, it was wobbley as hell on its axis causing my to feel quesy but trying to maintain, cause all i could do was tell myself to just "truck on" one foot in front of the other.. someday i'd be ok.. but i knew it wasnt gonna be soon.

Faith. Trust. Pixie Dust.

Follow your heart; have faith that dreams can come true.. that you never have to settle in life.. and with enough perseverance anything is possible to attain. Trust your gut; rarely will it lead you astray & many times you'll find that weird feeling coulda kept you outta harms way had you listened.. Magic is real. Maybe not in a sword and Socery magic missle kinda way.. but sometimes things are too Serendipitous, too coincidental to be just written off as bs.. things happen for a reason.. be patient. Dont rush, and many times the peices will fall together for you.

:::[05.Aug.08]:::

Dear Andy,

• People never change.
• Honesty requires acceptance.
• Forgiveness requires understanding.
• Respect & trust are things not deserved.. But earned.
• Loyalty require reciprocation.
• It's my own fault i'm battered. It's my hand holding the rope that is tied to the truck.. I just have so much faith in trucks.
• You may not be able to change the core equation.. but you can always add or remove variables.
• There are no mistakes only really bad judgement.

:::[03.Aug.08]:::

Lately i"ve been trying to figure out something.. who the fuck am i anymore.. seems like everytime i get a handle on it, it all changes. Thats when i kinda realized, i'm the product of my environment. I'm the reaction to my situation. But with something like that, how can one possibley get a handle on what is static. Easy. Truths. Things that never cease no matter what variables are in play nearby. The creek may change its path but the water is still present. So what am i now..

:::[25.July.08]:::

Question everything.. nothing is ever as it claims is it?

:::[22.July.08]:::

It's coming.. i've been working hard.. this has been my deadline, my goal.. my life recently...

The 4th annual "Ye Olde Pirate Party"

Dress like a pirate and climb aboard.

Invite Only, no scallywags or scurvydogs!

Bring yer own grog and meats for the grill, we be filling table with fruits and eats, and if ye like ta contribute we be much abliged.
Pirate croquet begins around 6.

Much lollygagging and merry making to be had.

We'll be having an OPTIONAL raffle for everything a new buccaneer will need for a proper plundering.

Click here to see the plunder!!!

:::[11.July.08]:::

Huge life changes have been happening lately, and to really up the ante, today is my last day at Pocketinet. It's been way fun and educational, but there is sunshine on the horizon, so as much of a hard descision this has been, it's for the best, and shall make things easier in the future.. but for now my deadlines have been ramped up and my lists of things to accomplish have been bigger.. SO much, so little time.. the drunken parrot? the cackling barnacle? the Plunder Inn? what should the house be? gas stove in TC, pot rack. fire pit.. grow plants.. dammit grow!! fuck i gotta water again? SHea's in town. *sigh* lights.. netting..candle holders. porthole, wheel? flags-check. flagpole. pirates.. pirates.. PYrates..

:::[24.June.08]:::

Every angle of my life right now is heaving. So much upheaval.. be it for good or bad, seems to be happening all at once. The result? mental overload.. for the past few days i've felt "high" for lack of a better discription. Just daydreamy and half here. Like i can't keep a train of thought and forget things all the time. where am i? wtf? I'm starting to realize now it's my minds way of not cracking.. i basically floated off the ground and disengaged my reality clutch. It feels weird.. but then again, so does shock. Ever gone into shock? it's almost euphoric. So much on my plate i've gotta figure out how i'm gonna chew up and deal with. where is my mind? THere is a cable unplugged..i feel disconnected, like neo in that white room.. come in cpt. blipto...

:::[18.June.08]:::

Things I learned over a weekend:

• Carlo Rossi doesnt float.
• Sometimes a LOSS, could be the gaining of the absence of something you didn't need..
• Things are not always what they seem.. & almost never are they there by mistake
• When a Tribal Shaman hands you a pipe... you dont say no.
• Know your limits, else others may end up carrying your weight.
• Friends should call more than when they just need something.

Nothing is a mistake. The world has a way of putting you where you need to be.. whether you know it at the time or not.. I just need to make sure i have the wisdom to look at the situations presented in the right light to see the rhyme and reason of the purpose. I stood under a magnifying glass on saturday morning with the cayuse tribe, i was invited to join in a religious ceremony on tribal holy land. It was a place that should just be on the xFiles.. but in that situation, you can nay say and guess all you like.. but denying what's there, is impossible. Some things you just shouldnt try to expain. But alot of enlightment came to me in the sun that day. Smile about the vinegar. It is what it is, and sometimes there's more than you think.. you just arent looking close enough.

From Tribal ceremonies to Rice krispies on the boat.. this weekend was like a tryst with the sun. :) Now my eyes feel open. It;s time to really look around.

:::[01.June.08]:::

Beautiful: Flyleaf covers my favorite NIN track :

Doesnt matter how many toys someone buys, new computers accuired, $$, houses, wealth, accomplishments.. it's still easy to feel that void. That exteriorLy induced emOtion altering, behaVior modifying, biochemical rEaction i've found I absolutely live for it.. and i don't regret it. It makes nothing else matter. It's all you really need.
"These stages are characterized by constant cravings and preoccupation with obtaining the substance; using more of the substance than necessary to experience the intoxicating effects; and experiencing tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and decreased motivation for normal life activities." The similarities between seemingly unrelated things are amazing to me.

:::[30.May.08]:::

I'm half asleep today.. it's putting my emotional chemicals on overdrive and setting my sensitivity on high.. it's like all those little things that normally go unnoticed i can smell today.. even the lack of, I hone in on like a blood hound. Some people out there have an impressive ability to completely shut off their emotions and let the logistical side of them to dominate how their feet land on the path.. but if you can't feel how do you know you are alive?

:::[27.May.08]:::

What's life without living? Lately i've lost a lot.. i've thrown in and watched my efforts render the worst results.

I spent the last day in a casino blowing $$ both outta my pocket and others. I was down, finacially and emotionally, but for some reason I just kept trying, ignoring the fact that my luck has long since run out.

My friend is always happy to just be where he is, but this time he was way up and feeling lucky. He handed me $15 & sent me to the blackjack table.. it was there I sat, in almost familiar comfort. next to me was an old man in a wheel chair that was getting the worst cards on the table.. but ceaselessly throwing in $40 bets.. his 2 daughters more than once cautione him to take it easy.. 'i'm over 90 yr old.. let me live ;)'

That struck a chord.. and that's when I noticed that for the first time this whole weekend I was up.. in fact I repaid all my debts, all cause I finally followed to my gut feeling, sought what was comfy and just makes Sense.

When the payoffs are so big, I'll return to the table no matter how heavy the losses. Cause when I win it feels incredible. But, to lose so heavily it rings a note of defeat that will just linger for a long time. I cant walk away on a badnote.. And its that mentality that keeps me sucked in.

:::[21.May.08]:::

Progress. hope. It's amazing what loss will teach you about what truely is important to you. My gut usually knows the truth of things before my head wants to accept it. progress.. faith. Things have to be ok, eventually. They have to even out. I feel like lately, i've been chasing a rainbow. But what would life be if we didn't try for what we dreamed? Maybe someday i'll catch my rainbow.. someday. Faith. hope.. they bring restfull sleep..

I'm self indulgant. I am the grasshopper. I'm going to do what feels good and strum my fiddle untill it kills me. Like a Heroin junkie i keep tapping the vein even knowing full well that it's gonna hurt later. But whats life without living. How do you get XP without EXPeriencing? Better to love and lose then never know love. Would i really be the andy you guys know if i didn't take the risk, take the gamble..

Misunderstanding is the root of all things gone wrong.. not knowing is the shadow that breeds insecurity and worry. My gut gets whats really going on.. but will my head actually do the right thing about it? I feel the world shift, the tide pull from me, the wind shift direction from my sails. Silence and distance, isolation.. things wouldnt happen unless they needed to, so i'm being understanding..

Relax.. relax.. chill.. breathe.. relax dammit..

:::[06.May.08]:::

My fone just ate shit but i got it up and running.. it just lost all numbers.. contact me if you dont hear from me..

that said.. things are ok. My kitchen is coming along, i'm getting a new lapop.. i found solar tiki torches that look real, and i'm very grateful for the things i have.. doesnt mean i still dont have bad dreams and wake myself in a bad way.. life's like surfing, sometimes you catch the wave.. sometimes it catches you. but like the tide it'll all even out.

:::[22.Apr.08]:::

Sometimes you just need a reminder that its not just life.. it's a comic book. its a fairytale.. if you make it. The only rule in life is what a man CAN do, and what he can't do.. I left and cleared my head, i came back feeling accomplished for the first time in a long while :)

:::[02.Apr.08]:::

Music is incredible. As are all the people in my life.. new and old. THeres been a huge flux of strength in reminder of what i once was and helpful hands handing my the tools I need to clear the rubble from the foundation of what i am, so that i may rebuild :)

Lately there has been many realizations, mostly about personal character. There's alot that happened and like most fires i've walked away from theres been damage done, but alot learned as well. I think one of my greatest fears is really that i bring more frustration to people than I relieve. Not to say that i feel personally responsible for peoples frustration, but i give shit. I don't wanna see people i like have greivances and issues.. not if i can help in some way. But, it's these times when i feel like i'm trying to help, and find that either i'm not, and that work has been for nothing.. or that i'm just straight making it worse. It makes that fun feeling hit the bottom of your stomach like you just ate a hunk of concrete. The important thing i've realized is my intentions have always been sincere. In the right equation with the right surrounding variables, this equation is gonna work. It has to:) It HAS. If it didn't then the story sucks.. and i'm not about to be living a crappy comic:D. I believe in fAte, fairytales.. the STORY. There's WAY too many circumstances to just write things off as "coincidence".. It's something i hold blind faith in, and it's yet to let me down. I am the grasshopper.. and i will fiddle untill it kills me.. but i"ll be smilin.

blip blip ... blip blip ... blip blip ... blip blip ...

:::[18.Mar.08]:::

A punch is thrown, you move, parry the attack and counter attack. Somone has their arms outstreched, gaurd is down open to let you in,.. you return with putting your gaurd aside and letting them in as well.. hug. Two very different scenario's each with an appropriate reaction. Problem is sometimes someone you really care about comes at you angry, with the outward approach of intent to harm.. natural instict? fight mode.. but the right reaction. open up. let them in.. smother the fire with a blanket of comfort. It's just hard, i know that. It's always hard to side step instinct, but sometimes it can lead to a better connection. Honesty requires trust and its hard to trust anything when your instinct switches to fight / flight. But trust takes faith. Hold faith. Give faith.. you'll gain trust.

:::[16.Mar.08]:::

Woke up in a fog.. it was a hazy day where i was having trouble just making sense of my own thoughts. It was like i was stuck on auto pilot. By 4pm grant had the kitchen half painted and we were headed to tricities to hit the skate park there.

About the time we hit pasco, some wildman in a red honda was blazing up my tailpipe.. It was one guy driving and another girl in the passenger seat.. riding me like he couldnt read the paper in the back of my car.. then he'd back off, and jam up on me.. back off to the right.. the left.. back up on me.. then over to the next lane, pushing and trying to get through traffic.

At the point where he finally got past us, i suggested to grant we get his license number and get this guy heckled.. but he was floorboarding it at 100 mph. Red honda.. oregon plates..

About 4 miles down the road everyone was pulling over.. thought we had a cop or something.. then we saw the carnage.. There was a red car, make was indiscernable because of how many peices is was in. We ran across the roadand immediately saw *shudder* everything.. there was a girl lying face down amongst cat parts.. her leg was a few feet away. i was trying to just figure out what was what.. grant saw the half of the driver torso missing and immediately turned and pulled me to turn and head back to the car.. we both saw more than anything we ever needed to.

But this just helped me really get a grip on things lately. Dont rush, rushing never gets you anywhere quicker, it just heightens your chances of failure. Live eveery moment like its your last, don't take anything for granted.. you never know when you might be torn limb from limb.

:::[10.Mar.08]:::

I'm a boy.
An optimist,
forgiver,
social butterfly,
but sometimes it all bites me in the ass with its darkside.

Came home last night to find grant sobbing with a beer next to the fire.. Said yesterday he could just feel the sorrow through the walls of the house.. and when i was leaving last night i was talkin to him and had to walk away cause i started getting choked up real bad.. he says it was then on he kinda lost it.

Dont remember if i even slept last night.. last time i saw the clock was 4:30.. then about 7:10. Dreams rushed me of the apocalypse. i was all on my own and got jumped by 3 desperate guys. the only thing they took was my fone. Which was worthless. i was left for dead in a public bathroom.

I lost my boat. This hollow feeling inside is overwhelming.. fear that even the sun will never feel warm again. Music will never sound again.. these little fingers are so alone now. i'm drifting.. without my boat. forgotten too long ago how to swim. For so long i swam thinking i wouldnt ever need a boat. now my entire forsight has to be adjusted cause all the adventures i envisioned.. i envisioned with my boat.

**Update** Every storm has a moment of light shine afterward. as much things still hurt. i had an amazing talk with jyn. we were both smiling at the end of it.

:::[27.Feb.08]:::

Ok it's cheap pizza day. 2nd.. honey and cinnamon can cure aids.

Who wants a Laptop thats the size of a book for under $400?!? Asus eeePc

Whats been new with me? I've recently been helpin a buddy of mine re-enact the war of the worlds radio show as a stage production.. this is inbetween training. Thats right, i'm back at it. learning the ins an outs of the ruthlessness that is kill or be killed.

Speakin of, Theres a new Post Apoc movie coming.. and my god does it look good. Thanx jynface

And to add, chritian BALE will be leading a Post Apoc army through the wilderness of NM in the next Terminator Film

:::[14.Feb.08]:::

Shoshin

:::[13.Feb.08]:::

Stress: in science its decribed as Force per unit of Area. This can be translated to Pressure per Capacity.. which almost corlates completely with the medical definition :"stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. "

Theres alot in the mechanical world (which i seem to sometimes understand far more than the people world) That has stress factors that like most things, can be good in the right circumstance.. though in excess this pressure can be detrimental. Look at a piston in a combustion engine. The explosive pressure of the combustion itself produces the productive force that cracks the shaft moving the car. But in excess you'll find it'll crack the block, or blow a rod through the hood. The trick in most cases is finding ways to releive this pressure. Not too much mind you or the engine becomes inefficient.. but enough to where you won't experience a meltdown. Oil. Fans. Both are there to cool the excessive stress that comes in the form of heat. Just one Form of stress in the mechanical world. It's amazing to see an entire cluster of servers come to a crashing hault because one machine had a fan crash, which in turn allowed that machine to become the victim of its own stress. Data loss, corrupted network traffic, even a mouse that goes on crack, all due to something simple like a fan not properly venting stress away.

Stress can be the leading cause of death for many creatures. It eats at the immune system. Degenerates the body and mind leaving us vurnerable to factors that normally would be easy to overcome. Myself included. Tossing and turning doesnt help one sleep. Lack of sleep doesnt really help the troublesolving abilty.

Lower the tempature, relieve the pressure, reduce the load. Many things can be done to help deter stress. Relax. Take a deep breath. Hold it in. Let your shoulders drop. Go find a creekside rock and listen to the water. Watch a goofy youtube video, have a laugh. In fact theres a whole style of zen meditation that revolves around the healing benefits of laughter. Make a fire. Feed some friends. (not to the fire.. unless you feel it helps your stress)

:::[29.Jan.08]:::

The snow was so heavy so quick i couldnt drive.. my car sits so low its more of a plow than a car. So i walk, in huge boots, that weigh like 90 pounds. and after a long day of Snowboarding my leggs are jello. Ever seen a jellyfish pick up a brick. :)

:::[09.Jan.08]:::

"Dude..we totally just went through a cloud"

Jennilyn has never been on a plane, so for xmas i got us tickets to go see my friend Reiff and his wife for a week, kinda wanted to see what the sun looked like again and see some old friends that i havent seen for a while. All while exploring new area's i've never really explored. Art Mueseums, Shopping districts, creepy urban area's devoid of people. We really did alot while we were there, yet not enough to deny the fact that we were on vacation ;). Rebuilt my friends comp to full working order again as thanx and for his bday.

Then i came home to havoc. The armegeddon hit WW, 90+ winds attacked the city while we were gone. My house wasn't brought down, but it sustained some pretty heavy beatings. Half my 80 year old sycamores attempted to breach the front, pulling down gutters and pocking 4 inch holes through my roof, jacking the porch off cilter and pummeling the posts off the foundation. Then my neighbors tree fell, missing my garage by a foot. The fence is gone as well as half my ceder. Home owners insurance is a good thing. And grant has alot of work cut out for him now. :)

:::[23.Dec.07]:::

Water finds the quickest path to the bottom of the mountain, but the difficult part at times is trying to determine whether you are on the right path or not. From my experience, sometimes you only realize you are not in the right place, sheerly by noticing that the harder you paddle, the more in the wrong direction you become. Thats a frustrating moment, especially while it feels like no matter how hard you try, you still are unable to do the right thing. I'm paddling my arms off, yet i'm just making it worse. SO how do you find the current again? Stop. float. drift.. it'll find you.

:::[13.Dec.07]:::

In oldskool tradition i built a monument of nature in my house. .. i literallly built a tree, its fake, but for an oversized pipecleaner its surprisingly deceptive. next i will grow a house:) The snow has put a serious damper on me.. but i've still been tinkering about, learning things and fiddling with all sorts of devices and expanding my brain, probably more into an abstract equation, but its progress nontheless.

The Upside is my understanding of alternative OS's and storylines are growing heavily, last night i figured out the tail end of the epic roadkill campaign (so worry not it will be soon) But Xmas really has got the best of my time lately, lights, gifts , trips, plans.. plans plans.. I dont plan things.. in fact my plans usually go foggy about 3 days in front of me.

You can't be doing the wrong thing if you truely are happy.

Happy Winter Solstice! Dec. 21, 2007

:::[18.Nov.07]:::

Tx Rx ACK. Transmit, Receive, Acknowledge. Why can't i connect. I really shouldnt write when i'm frustrated. Hell i shouldnt really be thinking.. when i'm frustrated everything is the crux. Understanding comes with communication. Send Receive, acknowledge. Formulate the data, Listen with intent to understand. Acknowledge. Rodger. If understanding is not reached, continue untill file completion. The internet is closed for business and alienation has begun. slowly slipping from the grasp of one human then another.. Solitude is inevitable. Send Send Send.. Ack? ack? .. no ack. disconnection. Solitude. Dammit. i'm spending more than i have coming in. I'm the only one paying rent.. Yet I park on the street. Feels like its about effort in but more whoever gets to the kill first. Send, no recieve, communication lost. How long does the boat fill with water before it starts to sink. how long I let the boat fill before i throw out the rat that chewed the hole? Unfortunately, I think it's my nature would be rather sink with the boat so that the rat would be comfy then drown the lil guy just cause he was hungry or frustrated himself..

I am product of my environment. When it rains, i do too.

One thing that always nails me to the wall and renders me downtrotten is the lack of accomplishment. I didn't do it. Not all day. it's dark (already) and not a single point of XP. dammit. but at least i understand this more. Clarity under your butt sometimes pushes you to find the truth that was right in your vision that the rain was blurring from vision.

:::[13.Nov.07]:::

Old comp new tricks: FluxBuntu | TinyXP - So its one of my quests in life to take old junk.. something somone views as trash.. and refurbish it, renew it, like an evil priest bringin life back to the dead. For years I've been trying to find ways to give new life and abilty to a computer that rendered obsolete. 98 is useless and installing it nowadays is like installing a duck into a horses butt. NEITHER WANTS IT TO HAPPEN. 2000 is about as user friendly as a man with a machete. When most people here linux they think of a stack of books taller than them. Easy. Small. Functional. Well I've done it. 2 options actually. ]

Found one called FluxBuntu. THis is the lightest weight yet friendly install of linux I've found yet. Documents? check. web? duh. Chat? yep email? got it. ... now the heavy shit.. pdf? YES. Music? friggin streaming breakbeat at 128k now.. MOVIES? heroes ep7 played FLAWLESSLY on a 400mhz box with a little more than 200mb ram. O> M> G. :) and its the penguin.

Next up is a Windows hack (ya not so legal) called TinyXP installs unattended, uses 400mb HD space and can be running on less than 50mb ram. NO joke, it works. I just did one yesterday. far as i can tell its not lacking anything i miss :).

Halloween was hilarious this year.. tried to think of the Creepiest custume possible.. and i came up with.. The Burger King. So a week before Halloween i spent my time sneaking up on people and just nodding and creeping them out. HHAHAHAHHa..

Life is short. Have fun with it. Like water trying to make it's way to the ocean it finds the path of least resistance. If you feel like there is more frustration than fun the majority of the time, maybe its not the right path.

:::[14.Oct.07]:::

F*ck Microsoft. I've had a Hotmail account since about 1993. They bought it somewhere in 1998. It's almost like the moment they gained control quality of service has screamed downhill only to match their awesome track record. My problem is like Neo i'm jacked in.. have been from the start. Every angle of life has some interconnected twist that routes back to my email addy. It's like my cyberDenity. And its changing. I can;t stand the bs anymore. Hotmail is slow. it suchs and its about as featurefilled as a paperbag. So i'm merging contacts, changing registration and trying to notify everyone i've ever exchanged emails with. Ughh.. The fun part is i think i've found a way to create a httpPOP daemon that will literally act as proxy. so i could in all essence make gmail check my hotmail. So worry not i'm not unplugging just changing faces. Same ol email just "@gmail.com"
[update] Found a snazzy way to push my hotmail over to my gmail account without having to forward each one at a time.. "getmail for hotmail"

Conclusion It's that time of year again. The sun is starting it's journey away. everything is getting colder, quieter. It's the time when summer rolls its end credits and you get that feeling that you'll never see such a great friend again. I miss you sunshine.

Hi jennilyn. I noticed i can use these whitman computers to ssh out.. even if i dont have credentials. .HAHHaa.

:::[10.Oct.07]:::

I'm tired of feeling like i don't ever do anything right. With as many times as i hear that things under my control are not working right, it really wouldn't take much to even the score. All i need is one "Damn Andy that awesome, thanx,.. i mean wow. you really know your shit. Right on." and months of "it's OK" and "it never works" would dissolve quickly. It's just a hammer to the confidence level that makes a person just give the finger instead of try harder. Honestly, its the biggest reason my kitchen is still destroyed. I'd rather not do it.. than do it wrong. [update] You know what? I dont' do anything 'great'. But, i can do 'more' than you.

I did however find one remedy. Skating. Fork the duldrums, knife the woes, grab a wheeled plank of wood and take it downa steep hill. Me and grant ransacked the drive going back into town from the resevior and it was a blast.. nice ride the whole way.. though the last hill was alot steeper than i thought. High speed wobbles. Stiffen up, carve it? Oh damn.. OH no. Just point it for the grass! .... i don't really remember much after that. in fact, i woke up a while later in a ditch. No recollection of any crash. I've got scrapes on my face, and every part felt stretched well. And to be honest, i felt great about everything for days after that. :) Something about a near life experience really puts it all into perspective again.

Halloween is Coming again. Cold nights. Dark days. Ghastly things creeping in the dark. and FREE CANDY!! I got a costume that's gonna kick ass! THere WILL be a party. where and when is still in the works.

:::[10.Sept.07]:::

This weekend was a rush follwed by a mellow sun bask. Summer is closing but it didn't go out without a bang. I completed a goal i'd set at the age of 15.. i freakin saw Alice in Chains. Was it worth it? Did it live up to expectations? Were they even the same even though Layne Staley bit the bullet? YEs. Hell Yes. The lead singer was something i was prepared to be dissapointed by. But had i not been looking right at the guy.. i woulda thought the dead could sing. And to have Jerry Cantrell still bring out the mainsails of the band.. i gotta say that was a great show. Followed by the guitar licks of Slash and the whiney Scott Wailen. Velvet revolver followed up and dropped not only their stuff but Guns and Roses tracks along with some STP. So not only did i walk away happy that my childhood dreams had been satiated.. but found that i Also got to see Stone temple Pilots.. essentially ;)

The next day was more recoupe than anything else. Me being tired usually doesnt help a day that i feel trapped without sanctuary.. maybe i was just way tired and took shit wrong but yesterday i was feelin the burn. So i took of on the Porkchopper.. nothin a lowride cant fix :) But the night really helped. Caught up with Jennilyn while she studied and read the tale end of yet another trash Deathlands novel. Those things have the same equaltion everytime, but somehow i cant get enough PostApoc fiction.

Jim Hough's dad departed in a bad car wreck on friday. I found out yesterday so after spending the remaining hours of light with my sunshine, i cruised over to Jim's and consoled throughout episodes of adult swim cartoons. There was enough food there to feed a small country.. sometimes its like when you loose someone people think they took the fridge with them. :) Afterword i went back to the Whitty library and chilled on one of the couches and learned about tcpdumping and william walker[ what a dick. ]

I slept like a baby :) and today its like everthings coming back around full tilt. even grant is painting my house ;)

This one's for you Larry, you were way cool.. *cracks a Dr. Rocket*

:::[06.Sept.07]:::

HAHAHAHAHAHa

:::[31.Aug.07]:::

So it's kids night at the fair tonight.. the fair sucks.. but on a night where every ride is $1?!?!?! all i gotta say is funnel cakes, corndogs and some serious stomach jolting chaos..
those carnies are askin for it..
So? anyone wanna come down? meet up? jennilyn is off at 9 figure i'll be there after then.. more than likely before too ;)

The Wedding/vegas gallery is still coming along.

I'm way disgruntled... the zipper will help.

:::[01.Aug.07]:::

:::[20.July.07]:::

Arm yourselfs.. it's coming.. and if you are reading this, you be invited.

I am an anarchist. However, i dont strive for this political agenda for the desire to see the world swallowed in chaos and destruction. It merely is a reaction to the current standing in the world. The beleif that in order to make the world better we need to imprison the people with more laws, regulations, standards, and all out big brother style control is exactly where I believe most societies fall short. I could go on and on about this but really it is all about balance. I don't wish for anarchy because I want chaos. I strive for anarchy because it in order to change the direction of a currently moving force you must pull in the oppisite direction. This sense of balance is also why I always have this outlook of optimism (even to the point of being unrealistic). There is plenty of things wrong in the world, and even more that can just get you down at a thought. With the magnitude of this Yin present it only makes sense that there needs to be balance. There needs to be an opposing force willing to combat and pull the other direction. I figure why can't i be one of those Yang's. So i'm half full, always able to find that brighterside of the coin, and looking for the silver lining. Not because I dont respect the Yin, the bad & the ugly, but becuase it is apart of me.

:::[05.July.07]:::

4th of JulyThe 4th was a great day all up. bbq's.. twice, swimming twice..Electrocution? twice. Ok so just to prewarn, if you cross a cattle fence, remember where all your limbs are. My first run in was at zach's place, at a secluded swimming hole. He pulled the fence down low and i decided to jump first. Flying mid air feeling the sting of an electric fence across your shin is a scary feeling that causes you to loose all dexterity. I landed flat footed only to feel the second pulse of the fence hit me right in the solarplexes. duck, weave, step, fall.. i layed in a pasture for a few moments trying to regain feeling in my limbs. wtf was that. according to grant, the funniest thing he's seen in ages. It was, i'll admit. It was leaving the swimming hole that i got hit again. 2nd time round it just pissed me off and made be feel retarded.. i mean a FENCE got the best of me. Lotta good food and some poorly constructed fireworks really set the day right though. Rode the harley out to Neher's place to watch some people light off some fireworks that had severly bad timing problems, so everyone was ducking for cover here and there. food, fire, choas, water and jennilyn. How could i imagine a better day?

Pirates the 3rd annual Pirate party is coming up sooner than you think! so my plans lately have really been revolving around a better costume, a better setting, more decor, a new improved firepit (now cemented together so kicking rocks in the fire is no longer a threat), not to mention an inventive new design to pipe music around the party. Using FM tranmissions, my plan is to not have one huge loud stereo system, but a multitude of little boomboxes an d fm radio's placed strategically around the site, pushing low volume music from every bush, tree and cranny. Hopefully this can help lower the overall volume of the party without lessening the music ambiance.

Transformers Wow. I grew up watching the transformers. I know names like megatron, starscream, and ratchet like they are long lost friends. But to see them brought to life like they have been in the new feature film, was beyond all expectations. I really am speechless. All i can really say is go see it.. now. quit your job, sell the neighbor kids for money for tickets. It will be worth it. i promise.

Kitchen So the ceiling is gone. The walls ripped open as well. I learned alot about the oldskool wiring in there. The coolest discovery was the dining area (where i'm planning to put in booth seating) the studs there in the ceiling were purely cosmetic, they were there solely to hold up the ceiling.. no structural value at all.. so, i'm gonna vault the ceiling ;) wrought iron chandelier? reflective lighting in the shelves.. rad.

:::[25.June.07]:::

Caledonian Days of Athena. July 14-15 2007. Real men Wear kilts. :)

:::[21.June.07]:::

From the mind of Jennilyn's friend RaeLynn:
Rae says:
the dream I had about you was fuckin hillarious!
Andy Wan Kenobi says:
tell!
Rae says:
Okay so you call me up one night telling me that a rival ninja clan come and took jennilynn in the night and you needed my help, you said you built a state of the art propeller system for your honda(or space car as I call it) and that you were flying down to get me. We flew clear to japan in record time, and kicked some ninja ass! Saved jennilynn and partied the night away!

:::[24.May.07]:::

Stop Capitalism Ebay can die. I recently sold 3 guitar effects pedals on ebay. But it all came to a crashing mess when one buyer RUDELY shoved regulations in my face about a NEW policy that i was unaware of. Now that ebay has purchased Paypal, they found it was an easy justification to render all other forms of payment "insecure" and not fit for ebay's use. It used to be that having a personal account with paypal would give you free transactions, now policy states that as an ebay seller i MUST upgrade my paypal account to business level. This gives me not only the oppurtunity to accept credit cards (at a low 3% fee) but now EVERY transaction with paypal is at that nasty 3% cut. but i can afford it right? I'm only a huge corperate comglomerant. fuckers. So now aside from the 4% cut ebay takes , paypal (aka ebay) takes another 3%. wtf!?!? The buyer that decided to be a dick about it said that money orders were to slow, and doing a bank to paypal transfer could also take over a week. too slow. Well, now that i have Massive increases on my fees thanx to him, guess whos gonna get there guitar pedal at the SLOWEST possible snail mail.. only to make up the difference in profit of course. >:) It's the principle of the matter that chapped my hide. If you now are FORCED to use a business level paypal account as a seller, that means that more and more PEOPLE won't be able to afford to take such a cut and make it improfitable. The only sellers out there that will be able to afford it though are the large companies selling through ebay at bulk. This is only enabling "the man" and cutting out the little guy. The only way we as private sellers can maintain, is to drive up prices.. And thats no good for you the consumer is it? Just think about that the next time you ebay. I'm betting most people would love it if you offered to money order your goods instead. And it also explains all those sellers that sell at LOW pprices with HIGH shipping. to AVOID giving paypal and ebay a cut. 3% of 40 cents.. here. have it. :) All that said: check out craigslist.org, its free to post and local people only, so no transaction fees.

Yardsale All this started cause i'm getting ready to do a mega yardsale, it'll take place at my parents, but will be a combined multiHousehold stock. Finally i'll be able to get rid of all the stuff i was left with when harriet passed (she was the previous owner)

Stump Removal Anthes went ape crazy, me and him ripped that huge tree stump around and took a good amount off it. Then Grant and Co. attacked it and rendered it into firewood size chunks. At that point i gathered a small army and rented a woodchipper. Needless to say i got a hell of a pile of mulch now and a serious gratitude towards my friends. You guys really kicked ass. That thing has been there since i was like 12. To see it finally gone is accomplishment in all forms.

At World's End Be ye pirates. Full garb. Full sail. We be there As pirates awaiting the setting sun and the rise of the grat Jack Sparrow. Hope to see you there!!

:::[15.May.07]:::

:::[30.Apr.07]:::

YardSale! I've got a bunch of stuff i'm gietting reid of soon in a yardssale, but if anyone wants I'm giving a sneak peak in case someone wants it..

First i've got a HAndRefurbished Black Powder coated schwinn BeachCruiser. With custom Apehanger Handle bars, new tires and a fatBoy seat thats so comfy you'd think you brought your couch. :) not asking alot.. just mainly enough to cover the costs of the refurb. It was teal and rusted to shit when i got ahold of it. :) i even added an Armada Road Pirate bell, to drive away gremlins.

You guys need computer or networking stuff?? i got a bunch of towers in my basement that are all refurbished and ready to rock. I need to get rid of these things so i'm letting em go CHEAP. in fact i've got a few that would make rad servers or remote control torrent boxes.. for like $75 ..let me know if you need a machine, i can build to custom specs.i've got NEW and old.I WILL TOTALLY ACCEPT BARTER> :)

Super Villains The party went off without a hitch, though alot of "i'll be there's" weren't but no worries the party was rocked so you missed out. Pictures are coming.. i'm hopping to make One big gallery of both the super parties combined. Food, Fire, and great people! there was a ton of awesome costumes! And as a combined bday Present Jennilyn had not only got me cool trinkets she orginized a group gift of a UtiliKilt!! She said it's back ordered so hopefully i can rock it the summer! Thanx you guys for making my birthday Rock!

:::[26.Apr.07]:::

Yesterday was my birthday and needless to say it rocked so hard i'm dizzy still. Woke up to a perfect view and a bag of gifts. Followed by an eggwich and a run to the tucannon Lakes to contemplate survival in the aftermath in the wake of a devastating fire.. the damage up there was unreal. The Fishing sucked but Anthes made it a laugh the entire time. Stump destruction and Sodas in the yard till dinner where Me and Jennilyn met Mom, Pete, Jim and anthes for some TeriYaki at that new joint downtown. Bang for the Buck? oh agreed. Everyone really lit my bday on fire. But Jennilyn and Anthes deserve full mention.

That said.. check this.. I'm SO gonna do this once summer shines.

:::[14.Apr.07]:::

KogaBox, more ram! i doubled the ram and hopefully you might have noticed it's snappy new life lashing out as you click for pages.. That aside I also added (after numerous complaints that it was missing..) the Weekly Piracy Report link!

Super Villians unite! My bday is coming up, and in answer to my bros Super Hero Party, My party will be on the 28th, starting at 5 and going untill the evil is worn thin. Villionous attire required. Dress to kill.

The house is coming along quite well, Jennilyn has helped a bunch with the planning of the Kitchen, pulling me out of the rut i felt jammed in.. Bamboo, out the yang is going in where i recently had shovel fights getting rid of the arborVidees. Though i know i can't afford all the bamboo needed, so to surplant the gaps in the wall i'm going to plant corn :) Peppers, tomatoes, ferns, and groundcover.. lots of ground cover.. Let alone a cedar, or a japanese maple to put in place of the birch i just finished knocking down. The wildest part about cutting that birch down was that we had to do it with handsaw's. For some fuckered reason the chainsaw chewed into the bark like a hot knife in butter, but when it hit the meat it's like i found some jediBirch barrier. On another note.. that bastard willow stump is still there. So if you want to come over and take some aggretion out on it.. i'll supply the weaponry.

Computers Like some cosmic act of chaos, i recently survived a tidal wave of parts that flooded my basement. If you want a computer, i've got a few that are actually great machines. One of which is peter's Ex-Box. It's a screamer.

:::[26.Mar.07]:::

Happy Birthday Pete! : For his Birthday i'm building him a gaming machine that should match none other! Parts should be here on the 28th. ;)

:::[23.Mar.07]:::

Parties out the Yang, tomorrow is my brother's bday party in my yard, my firepit will finally see some action and as a theme he's asking that all guests come not as there secret identities but as the true crime fighter's within. It's a SuperHero Shindig. So tonight my main concern (aside from retard proofing my house) is sorting out my Costume. Jennilyn had this great idea of going as the "bowler" from Mystery Men, god knows how many hecklers referred to my Yamaha 650s as my Harley Compatible, Mr. Furious i shall be. Cause ya know what? I'm like a powder keg and right now you are getting my fuse way too hot for comfort! Shortly after (next weekend) i DJ calvert's reception, he married Jen (reiff knows her). After that it's up to Seattle to usher the sheep to their seats at Steve's Wedding on the 7th of April. And it's not long after that the sun's gonna start getting brighter and my bday will be here.. what's the theme you ask? Super Villians:)So tonight i gotta make metal gauntlets outta motorcycle parts..

Xbox I finally got another hacked up and pimped out, perched above my living room TV. The Modded Xbox scene has come a long way since i toyed with it last and the capabilties seem endless now. So here's my TV. No cable. CNN news videos, Comedy Central videos, YouTube, Apple Movie trailers, Tetris, Maelstrom, Shoucast Radio, SMB streaming, Sega, NES, MAME, let alone watching all those dloaded episodes of jericho i got upstairs... i even got Jennilyn rehooked on a childhood Bubble addiction. All WITHOUT cable.

Roadkill Updated

1. Adrenal Flux is complete. you'll see in the rules now that instead of taking many ROUNDS to inact it takes mere seconds.. (though you still pay in the end)
2. the skills list is now futuristic and Alphabetical!! [with new thermographic intent!!!!!!!]
3. foraging was retarded.. so it was eaten by survival.. (foraging was combined into survival.. anyone with foraging as a skill, switch it to survival. (or gain 100 xp.)
4. acrobatics and tumbling has been combined into one mega bad ass skill [still called tumbling] that is now more like Parkour and gymnastics than the oldskool "handstands".. and now costs 2 slots.
5. There is a new skill on the market used to negate the muliple attacks minuses in combat.. (here's to you tim)
6. Let alone a whole new world i'm building and Mapping. Google Earth Kicks Nuts. Next Stop? Modoc.

:::[02.Feb.07]:::

Holy crap. Busy. Way busy.. Networking, computer repair.. lots of it.. just finished a 56 port LAN with WPA wifi and a m0n0wall network head. How is it something so NONphysical can be so draining.. but it's the consistant endless supply of molten amber that always reminds me that Life is never gonna get over my head no matter how big the wave.

Snowboarding. Been up a few times now and i'll be honest, in the dead of winter, there's nothin closer to what a church should really be like. Sunshine. Nature. Though somewhere during the adventure Dawz lost his wallet and on the slopes he told me it had $20 in it, kinda sucked. Lotta jumps, lotta powder, and it was so warm we had to stop and take off a few layers to keep cool. One head plant later it was proven to be relatively easy to cool down in a hurry. Back in the car we picked up Jennilyn on the way back who went snowmobiling with her family who were at a cabin (instead of homework). It was there the ambiane was quieter and the ears weren't muffled with hats and wind, Daws retold his tale and i found he really said $200 in the lost wallet.. :|

Roadkill. So there's been rules posted on the Roadkill site for years now about Radiation poisoning and Poison effects.. but wtf nothing to explain the effects of Disease on a person. With whats coming ahead in the latest adventures of the Roadkill survivors, i was going to need some guidelines as to not just outright KILL some of the characters.. *DOOM*

:::[03.Jan.07]:::

It's been a good few weeks, with the tail end of Jennilyn's xmas break i get her up on the hill at least once to try out snowboarding and she took to it like a fish in water, Took a weekday up to go romp in the snow without heavy traffic and even almost through the car into a ravine.. but moms minivan prevailed and it was only a 180 in the highway..:) Lotta snow, lotta windburn, but fun. Way fun.

Friday night we went to a party above the Coffee Perk and in a moment of sure ME, i ended up in the air after a rug came out from under me in a flying sidekick.. my feet level with my head i came crashing down flat on my back, though i'm told that somehow i knocked a lamp of the shelf next to me, caught it and placed it back into position before my ass met stone tile.

This rendered it not only hard to walk, but kinda pointless to try snowboarding this weekend, but in serendipitous response there were at least two cars heading to seattle for the New Year. A few texts messages later and we are assured entry into a huge rave at Studio 7. The ball dropped and the Kiss was intense as well as the rest of the night. By 10am we were waking back up after one hell of a night, but plenty of time to make some hawaiian chicken and shoewr before trying to get past the pass. Though at 9am we had noticed adam and jim and peter were talking.. once we emerged from slumber it was apparant they'd been up all night drinking and were going to bed as Me and Jennilyn were crashing.. By 1pm the pass was freezing over with sleet and traction tires were required. This was the defining moment that prompted a wake up call to get the drunks in the car cause the seattle to WW drive via Portland was gonna be long.. But we made it, with enough time to hit the store for provisions and have a good laugh while tucking in Tigerlily. The Holidays have been good and to be honest i'm still recovering.

:::[19.Dec.06]:::

:::[01.Dec.06]:::

'Be like water making its way through cracks.... Empty your mind, be formless.... Shapeless, like water.... water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.' - Bruce Lee

Inked: Water, it's the essence of all living things. We all need it, 90% of us is water. It can reach places no man can get to, it can carve stone, and rinse dirt away. Formless, yet rigid. Mizu, is the name for water in Japanese, most of the time it's spoken as O-Mizu, giving it an honored title. The Japanese, like Native Americans hold water in a greatly honored place, appointing it deitiship. Water Spirits. Water though on it's on is incredible, and means great things to me. The Sun is something civilization was worshipped from the dawn of time. Nihon, means land of the rising sun. Cultures worldwide all had a Sun god, usually Cheif of the gods. Even christians in a roundabout way worship the sun.. (look at the popes staf.. and what is that halo made of??) Winter Solstice was the orginal holiday celebrated by the "pagan" celts.. it marked the shortest day of the year, or the REbirth of the SUN (but sadly was spelled SON, after the christian church blatantly stole it..) The Sun's energy, it's warming fire, and waters breath.. you have life.. The sun in symbol has been represented many ways. Most often it was the center of all things. the highest point, the circle.. a perfect circle. The circle itself bring with it profound philosophies.. cycles, there is no time, it's contruct of man. cycles though exsist. breathe in, breath out.. repeat. sun goes up, sun goes down. winter to spring, to summer to fall, to winter.. brith .. death.. The circle is the strongest structure from outside, yet the weakest from within.. and being that Xmas is coming.. next time you see a wreath, the circle of evergreen.. think about what the pagans were trying to remind you..

All this is but a glimse into the Philosophy i've held so close for years, crystallizing during my vision quest in Australia. Land of the Sun. That turning point for me held a clarity for me unmatched untill that point. In honor of that moment, and in reminder of my foundation, i have been inked. Permanantly marked with a symbol of my perspective. A symbol that gives a taste of that which has held my head up. This has been something in my mind for a long time. [anyone notice i mentioned it back in 2003?] A creed i've held in me for ages. To take the final step and place it outside, was something that needed the right moment in itself. I found the girl that i've been dreaming of since i was little. Strong, intellegent and on the wavelength for so long i assumed was only my own. She too had a creed she has lived by, her plan was to mark her wrist with this creed when she attained what it stood for. To take that final step was something that required courage and a descisive mind, like that final moment as you leave the edge of a 50 foot cliff into the water.. For the first time, i stand next to someone that doesnt breakdown the foundation, doesnt second guess my integrity.. contrarily she gives me that final burst of ki, of strengh, to follow my dreams to reality.

Yesterday we inked our creeds together. Marking our mindsets on the outside, a very personal experience, to share it with someone would be an honor, but an honor so well deserved. i Love you.

:::[22.Nov.06]:::

It's been a while since i've updated this, but there are a few very loyal viewers that i need to update for.

The Samhain Shindig went off well, with about 70 people showing in costume and 2 bands playing i had a rockin party till about 10:30 when the cops had shown for the 3rd time, we had to stop the band.. but the party rocked on late into the night anyway

Tattoo The tattoo i designed and talked about way back in july of 2003 is actually going to be marked for life on my left leg. Nov. 30th. *eeek* I figure its been in my mind for this long, it's a sure thing.

Bday Jennilyn turns 21 on the 3rd so I have been planning my contribution for her celebration, there is much in the way of surprises so i cant say much. but thanx out to those that helped it come together.. i'll let you know how it works out.

House The living room is done thanx to grant, and within the week i should have bookshelves and a completed hallway, let alone the complete BATHROOM My next projekts include a flicker light mock of a street lamp in the upstairs hallway, and Internet. I've wired up the whole house now with ethernet, and even have a full network rack in the basement. I've been waiting over a month for my DSL circuit to go live but waiting on Jvo is like waiting for the moon to sing.. So in the meantime I've been pirating WiFi off my dads house with a tiny AP set to bridge.. so my comps are online.. but barely. The plan is to put some 18 inch patch antennaes in the attics of the 2 houses and create a WiFi bridge between the houses.. :) I've got my Antennae mounted in the attic and the cable run, but i need the proper ends now and to help dad get his side installed.

Technologeek WiFi bridge aside, i've also been working some fun ideas to enhance the house.. and life in general.. I've recently completed a Kiosk for my living room, for anyone that wants to use the internet while at my abode. It boots off a CD (no Hard Drive is even in it) pops up a browser and your off! if you close the browser, another pops in its place. ;) Check out KioskCD for more info. From that i ended up with a surplus of old comps thanx to anthes.. One of which is now being set up for my buddy tim for Xmas. He wanted a way to be able to download stuff and play games at the same time.. which is more than taxing on a single box, but Phil showed me the perfect solution, TorrentFlux. I built a standalone machine, that can be remotely controlled to download torrent files and set so your exsisting machines can access them to retrieve all the dloads :)

So needless to say , i've been busy but having a blast and for all that are probably asking, she's amazing. Perfect. Thanxgiving is coming up and i've been eating stuffing and realizing that it reminds me of camping and fireside dancing. I can't wait for the return of the Sun.

:::[20.Oct.06]:::

:::[07.Oct.06]:::

I just pulled into my driveway and looked in my garage.. there are currently 2 man-eating pitbulls that are each about as big as i am, and they are starring back at me through my window.. I can see one of my sponges torn to shit. This is most likely result of my roommate grant.. he said he was gonna be coming by the house a few times today in his quest to migrate his stuff to my place. So i wont be using my garage tonight, but the trade-off is fantastic: Aside from helping me pay the mortgage, he's also totally happy to finish some of the painting jobs that I have lingering in my house projekts list.. So soon enough i'll have a new lookin house, a finished living room and hallway let alone a HUGE weight off my chest. <

:::[26.Sept.06]:::

Poison Ivy is the worst thing to rub up against. This is agonizing.. but whats more agonizing? Doctors.. I can deal with wanting to claw my back open cause it itches so bad, but what really twist my panties.. is this crew of pompus *$cks think that we the people are cattle.. our time, money and will are expendable.. I went to the doctor twice about this rash, mainly cause the first trip ending with a poor misdiagnosis of something so easy..yet still was charged $175 for the first visit.. for what? If i come to your house to fix your comp and its STILL broke when i'm done, i'd totally understand if you felt unfair to be billed.. yet doctors think it's their inherent right to extort the population cause they can? Well, (*&^ them! The next doctor that even looks my direction for advice is either getting charged triple, or strangled.. i just wanna say this, to everyone, YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. You are all the same decaying organic matter as everyone else.

The last few days i've been remodelling my bathroom. I was hoping to complete the entire bathroom, walls to floor to faucets by the end of this week, only now i found that the colors i picked out looked like someone ran ahead of me in the bathroom and crapped all over the walls.. it was HIDIEOUS.. the worst part was this was the 2nd time i'd painted it cause the first time ended in a grey poupon babypoop kinda look.. which was just as nauseating! If someone comes into my bathroom i want them to feel free and compelled to remove clothing and shower.. not puke.. or crap their pants..

So, I was LIVID last night..Seems like everything with this house i gotta twist an arm to accolmplish the simplest task.. all i could do to calm down was cook, something i really can't screw up badly.. unlike the color picking of the bathroom.. So going with the gross brown color i made a japanese curry and it really was good, halfway through making it Jennilyn came over after teaching Karate and chilled me out quick. I've never met somone who didn't just wind me up worse when attempting to calm me down..So to find a serine calm in the midst of a storm was really amazing. Luckily "Mad Andy" comes off as more of a cynical clown then a raging monster.

So tonight the plan is to seal the tile and at 6 when Jennilyn is done teaching , drive to TriCities to Lowes and gather all the vital parts for the finishing of the bathroom..Lights, faucet heads, a new lever for my shower cause those ball knobs are straight up frustrating to create the perfect tempature. But i'm stoked to use my shower, i got one of those rain heads, so it'll be like bathing in the rain ;)

On the up side my buddy Grant Goddard is a ProPainter now and was not only happy to, but insisted that i let him paint my living room.. I figure by the end of next month i'll have everything but the kitchen done ;)

In Apocalyptic news, our dearest friends Abadon and Kilvani died in the maw of a 20' tall King Lizard, because they didnt think RUNNING was a suitable idea.. They died saving the lives of the rest of the party, though Kindles has seen better days. The Stories of Kilvani and Abadon will live on through the tales of Sarai, Baker and young Kindles :) More to COME!!

:::[11.Sept.06]:::

Yesterday was the annual blockparty.. It's a neighborhoodwide event my mom has been putting on since i was little, everyone on the block is invited to bring a dish and potluck in my parents yard. It was well under way when i got there. So, i pulled into my driveway, not bothering to go all the way into the garage cause i was planning on going back out later. Me and Jennilyn hop out and head over toward the smorgishboard. I head to see how peter's been, being that it takes a city wide gathering to run into him. All of a sudden, the powerlines to the house shoook and there was a pretty loud *whomp*.. "what was that?" says peter, and the neighbors, who filled my lawn, were all freaking out.. my car had rolled its way back out my driveway, nearly devouring 3 little kids on there way to the feast, rolling across the street and coming to a stop after cracking the telephone pole it collided with. So i gimped over there as fast as i could (yes my leg is still all forked up) only to find that my car had bounced off the pole like a rubbermaid trashcan. Now it was kinda miraclulous it didnt kill anyone, let alone damage my car.. but the part that blew my mind? Everyday I back out of that driveway, and struggle to miss the TREE that's so damn big that it's growing halfway into my driveway, squrreiling outta this driveway has always surprised me that i havent hit the tree myself.. so to find that my driverless car just back out without even a scratch? There's no way i'm this lucky.. my life is one crazy chevy chase movie.

:::[03.Sept.06]:::

The fair was good, rode the rides for the first time in years.. hey all i needed was a partner in crime.. add food and a candied apple, what more could i ask for?

Saturday i took Jennilyn out camping again, we decided to hit the river again, and have people meet us the next morning. Her neverland will be next, i'm looking forward to it..

The lochs had recently been let out and all the water was about 5 feet higher than normal, all COLD snake water.. Caught a 10" bass for dinner and sided it with green beans, tomatos, hummas and stuffing.. to say the least camping was fantastic. This morning, Dawz, anthes and Kalin met us to get the wake on. Thanx to the inlet of cold water i rode nothing short of crappy. Ended it with my back foot popping out, cracking my knee against the board and rolling my ankle that i already hurt at the luau. The ride home was interesting, trying to drive with more knee than ankle, chasing it with hobbling and IB profin. one movie later, and a shot of shock, it was decided that checkin it for fractures would be good. So Jennilyn drove me to the ER and found nothing wrong, just a bad sprain. So here i sit in my mom's basement i wont make it any farther than 8 feet. So once again, labor day is the unofficial ending of my wakeboarding season.. but it just goes to show that the shit can hit the fan hard, but a little good ju-ju can make it all trivial in perspective.

:::[01.Sept.06]:::

I hit the Demo Derby last night, few fires, couple of rollovers and all and all good carnage. Had Jennilyn on one side of me and this little guy on the other side of me that was a few crayons short of a whole box, but such a great natured kid. I dont know whether he was screaming cause of the chaos,.. or cause i was, but nonetheless i had 6 year old back up :)
So i had a ticket for the demo, but at the gate the gatekeeper told us that we had to pay to get into the fair... "ughh, i have a ticket for the demo right here.."
"yes, but you still need to pay to enter the fairgrounds"
"I can understand paying to enter the fairgrounds to see THE FAIR, but considering i'm going to be in the demo, how would I simultaneously enjoy the fair? What is it i'm actually paying for?"
"um..."
"So, i gotta shell out another $6 so i can walk 60 feet to the demo?"
"....yes."
I had gate passes.. which i blew on me and jennilyn to walk 60 feet. Guess the fair is in town to remind you about aspects of your community.. or atleast its capitilstic traits of greed..

Windows has become the operating system equivalent of the America Online Internet service--a mass-market product that only appeals to people who don't know any better.

That aside things have been great, the house is still in progress, the ethernet is getting closer to done, along with the living room and shower. Sounds like camping is on for this weekend :) The suns getting farther away again, so in its last thralls i think using every moment to the fullest is in order. Fishin, stars, crickets, fire.. and an aussie sunset. I wouldnt want anything more.:)

:::[15.August.06]:::

Control: Everyone gets down sometimes, every feels off once and again.. but it's really nice when you find that you have all the variables in place.. and you look at the situation and don't actually feel confused.. and everything is just laid out infront of you making sense.. and its all a matter of putting the pieces where they go and hitting the right button.. and you realize that all you had to do was take the light in your life and shine it into the dark corner to vanquish the shadow. You have all the peices. You have the means. For the first time you really have Control.

The last few weeks have been immaculate. The house is coming along.. and now i'm moving alot into the new plaace and trying to find a way to make my tub look cool without dropping $1000.. Between the brat pack and getting the house in order, and riding mutant butterflies, life's farkin great. I'll expand more as it comes.. but for now, enjoy the full moon and let your fingers seek what it is you want. :)

:::[24.July.06]:::

Went to spokane to pick up my cousin last saturday, and had my check engine light come on almost into spokane.. while driving in the dark and reading the owners manual simultaniously i found that this meant the gas cap was loose.. dumb. oh well james is in town.. if the gas cap is tight , and the light persists for more than 3days consult your service department.

The last week has been a blast, between good friends, movies, pikies, butterflies, tacos, pirates, trampolines, excalibur and water.. its been way fun. The beginning of the week was just flowing my natural pattern and james taggin along. But as the weekend rolled in there was much to prep, and people to call.. the 2nd annual Pirate Party was going down on friday. Fruit. Rum. Eyeliner. It was a blast not to forget.. The cops only came once. the music cranked till 11, the neighbors even came (with a Free Parking Pass) so they didnt get the "anti-pirate" flogging.. THough everyone else was in full pirate garb there were a few that showed without. most of which through a stink about getting paddled in front of the masses.. If your going to show up to a pirate party NOT as a pirate.. umm.. seriously, dont be surprised when there's consequence.. The last thing i need is to be the only jackk ass dressed as a pirate party cause nobody has the sand.. I even had one tubby tard tell me he wasn't going to take any consequence cause he was way more pirate then me cause he bought rum... Sticking feather's up your butt does not make you a chicken..nor does buying rum make you a pirate.. it makes you a consumer whore..

Word of Pirate advice: Don't show up to a party and tell the owner of the house to get fucked.. thats a good way to get smacked in the head with a boat oar, your rum taken (as a pirate should) and kicked out.

It brought itself to a good close, though i noticed at 6am i still had a few staggering pirates in my lawn. Peter.. if you cant find our balance how are you going to find an earring? Go the fuck to sleep.

The next night we returned the favor of froom coming to my shindig to drive back to spokane to his luau. Once again my check engine light came on at the same place it did last time.. bermuda triangle style.. (cause its out now) $5 at the door bought james and i food off the grill, croquet, and enough jungle juice to convince james that marauding the neighbors trampoline is definitely a pirate thing to do. So after talking a while with some old people, we beat the piss out of each other with a wet noodle as we bounced , me in a grass skirt and lays going everywhere.. when it was time to escape i chose the risky sprinkler hazrd path and jumped the fence with cat like skill, and landed with drunk-like ferver. the only hole in the yard and my right foot bull'seyed it. After i pulled my head outta the grass i caught alot laughs and one "HHA he's the SOBER one" hheheheh.. once again for all those that ask me "why dont you drink?"

The following day was a trip to the river.. by now peter had sobered up from the pirate party..and opted to drive, so me james pete and anthes (YEAHHHhhh back from china) romped out to the cliffs and water.. Everyone (but me, thanx ear and ankle) wakeboarded.. peter included! I've been wakeboarding since i was 12.. and far as i recal i've almost drowned that kid but never got him up on the board.. With an earful of advice under his wing he popped right outta the water.. though immediately ate shit. It was pantomimng the act of "relaxing" did he finally stabilize and ..riiiiide.. So i got him up on the board, and james got him off the cliff.. turned out he hasnt been on the boat (WE OWN..) in 3 years.. and this was anthes' first time in a few years.. and he 2 jumped right to it like he never left. Stale PB&j, bass and a 8 foot sturgeon.. we headed back in time for the family BBQ. Topped off with words from a samurai i dont think this weekend could have been better.

Life's good, doesnt matter how new it feels when you find the right path theres no worry at all. At first it resembled pirate gold .. Then i realized i saw it before, in the place i was exploring myself as much as the land around me. Aussie Sunsets will forever Calm me to the core.

:::[10.July.06]:::

I love wireless :) i'm sitting in my front yard editing my site HEHHEHEee..

WOW. Life's rad. I'm back. Like full andy, full force. And its nothing but rad. When you actually go with your gut, and just roll with the current you'd be surprised just how well things go. I love mutant butterflies.

:::[06.July.06]:::

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT!
Pirate of the Carribean : Dead Man's Chest opens at a sneak preview time at Midnight, i'll be doning the pirate garb and hope to see ya there bucko!

:::[03.July.06]:::

After a good Sunday and a great few wakeboard runs I blew out my eardrum.. (and for those of you that know me that’s time #3) First time, accidents happen, I was surfing in hurricane aftermath kindaups the chances for an accident.. 2nd time was last memorial day, at that point I shoulda learned my lesson. This third time I took a blow to my ego more than my ear. So I'm back on antibiotics again and I'll know in a week whether everything is going to be ok or not.

Needless to say I had some people very close to me that were quick to respond, guess all i'm getting at is sometimes people don't really realize just what they are worth to someone else, this is my token of appreciation.

Let go of the wheel, it'll all go right, the things go wrong when you have to fight.

:::[26.May.06]:::

Rat City Roller Girls: Went to seattle last weekend to catch The Rat City Roller Girls roller derby. If you've never got a chance to see something like this.. make one. It was 7 kinds of punk rock. Fishnet stockings, face paint, and roller skates. It was hockey with chicks. Things you cant argue with. The only downside to the whole show was this crazed neandrathal family that lumbered into the bleachers in front of us. One was such a franken-troll that part of her head was shaved to make room for the metal shockprobe jack in her head.. This must be how they conditioned her before releasing her into the general populice.

To make things worse it was obvious she climbed into the bleachers already in pain. Eaves dropping not only confirmed she suffered a migrain (already, and the show hadnt started yet.. which usually involves loud punk and screaming) along with her baboon sister pestering the entire herd of monkeypeople about what soda she could scrounge for them..SHUT up already!

The show kicked ass. It was everything I expected. The DJ started in, the game took off, and the bolt-headed troll couldnt take it and left. :) but not for long. By half time she had returned, feeling better I assumed when she got in line to the grease burger stand, ordering a salmon burger and a classic poop. It was nauseating the way this beast smelled of fish as she crawled back into her bleacher area. I barely had time to get back into the chaos that was roller derby when she started to dump a beverage all over her feet..OH F**K! The Troll is PUKING! Classic poop and Salmon Burger erupted from her in a program deflected spew.

Rat city was rad, puking troll aside, the rest of the weekend was hitting a house party with travis, meeting some crazy people, U district street fair and hangin with Shannons family. All way cool people. We unloaded a PC to her dad in trade for an iMac and a mini-arsonal for shannon. I think she has more guns then i've ever shot. :)

Advice from Tech Support:
If you dont like the way somethings working, fix it. If there is nothing in your power you can do to alleviate the issue, replace it. Too many people settle for the mediocre. Bad jobs, windows, etc.

:::[15.May.06]:::

YES! The Garage is done. It's Painted. It's reRoofed and i can finally get the insurance Co. OFF my back *insert finger here* And i couldn;t be happier about it. Shannon has been helping a ton, even to the point of throwing her back out during shingling.. i mean thanx and all , but jeez no need to kill yourself for me ;)

SO just in time (as if it were planned celebration) Shannon bought me tickets to the Rat City Roller Girls this weekend, so its a road trip. Only up to seatlle, but its open roads again.

I've dine alot of work on the page, recoding alot of little things to load the page faster and also added rss feeds below ;) just for you.

On another note i was able to find the MegaFish tank a happy home. After today it will reside in the office of BMI, which ttally makes me laugh, cause Blue Mountain Internet is a company that is "kinda" a competitor of my company's.

So i'm free again. Though theres alot more work to go on the house, and i still havent moved in , but at least now i can get the things I NEED to done in order to get in.

:::[08.May.06]:::

My birthday bash was great. Thanx to all that showed up! Abe lincoln came, betty page, some twisted mad doctor and rednex and fairies.. couldnt of seen a more twisted lineup. THe house proved itself as a worthy party palace. I'll be uploading pictures soon. It's taken me a while due to all the work i've been doing on the house..

This weekend was the great ROOF-OFF. i started early friday after work, ripping out the shingles on the north face.. the next morning i got up at 8am and started in again. with the help of shannon and tiffany we completely faced the garage. Took the shingles to the dump which was a horrible experience thans to the windtunnel we had to through the shingles into.. which usually was interupted every 3 minutes with either me or shannon screaming profanities and turning away from the wind trying to pull whatever nasty black tarcrap that just embedding itself into our cornea's..

The rest of the ceder shake that was left we had seperated out and delivered to the "Alpha Male Frat House" which apon receipt they were so thrilled about inciderary gifts they offered to pay. So that night we went back to watch the garage burn. ;)

The next day we all came back, and with the added help of corey we split into teams and sheeted and tar papered the roof, not letting the rain storm break our stride. With a fire going and the rain falling we got it done, only to watch the sun come back out the moment we finished.

Thanx again to Everyone. Shannon. Tiffany. And corey, watch those roof jacks.. hehee.

:::[25.April.06]:::

Woke up nice and late, like 10am. Took the day off today so i could just do anything i wanted. no schedule, no chores, no burning need to accomplish all that i signed on to do. After showering and having a breakfast burrito i checked my email, then me and Shannon set off for jubilee lake, picking up trailmix and gatorade on the way. To our dismay The snowlevel was still so high way up there that the roads were closed to jubilee, not that we could get the truck over the snobank anyway.

So we continued on to Elgin, where we barely had fone service so i tried to contact Morello. No Answer. So we used the john, and took off for La grande. La Grande had a minor stop for a pair of shoes which Shannon was looking for though didnt find there either. On to Pendleton. Halfway there we found Emmigrent State Park. Hiking in the thick of the woods there were scattered pumphouses and ground squrriels which we chased into a 15 foot wood stove. (really..) In pendleton we shop for junk at a crap store, and withdrew cash, for it was off to Wildhorse. After good chicken Marsala that went kinda wrong in my gut, we played slots and keno and drank my weight in free soda. after $20 i only walked away with a cheap cowhide braclet that was not made by indians.

We stopped on the way home to turn around to slow view a rigor mortis cat that seemed to be frozen in a state of consistant panic. Shannnon wouldnt let me poke it with a stick. Once home we stopped at the $1 store for a bike bell, and hit Kmart to pick out the BBQ the folks wanted to buy me, and Shannon bought a seat for the black cruiser so her ass wouldnt hurt when riding the tractor seat that was on it.

Peter, Shannon, and I, all rode into the night stopping to gather Sheridan for the first Armada ride of the year.

What a day. It's my birthday.

:::[12.April.06]:::

:::[05.April.06]:::

Happy Birthday mom, and Geneva.

Recently I was trying to find a set of rules to a dice game the temple kids taught me called Kuriki. After searching all over i felt it was kinda sad that even wikipedia only referenced it but held no viable information (such as game play and variations) So i researched and gathered and posted it on Wikipedia. As of now it up there.. but i'm currently arguing with one of the administrators of WikiPedia about the relevence and verifiabilty of the game Kuriki.. its like citing references for Hopscotch. So, theres a good chance it may be deleted from Wikipedia and lost once again to the world, but i wont let that happen. Here is a mirror of the Game Rules for Kuriki. It's a great game especially when played for stakes, steaks, beer or whatever house rules you set.

:::[28.Mar.06]:::

Vegas This last weekend for my brothers birthday, he never has seen vegas, so shannon took us all there for the weekend.. Probably spent more time travelling than we did IN vegas. With saturdays flights starting at 6am, and not actually getting to vegas till 11pm.. lets just say i know alot about SeaTac now. hehehe.

had alotta fun, alotta $$ spent mainly on taxi's, food and general survival (sanity included), lotta walking (according to mapquest it was only 3.5 miles.. but i'm thinkin it was more like 16...), and a lil drama.. it was vegas, and everything was to be expected. Not to say that i didn't have fun! we saw the Treasure Island show, and alot of nooks and crannies i'd never seen (find the desert passage under aladdin sometime) and took random pictures of peter with random statues and people.. typical good ol' vages, was ready to come home.

So getting home was about the same, spent another 12 hours trying to get outta vegas, by 3am, we got to portland, napped on a cold floor for an hour then got to seattle by 6am. by 9am we had no idea how we were getting back to WW, but last minute we caught the 10am flight back.. and now i'm at work.. on the clock again. no sleep, little food. and here till 5pm with no car..

:::[13.Mar.06]:::

Extention: My home owners insurance backed off a bit when they found i had replaced the roof on the house, so i now have untill May 19th to get the garage done. So at least now i can wait for warmer weather.

The house is coming along, i've now beat a few holes into the upstairs to gain access to cable runs for getting the new electrical up there. The garage is half scraped and i have a slew of people standing by to help (thank you all) So the weekend of painting and roofing will be a big shindig, i plan on having a large bonfire and BBQ to feed and appease all that help.

Gaia: The last few sundays have been spent shed hunting up in the blues with corey and riley. Most the time its a 5 mile hike up and down he canyons and trekking into the thicket looking for the antlers bambi dropped. Theres been success, though none on my part, but i'm not up there for antlers. From sitting in the fields, cooking MRE's while crouched outa the wind in the scrub, heckling the birdlife that hackle back, spotting 50 elk, and trying to spear each other with plantlife, its just been good getting close to her again.

So because of that i've decided to build a survival kit, no reason really, just amusing. One friend asked me, "Are you planning on getting lost?" at first i was like, "Who plans on getting lost? No , I'm not planning on getting lost, but i certainly am planning on putting myself in a situation where it could happen."

:::[08.Feb.06]:::

Thoughts seem to form from nothing, spawning from the dark resources of our minds. The best things always happen when you have a free moment. No plans, at that moment where you really have nothing taking your mental process away from where you stand at that very moment, and you'll have nothing stopping you from seizing the moment at hand. Grab the guitar, eat your free cake and smile.

:::[01.Feb.06]:::

Isn't it fun when the things you want completely contridict each other.

:::[29.Jan.06]:::

Return of the Traveler: I'm back kids. The rash is gone, the sun is missing again.

The last few days in Sayulita were great, we travelled to a few cities, which gave me a good taste of the less touristic view of mexico.

Bucerias was a good place to see with a great beach and they were obviously prepping for some kind of a fair, with trashy rides and even trashier venders setting up shop. Everybody sold the same crap. all of it something nobody needs.. though shannon scored a great mask for her brother.

La Pannita was an absolute shithole.. but i loved it it had the feel of a post-apoc amusement park, with really not much there.. a few bars, restaraunts all dirtier than you can imagine. On the way there while waiting for the bus we watched the brutal beating of a cow.. this guy was just beating the beast of burden silly with a 2x4, the other "cowboy" held the beast steady with a rope.. this is when we all kinda figured what was about to happen. moments later it was a confirmed though when the mexican with the 50 gallon hat pulled out a big kitchen knife and shived this cow in the neck like a prison stabbing.. its was unreal.

The follwing day we heard there was going to be a market in La Pannita, and in light of a minor burglary it was a needed trip to go back to the only ATM within 50 miles. So we hiked back up to the freeway ( a 15 minute hike from salyulita) and sat back on the familar crashgaurd, right next to the cowpen, waiting for the next bus. We morbidly joked that at least there wasnt another cowshanking in progress that day, though we spoke too soon. within minutes 2 trucks pulled up and this time (with a more cooperative cow) got the cow into the concrete slab without having to beat the thing with a 2x4.. needless to say it was a bloodbath.. once again, right in view. the worst was over when the taxi pulled up that offered us a ride cheaper than the bus.

markets in a small 3rd world village are an experience all their own. try one sometime. its fun.

we returned to seattle friday night and got through customs with only minor harrasment for the garbage bag i carried. I had to explain to the guy that it was a bargain suitcase. Though on the plane i told the people i was next to that i brought my dog with me to mexico and he didnt make it, and i vowed to bury him on home soil.. HAHAHAH they were uncomfortable the rest of the flight till i finally broke character and told them it was just a hammock.

Once home we dashed for Thai food and crashed hard. it had been a long flight and a great trip.

:::[24.Jan.06]:::

Well,. i have taken good care of the eardrum.. though somehow i ended up with some disease that rendered my hands and feet covered in a rash and after (atempting to) surf the sayulita bay all day i ended up in bed with a fever yesterday.. shannon scoured the town for advil and gaterade for me.. today we traveled north to "san poncho" though it wasnt the one in cali.. it was a little beach town where we walked the beach and ate in a beachside restaraunt.. (ask me someday about the mexican shrimp cocktail...ew)

That aside the rash is stil here and i feel less sick.. and i'm coughing like mad.. but my spirits are up and the ice cream is cheap.. so today I may not surf but just enjoy the surf and all the many wandering dogs.. (they are all over the place), including spotting about 15 chihuahua's packed into a chicken cage on the back of a moped..

The other noght me and shannon came up with a great form of entertainment for the night, which consisted of $1 slingshots, and a $1 bag of pink and white marshmellows, all purchased from the corner market.. the register girl had a good laugh realizing how the 2 items were a match made in heaven, and even today the marshmellow assults continue between us and her parents. the fun part is we have been involving all sorts of indeginous people into the marshmellow warfare as they passby under our second story balcony. There is no way to stay mad after being pelted with a high velocity marshmellow.

the sun is shining , the taco's are great.. dont drink the water.. and the surf is up.. we've all taking a beating from almost all of thos .. hone of us has a sunburn, felt damage provoked by the surf and felt are stomachs twist thanx to something less than clean in something we ingested..Nonetheless i am still having a blast. This is something that will easily be remembered.

For now i'm going to run, but i'll be back soon. As always everyday is one more notch on the belt. rendering an experience i will never be able to repeat but always remember. Pictures are to come.

:::[21.Jan.06]:::

Sayulita, Mexico:Im here.. got here after a wild journey and its been fun.. like australia, i have very limited internet acces ( i have to pay for it).

ok so the night before me and shannon left we were supposed to fly out it got so foggy that there was little to zero chance that the plane would fly out the next morning.. so the descision was made to climb into my car and drive to seattle the night before.. at 11:30 at night we left walla walla, and it was a terrible long drive, with about 15 foot visibilty almost the entire way.. thanx to a few trucks along the way.. i was able to have guided travel through the worst spots.. i{ll note that my car does not do hillls well at all..

after we got there i was able to have a 1.5 hour nap before i had to wake back up , move my car to a safe locale and get to the airport to catch the flight to port of vallarta.. the flight was long, but my capabilty to tell time was SHOT. so in and out of sleep i flew across N. America..

Port of Vallarta was wild, it was almost immediately aparant that i was not in kansas anymore. street vendors, taxi and hotel touters... it was like australia all over again.. just as hot with less english.. but in some places you couldnt tell they really speak english well.. after a monor busride, we ended or journey in sayulita.. a tourist beach community that reminds me too much of airlie beach, surf, sun, coconut tree's and enough tourism to really make the experience bizaare. BUT ITS fun..

We are staying in a lofty 2 bedroom hotell that is more like a familiar tropic daze hostel. it really doesnt cater to a large number of people at once, and the view from the balcony is fantastic.. overlooks the whole of sayulta.

Tomorrow we plan to surf , though we have been playing in the water everyday, in between mexican feasts and touristic shopping for crap we dont need..

:::[17.Jan.06]:::

Honda I've had the new car now since the day after thanxgivin, and i've only filled it up twice.. not like i havent drove it. I drove it about everyday, even drove to tricities a few times.. twice.. yeah, you hate me. But i was put in my place when my friend recently showed me VIDEO footage of a 300hp magnetic repulsion engine that was built in aus. this engine ran on magnets. no fuel. no gas. no cost.. 300 hp.. i about cried.

Mexico: I'm heading for mexico with Shannon and her parents on thursday morning for about 10 days..The plan is to fly to Portal Viyarta, and buss to some place called Sayulita, i speak basically no spanish, (aside from yo quero probar tos chichis?) So it should be a fun adventure full of sun and surf and maybe some seen's from "The mexican" so if this is the last blog you see in a while.. its cause i'm surfing.. or blew my eardrum out (again) doing so and got eaten by a shark..

:::[27.Dec.05]:::

One rad xmas. Everybody had alot of fun. Shannon spent xmas with us, this was the first year she wasnt able to get home for xmas, so i think the psuedo family made a good replacement. :) Everyone made off like a bandit, Peter loved the bike. Mom adored the season one of Fraggle rock. Shannon got me some japanese style lights for the yard and her dad gave me a "utilty knife" that looks like its meant for gutting people. It was a great weekend, filled with food, presents, games and general good times. Hope everyone had a fun time.

:::[11.Dec.05]:::

1207 Figueroa Got the house. It's a mess, right now i'm working hard to just get it cleaned up. Basically it needs a new roof, it needs alotta work done within, including new electrical wiring ran to every room. which i'm actually looking forward to, cause i'm gonna run ethernet cable to everyroom as well. :) i have many idea's for the house, from a torii in the yard to firpits, and maybe even a computer controlled cirvuit system.. even grafetti based decor.. should be wild. For now i will resort to cleaning up garbage and hanging up a few xmas lights..

Phoenix Directly after the closing of the house, i left for Phoenix for about 4 days with shannon. It was great seeing john again. We spent alotta time just BSing at jon's place. Saw narnia, and just general merrimaking in a slow and low pace which was so "john", so it totally felt right. It was also great seeing the sun as well. Luckily john had shorts i could borrow. 2 weeks till Winter solstice! Coming back was a bit more of an advture, to get home we had to leave phoenix by 7am.. so that meant waking at 4am our time. Once back in seattle we found that weather was so adverse that flying into walla walla was not an option. So we had to drive, but being that shannons brother was coming down with us, he drove. Talk about a roadtrip.. i was laughing the whole time i was awake.

Chores When I instructed snowboarding at Spout a long while back I learned something about quality. when i went up to go boarding, as most of you feel, it was fun. In fact, I yearned for it. But when it became a job i started to hate it. it became not so fun.. it became a chore. i started to actually DISLIKE boarding. If you like something dont ever let it get to the point where you feel like its a chore. What you love should never feel taxing.

:::[29.Nov.05]:::

Honda Insight: The car is here. I picked it up the day after thanxgving. After getting there and finally meeting Lou (the salesmen i dealt with via email for close to 3 months) we talked and talked about everything from martial arts to what we considered "real people", lou is definately one that i consider real. After the paperwork was done i meet up with dusty and traded off my car to him, so we both walked away with new cars. We went to A&W for food (good god it was nasty) and talked and met his friend who brought his little 6 month old son deacon, they were all cool, and the kid looked like a keebler.. cool little guy. I dropped almost $22k on the car, and hopefully it'll pay off. So far i'm very happy and have been averaging 50miles to the gallon. The only thing that struck me as odd was the fact that I bought a brand new car straight from the manufacturer.. and it had no floormats? wtf. But it does do this creepy thing where the whole car shuts down at stoplights.. given the Climate Control is set just right.. Now my plans are to get floorlights, blue mood lighting, some nuclear decals, maybe a 3 foot invader zim sticker on the hood (it does look like a space pod) and a laptop mount inside..oh yeah, and floormats. I'll get pics soon.

Winter Solstice is coming, so i've been working on getting things ready for people. I have a few surprises this year that i think should create some smiles.. isn't that the point in these dark days?

Pheonix: Shannon has booked us for a flight to pheonix for a few days with a layover in shannons turf in seattle on the way. So prep up pheonix-heads.. andyclaws is coming to town. We'll bail here on the 7th spend a night in seattle and then fly in on the 8th. and leave on the 11th. :) Sun, Warmth and Reiff. Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.

Still in a holding pattern on the house. Kinda feel like i'm in a holding pattern over many things. Winter is a time of slumber for many things, though it's a moment i use to reflect inward and usually create the seeds of the excitement to come. Last winter i got a huge start on the next A.T. Kommand album, amongst all the other projekts i have going, to get more distance on that would be fantastic.

:::[21.Nov.05]:::

News: The car is coming.. should be here within the next few days, things to be thankful for :) SO i've been cleaning my car for dusty and getting finacial stuff ready. House paperwork continues, i'm now in a waiting pattern and looking into insurance stuff. Shannon has so many idea's for the house that i'm getting stoked for the house. (ie. Plants, Torii's, computer controlled circuitry) Lately i've been trying so hard to just get the little things outta the way. cause when it all hits i wont have much time for the stuff i've let sit for so long. Sorry if i've seemed distant and MIA. I'll be right back.

Value: Three people are heading from seattle to pheonix AZ. All of them are going to be going basically the same route, but using different means of transportation. All three will be getting there around the same time of year.
One of them will be flying, riding coach eating maybe a bag or two of salted pretzels and maybe a glass of ginger ale. It will probably only take hin short of 4 hours for the whole ordeal, before he reaches sunny pheonix.
Another will be driving, he's packed his car with food and camping gear. He'll be staying at a hotel hear and there and possibley camp out a night or two. It'll probably only take him -5 days to get there, depending on the sites he may stop for along the route.
The last one has a large task in his future. He plans to walk to pheonix from seattle. He has a backpack, with the lightest gear he could find. He'll buy food along the way and seek shelter hear and there in hotels. But whether he is sleeping under open sky or eating at McDonalds, he will being going by foot the whole way. Following the roads that lead that way.
So my question is about value, we can all imagine the details of each persons trip.. but who is going to value reaching pheonix more? Which one is going to look at the "Welcome to Pheonix" sign and grin the biggest. Life is only a one time ride. Don't rush it. Remember it's not about the destination, it's about the journey it took getting there.

:::[10.Nov.05]:::

I'm not dead, just had my hands full. i'm actually doing well. Very well. It's been a long time since the last update, but i've had nothing but good times and alot to tackle, not to mention the nasty COlD weather (though check out the new weather badge, do you need a jacket?). There's been a hefty load of things on my plate. Gotta get that last bike finished for pete, it's the one project that still lingers for me.

New House I've mainly been dealing with an absolute mess of paperwork for getting a loan to get the house. One philosophy of mine is that if you can't afford something you don't need it. In other words, if you can't pay for it in cash.. then find another way around.. no sense in going into debt over anything, hell half the western civilization suffers from a folley like that. To put it bluntly, i have 0 credit. None. SO it's just making the loan process a bit more sticky, let alone dealing with all the flak from all the bureaucrats. "What?! no credit card?? why? HOW?".."ughh, cause i didn't wanna be in debt up to my nostrils by the age of 18 like the rest of america?" Either way, the house is mine.. its all a matter of paper work. hopefully within a month i'll have that house and will be renovating it into the attraction you all expect from me.

New Car I have the VIN number of my new car. To me that means a few things, the guys obviously seriously holding it for me, and also its coming soon. From the latest correspondence the car was built on 10.20 and is now floating somewhere between japan and USA.

New Girlfriend :),Aside from all the red tape i'm plowing through due to this house and car.. i have actually been having a monkeybarrel of fun. A few weeks ago i got a note on my car. It was from one of the girls that works upstairs from me at horizon, the girl that perpetually propped one leg on the weigh scale while working the terminal, giving her the resemblance of a famous pirate icon. The note was even signed "Captain Morgan". Between twig breaking, curbside taco's, conversations over a pool table, things just hit it off with unbelievable ease. Since then we've been hanging out a bunch, lounging, helping prep for the dark festival, and staying up way late sharing stories and ideas. I'm really glad I found her.

Halloween: As you all know I always Prep for halloween more than most. There was alot to do this year, but it all paid off as you will see in the new Gallery update--> Halloween 2005. Not Available yet The pumpkin carving seemed to hit back burner till Samhein was almost apon us. Though i hold no argument at all against the events that delayed the carving ritual. The actual weekend itself was good, dressed up as raiden and brought my trusty hobbit sidekick along to a party in Spokane at Steve Froom's house. So it was a night of One Nightstands (frooms costume) and talk of Spicy Chibatta's among being relieved that we had a hobbit in the party when "the ring" was found on a girls finger.

Concrete Surf --> just scored an Arbor Longboard from a good friend.. CHECK IT OUT. It rides like a dream. Hopefully i'll still be as stoked over the board when the nasty weather subsides to clean dry pavement.

:::[27.Oct.05]:::

Another good one coming, for all you punk fairies, batgirls, hobbits, and zissou members. Let the good times roll.

:::[03.Oct.05]:::

OMG! - I'm getting that house! Turns out the estate has been promised to me as i thought so i have dibs on buying the house of my recently deceased 100 year old neighbor. It's all coming along so fast its exciting but definately a bit stressful. This is happening all about the same time i'm buying a new car. New car + New House = Broke Andy. I friggin hate $$, but it looks like i'm not gonna have much after this so not to worry.. though i'm gonna have to really crack down on all the little guys that owe me a nickle or two.

To all my Friends Woke up this morning feeling like santa clause, a list of old friends and people i've known scrambling through my head. So who's out there? drop me a line!! for christ's sake, it's been too long for some of you.. i'll be making a point to seek out everyone. It's been a wild ride lately, but i haven't forgot you guys.

Halloween Update! - I have finally reached the descision of what to be for halloween. Rayden from the Mortal Kombat series. Turns out i almost have the complete outfit. Just need to make a few things.. and we're good. LOL!

Take a ride on the Wild side - No matter how much logic you try to utilize in life, sometime your get these overwhelming urges to do something that on hindsight is downright ridiculous. Primal needs of somesort of maslow-eske quality that feel unfulfilled rendering you scratching at the walls unable to continue the path you traverse. For a while now I've been searching for something. It's funny how no matter how "evolved" we feel. There are still very instincual basics that if left unchecked can override all your evolved intellegence.

:::[26.Sept.05]:::

It's officially the end of summer, the boat came out of the water yesterday which normally is a closing ritual for me, but due to a few really good friends leaving town yesterday, i opted out of the ceremony to spend the remaining tail of the weekend trading a few more story's and snippits of chatter with the italian rebel and the elven girl. The earlier side of the weekend was one wild ride at one point ending with me in a full tux at the green, surrounded by people i havent seen in a long while, some dressed to the hilt like me.

After a few weeks deliberation i've come to the conclusion (due to thorough attention being paid) that the harley gets a little more than 5 mpg better than my car. Really there is little reason to strive the cold mornings in my armor when i could just take the car for little to no repercusion. Though the harley will still be getting its use, just because its a harley. :)

Jim underwent severe training this weekend, subjecting him to mini-assualts, his game will be fully operational soon, so long as i can pry my external HD case from brian so we can rescue jim's storyline.

Justin is now back online, wired his house last night, and we were surfin in less than 30 minutes.

Hopefully everything will fall into place at the last minute and all the debts will be paid back quickly cause I'm starting to stress heavy, time is running out.

:::[21.Sept.05]:::

Stayed up late, to socially masterbate.
This weekends reunion was outta the norm.
To wax and dine with a friend of mine,
the italian rebel was still in form.
Chased by the cops, not till 4am did it stop.
Fuckin' "A" man, wanna play some pool?

Many friends from afar, DnD in a jar,
and a shipment of Pirate Bandaid's.
A troubled soul on a grassy gnoll,
Cryptic advice was all i could trade.
To form new bonds to friends once thought gone.
I'm making this boy band look cool.

:::[07.Sept.05]:::

Once again i have blown out my eardrum. Labor day called for a great ride back out to the boat for a little fishing/wakeboarding. I was way sloppier than i thought and the crash came fast and i came up dizzy, just like last time. I tore my eardrum, but the doctor said it's already healed up. It just needs a while now to strengthen. Good god, i'm i really this fragile? 2 eardrums in less than a year, in the same ear. That aside, the weekend was really good. But like summer it had to end in a fall. I'm healing faster than normal according to the doctor, but it doesnt mean that it didn't damage my spirit a bit.

:::[01.Sept.05]:::

Ok, so we can send tons of people to Iraq to fight a battle that has nothing to do with us. We can rally $thousands of dollar$ to aid people in the tsunami catastrophe. Our own New Orleans floods and we can't get Government help? We can't get them food? You people claim patriotism? What part of any of this looks like voting that little oil monkey into office was the right descision? Patriots my ass. I'm an Anarchist. Can you see why? How is it i seem to have more patriotism then these self-proclaimed americans.

In a world of global communication, i think we need to stop thinkin about what country we live in, what tribe we belong to.. can't you see it? WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD. I'm not an american. I'm an earthling.

The majority of this rant was in response to FEMA's lack of action. A friend of mine was in new orleans when this happened, along with 250 emergency medical assistants in the area that were there for a conference. When shit his the fan, they offered their services (which would have been helpful in thousands of ways) and were gruffly told to stay out of it. *insert look of astonishment here*

We need to be responsible for our own actions, and our own lives, we can't rely on the "concept" of a government motherhood that will take us underwing. I mean argue with it as you may, but really, ultimately we are responsible for our own wellbeing. If you feel otherwise, fine, but when nobody comes to help you may be surprised. Just be prepared. If you live in a region of eminant danger, prepare for it, or at least dont act astonished when you live in tornado alley and you get hit by a Tornado. If someone comes to Aid you, feel privliged.

:::[29.Aug.05]:::

John van oppen time is a whole new scale of measurement in fact we didnt get to Vancouver BC, till about 12am.. by that time I not only hadnt got to drive an Insight, but was way bushed.. so we stayed in and watched the aviator.. good movie but kinda creepy howard hues kinda goes mental by the end of his life. but it kinda reinforced my own philosophy: too much in life is never good, to simplify is the answer to making things better, lower the amount of variables and you'll see the real equation. (sometimes i feel like that guy.. come in with the milk..)

Vancouver is really wild there were loads of people out so we went out to raise hell on saturday night, which ended up being us walking 3 miles in a large loop and eating some great indian food. By 1am the nerd league was tired and cranky and needed a nap. so we went back to the condo. by 1am i was ancy as hell and needed some excitement so i went back out alone. Talked with all sorts of wild people and ended up in a brawl. Some guy started shit with another guy. Next thing you know i was getting out of the way as they started duking it out.. i was in no way gonna stop the fight.. it was the most amusing thing i'd scene in a while. Then some dumb girl jumped in (just as drunk as the rest) trying to "break it up".. that ended with her dropping like a sack of potatoes as an elbow showed her how fruitless her efforts were. That's when i stepped in, not to break it up, but to drag her ass outta to the curb to avoid her getting trampled. The moment "drunk boyfriend" spotted me grabbing her by the arms he fliped and was ontop of me, and his assailant jumped him. That was the cue for the rest of the brawlers friends to jump in. After crashing through a set of trashcans and into the 4 lane road the count was me and 5 other guys. Some people question why i don't drink, it's moments like this that i shine. These retards fought like girls in slowmotion. It was fun, hell i was laughing the whole time. Got socked good here and there but ultimately it was just funny.

After returning to the hotel i was able to catch the scene they were filming at the base of the building we were staying at. They had converted the "shaw tower" (the building that john has a condo in) in to DART "Digital Arts Research Technology" for a film called "The Cleaner" starring cedric the entertainer and Lucy Liu, i hear Elizabeth Hurley is in it as well but i only say the other two. The movie is set in Seattle (funny that Vanc BC ended up being the place) so there were tons of Seattle police cars and firetrucks outside the building and at 1:30am the main outside scene was taking place.. so i sat behind the director and watched the scene burn into film.. what a way to end the night.

I got back in around 2am. The next day was slow going, we got outta vanc by 12pm. breakfast didnt happen till 6.30pm, long pass over the border but i at least got to test drive the insight. So now i have to deal with colder weather. fixing my old car for dusty, and picking a new car..Toyota prius? (looks like ass, but great room/mpg), Honda Insight? (Better mpg, but tiny) Honda civic? (worse mpg, but more room that the insight)..Bah! let alone so many little things.

:::[24.Aug.05]:::

So i say this everytime. The last few weeks have been a wild ride, ups downs, but mostly just good stuff, when you roll with the general current in life it all becomes an overall good deal.

My palm died. Was writing a message in when it gave me a "fatal exception error" that quickly turned the screen into an etch-a-sketch. At first i was a bit miffed.. but all my data is backed up.. and the model i'll get to replace it will be twice the machine this was for something like $40. A minor sum considering the tithe i owe to PDA dieties.

LAtely i've been helping, in anyway i can, a great friend of mine move, She's headed right now down to LA for orientation at the college she got into so it's been a rowdy few weeks, packing , fixing and generally doing those last few fun things before she had to go. Saturday night we all ended up going camping out on the river, it was fantastic, chilli dogs from the fire, so no bulsshit mess. The moonrise that lit up the night like a virtual daytime, and the beaver that woke us up around 3am. THat morning i stumbled outta my sleeping bag, grabbed my fishing pole, and within an hour had five 12 inch samll mouth bass.. it was UNREAL. geneva got kinda ticked though watching me pull in monster after monster and not even feeling the nibble of a guppie. THe rest of the day was spent wakeboarding and sunning. It has definately been fun having her around.. this ones for you *cracks a Dr. Thunder onto the curb*.. but it aint the last time. :)

I got the new bike done. Electrostatically painted and all reconstructed. It Looks Amazing. I just need some pics of it for you guys ..and maybe a name for it, its a 26" beachcruiser thats been modded to an adult size lowrider. :)

Now its a catch up time, i have many things that have been in need of attention, while i was busy making use of the summer that came late this year. Still Car shopping, test driving, and debating which to get. Theres a few little things i need to do to get the car ready. let alone my room is a mess. This thing hasnt been touched in a bit. Peter's bike still needs paint.

:::[06.Aug.05]:::

Even Steven: The last few weeks have been a wild play of events (as always right?) Car broke down, again. Plans fell apart, and my last chance of hope was to go to my sanctuary of lions ferry and wake board myself to zen status. The first 10 minutes there landed me massive damage to my left hand. I gave myself a caustic rope burn that has still yet to heel (it'll be a week tomorrow) This damage i've sustained really reminded me that life is one big RPG. Given enough time it's only in the interest of good plot to maintain a balance of the set-backs to the rewards, to many of each could result in a poor story. Almost in accordance to this thought it's like everything spun back into line.

Car: Swapping the engine out all of a sudden became a resort option. I recently have been looking into a new car. I know the batmobile will be no more. Sell the neon and get a hybrid. I'm actually excited but i'm with you guys, it's gonna be sad to see it go.. but it couldnt last forever. But the new car idea has got me nothing but excitement. It's time for a change, and the car I have in mind gets something close to 650miles to a tank of gas. and looks like something from teh far reaches of space.

Armada: The 2 bikes I've been working on finally got the break i've been wanting. I was planning on airbrush at least my brothers bike with a scene from the outer limits of the galaxy, this would require a black base coat, the custom airbrushing followed by a clear coat. After looking into doing this I realized i was getting in way over my head, the best option would be to outsource the base and clear coats. Like a Shiny Knight outta the shadows Tyler offered the services of his latest workplace which happens to be an eletrostatic painting shop. He not only has them snadblasted down but also is in progress of getting them painted which should be done by the time I return. I really wanna get Pete's bike up in function before the cold weather gets here. Give him at least a chance to ride the damn thing.

Metolius Cabin: I took friday off to have an extra day playing here in the sticks of OR, Geneva got me a ticket for some concert here in Bend, OR.. Stragically it was close to her grandparents cabin on the Metolius River. This is where I am at the moment, mucking about in the wilderness thinking of the next wild twist to the roadkill story, Planning the best course of action for the car swap, calculating the checklist for the bicycle brigade to be most efficiently finish the project with decent timeliness, but mostly I'm chillin. Forced to relax with little option of those "things that need to be done" Which kinda brings me to the realization that all you guys know me to rant and blast wild philosophy and ideas that somehow go unnoticed on this great communication platform. So on that note. Live life like a comic. It's your comic, make your story good. Dont fret the little things. You're not gonna starve, or die no matter how poor your desisions are, it's a learning experience. Just jump, cause the moment you "think" about it, is the moment you hesitate, and thats when you usually miss the oppurtune moment.

I also Password protected the "media" folder in the toybox, so all you jackasses in europe can go get your music elsewhere;)

:::[25.July.05]:::

WOW. what a weekend. Prepping for a large number of pirates was costly. In both time and money. But it worked out great, i got alotta help on both ends. Painted a number of the armada to represent their pirate nature better, The turn out was impressive, the help was fantastic. The Pirate Soiree was an imense hit. The place looked fantastic. All i can say is thanx to everyone that really pitched in. That was by far the best party i've seen all summer, and it was you that made it happen, not me. :) I'm still trying to take it all in. Can't wait for the pics and video footage that i plan to put up. We gotta do that again. That was flawless. there were so many great lookin costumes and the attitude all up was great.

Ended up saving my friends ass. He got robbed at gunpoint, and i ended up sticking my neck out to pull him from the mess that ensued as a result.

Also scored a sweet old school teeal beachcruiser for $10 at a yardsale. i figure a good new paint job and that badboy will look amazing.

After the clean up of the pirate party happened faster than expected,I decided to make a run to the river which was a plan since last week with spence and derek. ABout 11 people caught wind of my sailing, needless to say i did my best to get as many on board as possible, but a few got left behind. That just means i'm gonna have to go out again ;)

Today is all about battoning down all the loose lines that were result from this weekend. I have alot of peoples things that they contributed, and many people to say thanx to.

:::[22.July.05]:::

Well the weather is warm and the ScallyWags are rousin, its time for the Armada's: Ye Olde Pirate Party! It's at my place THIS saturday (Tomorrow!) the 23rd! I hope to See all your scurvvy bastards there.

Contact me for details!

ON other notes I've been well, weddings and floggings, seattle and pyro technics! Been very busy setting up for this party and training the new guy at work, got roadkill going again, with a new adventure in mind and shortly that pumpin straight remix will be done. The last few weeks have seriously been a blur, with all the work I've been doing for where i work and the offtime favors and things to be done it's been hectic, but i'll admit i'm still laughin like a hyena. Life has never tasted so tangy.

:::[20.June.05]:::

"Hey, Corey's Bachlor party is on saturday, wanted to see if you can come" "..sure" "OK, we'll be meeting in front of the armory on the 18th, 3pm..basically gonna kidnap him and have a blast, bring $25 for the strippers and stuff." "..ok"
I got there and found about 15 other guys waiting, we piled into a van, 3 of them clad in black leotards (kinda creepy) drove into corey's lawn and about 2 minutes later they came out corey bagged and zip-tied under their arms, threw him in the van and drove off. It was about 15 minutes outta town when i decided to ask where we were going, everyone kinda laughed and were like "you dont know??"..."no".. "We are going to Spokane for the weekend..","shoulda brought my toothbrush.."

So that night pretty much was a cluster bomb of naked girls, boozin buddies and trashed hotel suites. As always i had a blast and a half, keeping the crew amused and myself on the edge. By 8am the next morning, we all were hurtin from laughing, tired from a severe lack of sleep and back in the car heading home. Most everyone was hung over, but they all still managed to keep the party rocking all the way home. Congrats Corey.

After i got home, i found i had about 10 minutes to get to the park to watch mom dance for the race unity days. After that the day was just way to gorgeous to do nothing with, so i picked up my bike from justins and tried to gather a crew to go to the river with. This time it was the fathers of the world that held me back, everyone had father's day things to attend, so i was able to conjur nick and jon up, so we headed out to the MF pool. THat was deemed futile when we waled in and found it was almost time for some afternoon break and the open swim wasnt going to open for another 2 hours. Luckily i had poles in the trunk so we instead ended up out near nine mile, on the WW river.. fishing, swimming and catching tadpoles.. general sun-god worship.

When we got home, we hit the store and jon sponsered a BBQ that involved more food than i've seen in ages. THanx jon! WE worked up some new characters to get me into the game Nick is running, and generally bs'ed till the sun went down.

By the time i was ready to crash one of my dad's friends was over and we started talkin bikes, next thing you know he had an answer for about everything i was stuck on, so peter's bike is now well under way, and we even have an idea for how to paint it!

:::[16.June.05]:::

Batman Begins Opened in theaters last night, I'm sure you all know where i was. Front row. It was off the hook, and not like "wow, that was good.." more like "OH MY GOD, that is hands down the best BatMan movie ever, and a serious contender in Andies Top 3." They got it right, they stuck with the comic and left nothing open to kinda chew apart later. My favorite Villian was introduced, Jonathon Crane, the Scarecrow. Let alone one of Batmans worst enemies, Raz Al Ghul. But he wasn't badly portrade like they did Bane in Batman and Robin. Wow. I'm still in shock. in Awe.

What else? Lately i've really been putting my hands to the grindstone, fixing bikes that i've found in ditches, repairing a multitude of peoples screwed up computers (when are people gonna feel the drift that windows is a clunky peice of trash?)

Got a new mp3 player, the Archos gmini XS200, it's tinier than the ipod mini and holds 20gb (not the ipods 4gb) and its price tag was the same $200. I'm stoked so i've been compiling loads of music together for it. Now i just need to figure out what i did with my good headphones.

on the note of music, travis has recently been pushing for an A.T. Kommand track to be released on a major label, and actually has succeeded so i've been steadily pushing tracks from the 303 into my mac where i can convert them to Reason files. Listen close kids, you may just hear a Pumpin' Straight rendition soon!

Van Oppen straight up , hooked me up at work, got me a faster machine and dual 17" LCD monitors, so i've been surfin in style when while at work.

ANd now a moment of true amusement.

:::[01.June.05]:::

Just added myself to Myspace

Memorial Day Weekend was a wild adventure in itself. Started with an early kick, saturday morning i crawled outta bed and went straight to my boat.. by noon we had it cleaned out and running strong. I frantically grabbed my stuff and jumped in the car. WakeBoarding went great even after 8 months off season with no snowboarding to keep in the groove. It was cold and a bit choppy but that didn't stop any of us. Near sundown we hit up some fishing and made plans to head back out the next day.

Saturday morning We all got up early and went to the set of The Man Who Hated Music" and did the class room scene. By 2pm Derek, Justin, Nathan and Geneva all had wanted to go to the river and camp out Being that we all had Monday off. By 4pm we were back on the river. Justin and Nathan opted to stay at the ferry to check out the party scene, While Me, Derek and Geneva found a great spot to camp, we set up a rack of chicken over the fire, and fished well into the night, stopping occasionally to sacrifice a chicken leg to the FireGod and fire bottlerockets at the boats floating in the Palouse Mouth.

The weekend was a steady pulse of fishing, wakeboarding, laughing, tasty babies, and Sun. The only fish we kept we put in Mom's pond. What a great initiation to this summer. Next weekend i only forsee as being even better: Aarons birthday, Wakeboard in Tricities, new bike parts on friday, and more lions ferry goodness i'm sure.. the armada is restless the sun is out. I know where i will be.

:::[27.Apr.05]:::

My Birthday was a shindig not to be forgotten, started friday night and went till sunday. Damn Cool, I think we all have to agree. I think the lack of sleep is catching up to me though.. not that it wasnt worth it. :P I would like to thank Justin and Gurnette for Really making it happen. Also; gus chiggins, the makers of the tiki's, derek and his endless knowledge of "fence", and to everyone that showed up, and for those that didn't; You missed out. Klick Here for Pix of the Party.

The PorkChopper is complete! The koalition even helped by chipping in advice and parts. The gallery now includes pics of the infamous PorkChopper

I found a copy of the best commercial ever --> HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAhahaahhHHAAa!

:::[18.Apr.05]:::

So the weekend before last was a wild ride on an outta control coaster. A BBQ at justin's that end in a hail of gunfire when some dude got mad at a passing car. This started off the weekend nicely on Friday. Followed by 4 BET comics in a local tavern at a fraction of the cost of a normal show of that stature was saturday's adventure. Somehow i ended up on stage as more of a prop for the last comic than anything else. This LARGE and in charge black woman had me answering questions into the mic that i'm glad my mother didnt hear. It was when she started moving the furniture on stage that I started to get nervous. She finished her act by throwing me around like a ragdoll and bending me over the stage railing. Needless to say, I gained a bit of recognition from that moment on with the locals.

Sunday Me, Corey, and Tim went up in the Mt.'s to find mushrooms but ended up only with a bucket of pond frogs and a black bear in a tree. The next day all the frogs had jumped ship and went elsewhere.. i know they are live and well as i can stilll hear them at night.. somewhere in the dark.

This weekend was not a bad chaser; Starting with the smile of a cute redhead, immediately followed by the contruction of a lowrider bike that journeyed my direction in the trunk of a car. The Weekly BBQ at justins getting a late start, and a plethera of Poetry mixed in throughout the weekend. Computers were fixed and prepared for their owners and bikes were set to be ridden by the armada. We journey on and relax our feet in the Coffee shop venues that mellow us out with the soft chatter and dim lighting.

Just Added pics from Bumbershoot 2004 to the Gallery. CHeck it out if you get a chance!

There is also some new NIN added in the music section.. dont tell it's still unreleased.

:::[05.Apr.05]:::

The Weeked was insane. Keggers, Parties, 3 fires and one dudes head going through a plate glass window.

Pinkee came into town on friday, i happened to be at a party when she got in. I bailed from there and picked her up and brought her back. I got a little chicken in my system and about 2 sodas before pinkee got bored and needed to purge some fix she had to "do something" forgetting it was WW, and we probably were at the coolest shindig in town.. We drove on, hit the underground, the stone hut, the blue.. by 1 am we were ordering a pizza in the parkinglot of pizza hut.

Day 2 got weirder. It started with Me, Pinkee and Peter "trying" to go to El Sombrero. After driving through a few drivethroughs the wrong direction and watching general chaos ensue, we had got some substantial mexican food in us. I had planned on getting a few things done, like changing my oil, and fixing a comp or two. I got sidetracked so badly by so many variables by 5 i was like "fork it". I ended up fishing with corey for a while out at the resevior. I wasnt home for more than 15 minutes after that, but that was plenty of time to score that laptop that tim, brian and nick had all been passing around like the PHB, for $250. Happy birthday pete. I was then kidnapped. Peter, and pinkee found me there and dragged me to another barbecue. No arguments here, free food and soda.. ok. I thought i was going to catch up with corey for comedy night but by 10:30 i realized that plan was long behind me and young drunk people held more of my concern. The party ended as abruptly as a large mexican guy putting his head through plate glass while falling down 4 steps head first because he was more concerned with spilling the beer in his hand. After he bounced of it like a raquetball and the glass stopped falling he sat up and we knew it was time to go. I split from the rest of the group and tried to meet up with corey. Nope. Turned out the battery in my car was dead, and i mean dead and gone. So corey picked me up for a night that wouldnt end untill 5am. I ran into more people than i eveer thought. Christina parsons included, which was really cool. We got to put away all the animosity we ever had. She seems really happy:)

Day 3. A late morning. Worked on getting my car running to no avail. I did however, get one of the copms werking, yet found that wiping the drive on pete's new laptop caused it to die. Had some chinese food with Pinkee and Pete. Ended the day with Sin City. Good flik, great job.

Monday was like a day of reckoning, everthing turned back around. Got a new battery for the car. Got many loose ends tied up all over town, favors for friends, machines fixed, even changed my oil at 11pm. It was even this morning that i got the laptop going. I was up way late last night though.. While i was in kmart earlier i found a lowrider bicycle that was off the charts. :P I'm getting one.. no question. Low-Ri-Der..

With another tidbit of insanity I give you THIS

:::[28.Mar.05]:::

Eastre (yes, that's how you really spell it.) The celebration of Rebirth. The day of the vernal equinox or the beginning of spring. With every shedding of the old and dying there is new life underneath. If you ever hope to gain new life, you must shed the old. It's a constant cycle to be reminded of, especially at this point in the year. As I walk outside i see new life springing from the ground, more and more everyday. It's good to see the similarities on the inside as well.

:::[22.Mar.05]:::

Many of my faithful readers i consider great friends of mine, it is that reason why every so often I feel you guys have not only the priveledge but the right to hear some of the inner workings of my head.

I just receieved what i feel like, one of the most self-indulged emails I've yet to have to read. Truthfully it got me thinking, and for a good while now I've felt this way but never felt like expressing it. There are even a few select people that i felt were more than welcome to a copy, even if they feel the need to respond. If you feel like you deserve part of that pie, let me know.

The subject matter was basically an ex-gf inviting me to a very uber-formal bureaucratic-style rightwing "meeting" to discuss closure. A formal Dumping. To put it simply I responded very rationally, letting all parties know that when you sign your name with an anarchy symbol the chances of a "bureaucratic" meeting, or anything with a significant amount of redtape, sounding attractive is less than NIL. My closure happened on my own. No help from the other side, frankly, if she wants closure she can find it the same way.
I've really felt on top of things for the first time in years. Hindsight is always 20/20. Frustration happens when you found you've lost more than you've gained in an experience, but it's when you learn to take your regrets and turn them into learning experiences that you can take with you that you know you've conquered the demon.

The Inner Workings: Relationships are living things, much like a plant. Communication is really the key to a relationship of anykind, much like water. Withhold water from a plant and eventually it WILL die. No matter how much water you pour into it after this point, there is no chance of ressurection, or healing of anykind. Too little, too late. Much like a deep wound, left unattended for too long and it will begin to heal in its own way, try and stitch up too after that and it will only cause an infection, and complications. I fail to see how this is much different.

-Rebel Fist Held High.

:::[10.Mar.05]:::

Welcome! To a brave new server ona wild new Domain!
What does this mean? It means I now OWN KogaKoalition.org!!
I even built my own custom server just for such a purpose. Now i can have my server do what i want and what for travis to make it happen.. which as you guys no is something not to hold your breath on. It's not the grandest server, but it works and its on a wickedly fast pipeline.. so all the files and data we share will share faster!

Tim has his own sector on it for the World of the Weird, and now that he has his own laptop I think we can all expect to see that storyline boom. Come on you little creative monkey TYPE!

I've been totally grooving on web radio lately. There is a ton of tunes and stuff to tune into, everything from crazy dervish music to beats that possess your soul, hell i even listened to an audibook online yesterday :P

I've had loads going on, mostly for others. Mom got a grant for this Huge Science project she wants to construct in the breezeway in her school. So i've been helping her with concept designs.
Gotta rip into my car again.. the center console lights have begun to flicker at a pace that is nothing short of seizure inducing. i think a resister went out... Let alone all the website and artistic design I agreed to do for people.. i better get some new pens.

on another note audrey and carrise would like you to know that I kick ass. and if you would like to argue, please contact me for relay information to them.

MAME Project Back off the shelf, that idea of making my own arcade game is way easier than i thought, one hacked xbox later and i got a machine that cost me 1/3 the price of the machine i'd need, and it'll do way more.. including webradio and apple movie trailers.

So this isnt the greatest post But the fact is www.kogakoalition.org is UP and i CAN update it, which is saying more than before! Use and Abuse.

--The world I see -- you're stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You climb the wrist-thick vines that wrap the Sears Tower. You see tiny figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of the ruins of a superhighway.
-Tyler Durden

:::[28.Jan.05]:::

A man reborn. A hero brought back from the darkness. Like a spark in the shadows, a new light shines again within to start paving the road i started on so long ago. A good friend once described me as my very own superhero, that seemed that I was contemplating saving the world or taking it over, but I just hadn't decided yet. Well, thats changing people, that guy is coming back. It's amazing how much of myself I never noticed was missing. But it's all different now. Every valley is just a spot between peaks. It's all coming back uphill now. HHHehhHHAHHAaa
It has been a whiile since i've updated in a while, but mostly I've been just having a ball. running about living life, not so much recording it. There honestly been so much going on it's really hard to figure out where to start. So much in fact, that the things were cool enough to justify posting them here literally happen on a daily basis now.

A.T.Kommand -Back on Track
With the Addition of some new software and a midi controller, (oh and a new iMac), A.T. Kommand is getting back into action and theres some new music on its way. In fact, this new method of programming is allowing me to pump out the idea's faster than ever. I think it wont be long till i'll release a new album. Any takers?

Site Restored!
Travis finally figured out the issue behind the downed website. I just thought he hadnt even worked on it.. Turned out, it was working fine the whole time, but some kid hacked the router above it to a point of no return, let alone a point of malfunction. One fixed router, one web-domain BACK ONLINE! The plan now is to actually move the site into kogakoalitoin.org, which means the webbwerx family will become the koalition. damn that sounds cool.

Roadkill & DnDJust finished running the finale of the epic Saga that was the "Slaver Plague". I'm absolutely drained now, but i can tell that i'm not alone in the feeling that had to have been one of the top ten games any of us have every been involved in.

Pool & AfterParties Imagine the last few months of all the crazy things i've got into. Now consider the fact that I have the ability to do what i wish everyday, everynight.. Gurnette and I, have made it a regular occurance to get a good beat started with some pool playing, going bar to bar, seeing who is where and surfing from table to table. I've ran into many people i knew long ago, not to mention got a few things started from it all.

When life comes at you with all teeth and fangs, you do the best you can, and sometimes you walk away with more than you started. Usually it's experience thats accumulated, in my case its alot of thinking and a t-shirt.

:::[09.Nov.04]:::

Thoughts of the day:

Pocketinet gave me an offer i couldn't refuse. I'll be starting with more then i ended with at 123, fuck em, i'm out. I'm excited, though i still gotta finish out 2 weeks.

I'm beginning to make full circle with the kara thing. I'm hearing that shes happier then she ever has been before. She found her happy place. Her happy thought that made her fly. I kinda see things as a catch 22, like i was a gymnists springboard: Without me she might not have had enough bounce to make it over the obstacles that gave her so much despair.. but there is no way to stay with the springboard unless you dont jump. So like peter, wendy found that she'd be happier back home and i'm left with neverland. I'm really glad she's finding her center. Even if i did get left behind.

:::[01.Nov.04]:::

Advice to Myself: The best path is the path less meddled with. I need to realize that I'm being missed just as much as i miss her, and "If you love something let it go..." If the love is true... she'll hunt me down.

:::[31.Oct.04]:::

Happy Halloween everybody, the house is decorated, the movie Praey went off well and its been a nonstop shindig all weekend. Between the movie premeire, Dusty giving me a surprise visit, and a 2-day costume fest i think i'm wore out. Maybe now i'll sleep.

:::[27.Oct.04]:::

I don't sleep much at all. I'm so exhausted. My hat goes off to all the people trying to kick a herion habit. You probably are going through a worse time then me , but right now it's debatable. Just 4 hours of solid sleep would be a welcomed gift.

:::[26.Oct.04]:::

I left Jon's place thursday afternoon, the sky was starting to cloud over quickly a desert storm was coming in fast, so jon's flite got cancelled. It was a Great time at jons. We hung out a while before i took off for Vegas. On the way there the weather was wild, storms then clear skies. I got pulled over once.. for going 80 in a 75.. we were being passed by people going at least 95. I think he saw my car and wanted to harrass me cause the questions outta this guys mouth were unreal.

When I got to Vegas i found my hotel and went to check in.. passing the police carrying out the BODY on my way to the lobby. yeah. Some dude got shot about 15 minutes before i got there.. my luck man. I must have walked like 10 miles that night.. stayed on Tropicana Ave. and walked way past Treasure island and back down to Mandalay bay. Dinner was about 11pm when i finally was like "fine McD's... whatever" I went back to my room down money, wet (it was raining) and undersatisfied with the food. I went to bed unhappy.

The morning came to quick, at about 4:30am my smoke detector decided it was time to go tits up. BEEP.. BEEP ..(5min).. BEEP. I called the front desk about 3 times before they decided to come fix it.. or more take it outta my damn room. So Vegas let me down.

The drive home following took 2 more days, stopping at Aunt Eve's in Mountain Home for the night in between. Long Drive, and alotta thought time.

I got home a little before planned, to an empty house. Mom and Dad were up in seattle for the weekend. An Empty house. I was Imediately filled with grief. So i called a few friends to see "what was up" all of them said "welcome home, yeah i'd love to do something, lemme call you in a bit.." most of which still havent gotten back to me. I talked to Brian that night, and Tim called on Sunday.

For the past month i've kinda been on the run. Going from one place to the next with little time in bewteen. This weekend was really the first time since "The Fall" that i've been home and alone. It nearly killed me. I realized that this whole situatioin really has alot in common with getting ones eardrum blown out, just on a grand scale. I surfed the wave while it was there. It followed its natural course and rolled over, like a civilian causualty i got swept under when it did. At this point i was caught under the water, my head hurt, my face bruised, my eardrum blown. There was little i could do to rectify the situation, except wait for the wave to let me out. When it did, i stood, stumbled, and staggered to the beach. The world spun, my head throbbed. I sat down realizin best thing i could do was sit and let the world stop before doing anything else. Eventually the pain would subside, the water would drain, and my hearing would return. But like before i now feel like my whole world is spinning. My support moved away. My structure stands but it tittering. The best thing i can do is wait for the boat to stop rocking. I hope it stops.

The wind in my sails is gone. Halloween is coming quickly, i havent prepared at all. I have many different things I think about doing, yet the ambitioin is at an all time low. My dreams remind me of what i miss so badly, every morning feels harder than the last. It takes all my concentration to keep it together all day long. I think i'm starting to feel like she's never coming back.

:::[18.Oct.04]:::

Here I am at jon's place, Phoenix AZ. It's been a rowdy time since the last post. Spent a few days at Grandpa's house, Played some dominoes with them. Helped grandma learn a bit more about the computer, which is impressive. She's 74 and doing more on the internet than many people half her age. I also Spent a while at my Unkle and Aunts house (fixed their comp as well) hanging out and catching up mostly.

I've updated the Gallery section So you should be able to see pics from this trip so far.

Made it to Jon's a few days ago and have been talkin and hanging with him for the last few days. Got him hooked on MAME, and last night we saw that Sky Captian and the World of Tomorrow. Very Good movie, but realize that they made it to act and feel just like an old buck rodgers style pulp mag. So dont expect a huge plot.

It's very warm here and today both jon and nik have to werk so i'm home alone. (good time to update the site) let alone a great time to werk on roadkill, and a few graphic desgn jobs friends have me on.

We finished the day up today by watching "Man on Fire", at the end the viewers are witness to the last moments of the mans life. The thought occured to me that really there was very little people that really knew him. Makes you wonder; if i died who would miss me? You have lots of interaction with people on a day to day basis. But everyone comes and goes with their priority leading their way. Would your loss really cause a ripple or would the water adapt quickly like a river flowing to fill the void of a recently removed stone?

:::[11.Oct.04]:::

Ok so I'm literally sitting my the side of my campfire in my humble campsite somewhere about 8 miles outside of Green River, UT To start catching you up on whats been happening i'll start back where me and travis where in WW.

The last week has been spent running small errands, tying lose ends and helping travis see people he hasnt seen in a while. But, the time consuming yet fun project we had going calls itself MAME. It stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. Basically most arcade games only play one game. By running an emulator you can pretend your machine is actually hundrends of these different machines. At first it was fun to play the games we grew up with.. but then we realized how easy it would be to build a stand-alone machine with the sole purpose of just playing arcade games. With a little time and money, we are actually gonna try to build some in house arcade machines that give the option of playing MANY games.

Ok, this brings us to yesterday, we left around 1pm.. and got to caldwell to meet Ben (where i was gonna crash) around 7. We hung with ben untill travis' friend emily arrived to drive him the rest of the way to Sun Valley, ID. So since last night i've been on my own.

I carshed out at a normal hour, but woke early.. and being there was nobody in the house, i felt it was a good sign to get the travel on. I drove all day. Alone. i Navigated perfectly, the only hiccup was my check engine lite came back on, but was off again in less then an hour.. *shrug* I was gonna call home to see if dad could help diagnose the issue.. but the fone card i have is useless. I only got errors instead of a call home.

So here i sit fireside waiting for the coals to get perfect for cooking.. it's hotdogs tonight. I found a state park to camp in for $14.. and turned around and went to a local bar ad asked where to "locals" camp at.. some older woman gave me these directions here (which is perfect & free) but the last thing she said was , "watchout for the bears.." so that has me a bit nervous. but i'll sleep in the car instead of the tent and if I cook anything that leaves smelly leftovers.. i'll take them down the road to a trash box i saw. At least its away from my car. :) I'll be taking pics of the site in the mornin.

:::[07.Oct.04]:::

Got into Seattle good and late, but it was good to get back and get food. I was gonna return home the next day but Travis coaxed me into sticking around till Saturday cause they were throwing a rave at stevens pass in an abondoned train tunnel. It was intense to though really cold, we drove up there saturday night and decided to sleep there over night (in the car) which left us achy and cold till we came down the mountain and had a little food at sharis in union gap.

Now we are chilling back in Walla Walla for a bit till the next leg of the journey. I plan to drive all the way to Phoenix, AZ to see jon Reiff and my grandparents in NM. On the way i'll drop travis at a friends place near Boise ID. Theres really no plan which keeps the feeling of adventure high.

So in the meantime, I'm tying up lose ends; fixing my car up, updating the site, and me and travis are werking on making a MAME box for playing old arcade games on.

:::[30.Sept.04]:::

Well i'm in the airport in Mobile, AL waiting for my flight, james and april both had to werk so they could only take me about 4 hours before my flight. No biggie, gives me time to reflect on the events past.

We did see New Orleans that was an amazing experience just walking down bourbon street at night watching the crouds drink themselves to a stupor, then think back how long the tradition has gone on. Then there was the Tombs. Incredible. We got lots of pictures and left offerings at the tombs of the Voodoo Queen, and other "marked" tombs. After that we saw the New Orleans aquarium, and you'll see alot of pictures from there.

Since we got back the rest of my stay was spent hanging out, beach combing and crab eating. The eardrum is healing.

Now to add a few rants to my shit list, A) Mt. st. Helens is gonna blow? Theres another thing that might battle my journey. B) That fantastic Palm i was getting off tim is a liabilty according to 80% of the reviews from other owners.. It's disposable, cause when it dies merely 6-8 months after puchase it cost almost as much to repair as it would be to replace. So thats a no go. But I'm still looking to pass on the minidisc player to anyone that'll use it more than me. It's almost 9am here.. my plane leaves at 12.30pm. gahhh... I'll watch a movie.

Bad Boys II became the choice flik, which finished just before i boarded. I've been awake since 2.30am Seattle time. So the last flight was spent in/out of slumber and now i sit in the Charlette NC airport; it's huge and i got a 3 hour layover. I might eat a bit but the food is extortion, so a snack and maybe another movie, hell i might take a few pics of the place :) So far both airports today has had no free internet connectivity. lame.

:::[24.Sept.04]:::

Well to add a lil excitement you can see the fisrt Gallery entry.

Yesterday was fun, we went to best buy got my cousin some speakers for his comp, then headed off to the beach with some cheap "Corona" Boogie Boards. no more than 20 minutes later i got sent to the bottom of the ocean and got my ear boxed. So the rest of the day was spent in pain with a mixture of ocean water and blood coming out my ear. james kept boarding for a while but after the waves found a way to touch his ass to the back of his head.. he stumbled out in pain as well. we decided to call it good. I'll be hitting the doctor this morning.

Doctor's Update: Andy has a perforated eardrum, No Swimming and 2 different Antibiotics for ten days. When he gets home he should see an ear specilist to check progress.

I miss kara. It's not just the missing of a girlfriend.. it's missing a good friend that hurts.

:::[21.Sept.04]:::

Well, here i am on the plane headed for Pensacola, FL. So far there has been more and more fixes down there so it wont be the dark ages down there for too long :P

Notice i got the webserver up again? that took me dragging travis myself into his workplace to get the sytem up again. well now that its up i have a few idea's to up the rating of the site. I got a new digital camera, so for an example I'm going to start a Gallery where i'll be posting thumnails of the pics i'll take :P being that the webserver basically is unlimited in its space why not:D

So one minor dilema I found while packing was trying to consolidate my needs versus my devices. Laptop=Check, Digital Camera= Check, Palm, Minidisc player.. power armor.. sweet god anything else? So i decided for mylifestyle and general nerdliness selling my minidisc player and getting a flash based mp3 player instead would be best.. then it dawned on me, tim offered to sell me his new Tungsten E palm device (it has mp3 playback built in) so i took him up on the offer. and the remainder of the night before i left was spent tranferring data to the new palm. this is when i found that the DOWN button didnt werk... son ofa bitch. so i hopped online and found that tim (you slacker) never registered his palm. Now this werked out to my advantage. registered it, saying i bought it on Aug 15th, the following morning i called in for tech support.. after they saw that i was well within the 90 day warrant period they authorized a free repair. so on the way outta town for seattle i dropped it by the post office. so for now its the good ol visor, and minidisc player combo.

Well now i'm typing with orange juice in hand, so for now i'm gonna watch a dvd, i mean aside from communication this is why i brought the laptop.

:::[16.Sept.04]:::

I'm sure alot of you are asking "what the hell is up with andies server? whats andy up to? its been so long since i've heard anything."

well heres the quick nitty gritty. Things went pretty one way then the other this summer. tried to pack in some wake boarding.. little camping, but mostly was gettting ready to move. away from walla walla? away from that big job you had.. yep. kara got a scholarship and alotta finacial aid from yakima valley CC she was gonna go be a vet tech. wanted me to come along. i was up for a change.

I think some personal issues (of her own) kinda got the best of her and she really felt like trying to tackle them. i comend her for that, it took courage, cause the next thing that happened was she made the descision to go to yakima by herself.. and there she was gonna try to learn to be her own person. She wanted to learn to be happy with herself.

It wasnt long before her plan changed. She found something called the master's commission, (look it up if you want) basically the way she explained it was its aone year long boot camp for god, where by learning to put HIS goals first in your life, then you will find happiness. the first thing i asked was when she recieves the punch. but she truely feels like this is the best and right path. and if there is anything i care about most its freedom. so i wont stand in her way. so i stand supportive. Usually the RIGHT path for someone is the one THEY feel is right.

Right about the time that all this came to a head, my job had my cornered in a very uncomfortable place. it ceased being fun, and had became a place of mostly verbal abuse. with kara leaving i had little reason to stay .. especially if nobody was gonna be there to listen to me gripe and vent.

so i put in my two weeks.. and timed it perfect with karas leave. i figure its gonna get rough for me losing my best friend and all, so the best i could do was plan to get away for a while. take some trips, i still needed to see my cousin james and my friend jon in phoenix.

so my last day in the store is tomorrow. kara leaves tomorrow. that'll give me 3 days before i gotta fly out to .. yep.. pensacola FL.. which was just eaten by a hurricane.

That brings you to ground zero. with me. it's only after you've lost everything, that your free to do anything.

Andy the amerikan rebel fist.

:::[8.June.04]:::

I've been doing some serious cleaning last weekend, and i came across a 5 foot square Spiderman Window Cling, just in time for the second movie!! I'm gonna stick it on ebay in a bit so stay tuned! If any of you guys want it make me an offer quick... or its bid frenzy!

:::[1.June.04]:::

My boss fired by friend Brian. So now I werk twice as hard with an Ozzy look-alike. BS saved me alotta time and effort here at werk, so BS this ones yours.. *Dr.Thunder spills out onto the curb*

Went fishing as planned this last weekend while waiting for kara to return from portland. brian, tiffany and tim all went. BS and tiffany got licenses so they could fish too .. which was cool cuase that way i didnt fish alone. but the current was very strong after all the rain we've had, and to make things OH SO MUCH MORE FUN, the wind was blowing at about 18miles an hour.. so the whole trip was kinda against us.. but it got me out side in my happy place. so regaurdless of the lack of catfish, or disappointment of having not one crawdad, i had fun. after about 3 hours everyone (but me) had enough and decided to pack it in. (i coulda stayed for days) but they were right the wind was harsh and the fishing sucked.

But this was soon remedied! After finishing up a bit of homework kara went with me to rooks park where i taught her the fine art of catching mudlobster. Though, kara schooled me nicely when she found where the little craws were hiding. we walked away that night with a few, that we cooked and ate as a side with dinner.

I got to finally see DEATHLANDS the tv movie!!!! (i think it was a series)..but nonetheless it was a flik based on that book series i like! i've always wanted to see one. it was great!

:::[12.May.04]:::

Announcing the Grand opening of the Kagashi Forums!

I've recently set up a forum where you guys are welcome to come register to post about any of the RPG's we have going, or anything at all really. Let me know any suggestions, idea's or complaints that anyone has. This forum board is still wet from birth so I'd be more than happy to tailor it to the user needs!! This ones for all you!
Also notice the new Google search bar, and Weather sticker on the right pane! WOo!

Kara got out of the coffee business and into the field of knick-knacks and patty whacks. So she's feelin a bit better about things. We've been using saturdays to game. We got to a heavy break in Roadkill, so Brian has ran a bit of Star Wars, and Tim finally got his shit straight and began a new game based on Resident Evil. oh how i love zombies :p errr. Anyway i thought this game would really give me a chance to screw around and play a character based on a Latino Gang-member. Can't you imagine!? "What up, vato?"... "brains... unnnghhhh" "nobody's getting this 40" (Carlos rides away on his lowrider Bike)

My birthday went off without a hitch! The whole weekend was a grand celebration starting with a heavy RPG session on saturday. Later that night me and kara went to the Creektown Cafe for dinner, and then had an hour to spare before Eternal Sunshine for a Spotless Mind started. So we hung in the parking lot & chatted and opened her present. She gave me a 1 qt Pot-kie (kinda like a dutch oven) and a book on outdoor cooking! The movie was incredible. If you liked Vanilla Sky, you'd love this.
Well Kara already set the celebrations to HIGH, so sunday was gonna have a hard act to follow. Early on me, jim and amanda piled into the car & went up to blue lake, where jim was gonna school me on fishing. After several failed attempts to pring in the fish with this bait he was using I popped on a rooster tail and schooled him. HA! When we got back we got the BBQ started and had a fun shindig outside with the firepit and a slew of friends. Kara, and guys: thanx.

So now its back to the shop with the BMX, i got Chain tensioners finally so i wont fear the ike if I pedal to hard. Me and pete have also found a solution to the seat issue I had last year.

:::[20.April.04]:::

5 Days till my birthday.

Last Sunday we finally pulled Roadkill off backburner and got it rockin STRONG! Hopefully the guys liked the game. By the end of the session the party sustained severe wounds from a few 8 foot scorpions. and are now facing an 8 inch steel door leading into an old military redoubt. Now i'm racking my brain to figure out the next phase. "What's behind Door #1??"

In celebration of Re-initiatating Roadkill i give you this:

Nuclear S'mores!

• a marshmellow
• 2 graham cracker halves
• chocolate

:::[29.Mar.04]:::

Enter Yuichiro. 1:20pm My japanese exchange student arrived on the 24th, the following few days have been an absolute blast. Trying to give an amazing experience of american life as well as a heavy refresher course in japanese lifestyle. What a reminder of old memories, yet an experience of it's own. One of the first nights Yuichiro was here we had some time to kill and I thought it would be fun to teach him a simple domino game. Needless to say he must have liked it, because the following day he came home from his ventures out with a full set of dominos.

Yesterday I thought it would be fun to take him to a true dining experince so we stopped at a Taco Wagon grabbed a few Cat Burritos (really chicken.. but you never know) and hiked up into the hills near tiger canyon to eat from the top of a cliff. I'm sure he was impressed. I was for sure.

:::[22.Mar.04]:::

Well the weekend was good, except for one detail left left us with a bad taste in our mouths. The whole weekend while we were in Seattle, Travis agreed to do most of the driving. Naturally, we parked Kara's car right out front. Sunday morning, we took things easy. By about Noon we were ready for Breakfast and all piled in travis car when we noticed a guy taping a note to kara's car that read, "Do Not Drive"... Turned out he had a Volkswagon Van strapped on a flatbed trailer and was hauling it up Travis's steep Seattle road. It broke loose and gained a mind of its own as it gained speed as well. This guy was downright lucky, considering the number of cars parked along the road, the trailer only happened to clip kara's wheel. That's it. A wheel. Given it bent the rim, and busted the steering knuckle, but it didn't total her car. I think it could have.
This guy was ultra cool about things, he coulda bailed long before we even knew what happened. But, not only did he pay to tow it to Les Schwabs, but when we found out that the part needed was going to take 3-4 dyas to get there, he loaned us his Fiance's car to get home with. When the car is finished and road ready again, he promised to bring her Geo down and trade it back for the flashy little Accord. Now, maybe this is an act of faith.. but the guy gave us alot to work with.

:::[19.Mar.04]:::

So we are on our way to seattle as we speak, I'm using my new Pismo as kara drives.. It's kinda wild, the first laptop I've ever owned. Kara was gracious enough to drive her kar, considering the last umpteen times it's been me who drives. So we are Crankin along in the GEO. We added a can of B-12, which I've never used before, so this caused a bit of stress on kara. See the B12 has to be added to the crank case as well as the fuel. So when I was done the car stalled heavy due to the compression of the crankcase disapating thanx to me popping it open to get the B12 in.

Travis actuallycame down for a few days. It was tight having him come hang out in my shop as I werkt. The funny part is when I left for seattle (where I'll be staying with him) he was actually still at my place when I left, assuring me that he'd be right behind me.

Kara is getting a kick outta the laptop thing as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get a DVD rom for it in seattle, I left the stupid module casing at home so even if I do get one, we won't be able to use it till after we get back:(

I've got some serious plans for this little box:

• Add a DVD ROM :::[possible burner]:::
• Get a AC inverter for the car
• Add about 512mb RAM
• Get a flash card reader to use for swap space
• Fix the missing IRDA port screen

The last one I actually have almost completed, I've shapped a sunglass lens to fit perfectly.. if there was just one electric appliance one would need, it is the mighty Dremel tool.

:::[01.Mar.04]:::

It's been a good few weeks, the sun is starting to return a bit, making things easier. This weekend was highly eventful. In part of celebration for kara's sister coming to visit, we watched the "Passion of the Christ" friday. Immediately following the show I went and got the Score for it. :::[highly suggested]:::

Took quite the blow, saturday, when I found out my cousin is being shipped out. If he isn't able to return before i'm scheduled to fly down there, I'll have to reschedule the flight, which while rail me with a $150 fine. These bastard airline companies use the whole 9-11 annoyance as an excuse to screw people into all sorts of unavoidable fees. Between this and the fact that I'm stuck with the bill for repairing the boat this year I'm feeling quite a kick in the wallet.

On the Lighter Side

Later this week I should be recieving the laptop I agreed to purchase from a friend of mine, John Cress. It's a Powerbook Pismo. Stocked with USB, Firewire and possibly an 802.11 card. To say the least I'm absolutely stoked, considering the extra purchases that will end up being needed to make it a complete setup (AC inverters, DVD rom, etc.), it's definitely not helping the finicial strain lately.

RPG news:Gaming has reached an all time high in the last few weeks. My friends and I have been leaving Roadkill on back burner for a bit to explore the world and rules of Palladium. Thanx to Ben and his catacombs, I think we all hate cows now. Tim as well has been running a palladium game & i think he finally found his niche. He was bouncing around making his own system, then using D6 rules.. yet he knows the palladium rules up & down. I made the suggestion to keep his own story, just using the palladium rules, it was a perfect match. I'm sure i'll have roadkill back in action when either Joel re-emerges or I find a work-around for the current situation :::[which I'm in the progress of doing now]:::.

I've added the complete "Tarzan Tales" by Edgar Rice Burroughs, if anyone is interested.

Finished the Linux Dual boot on my dell at home.. so now I gotta PC that meshes with a mac like it was it's own kin. Morphix was the way to go. Easy to install & easy to learn!

:::[20.Jan.04]:::

Oddly the cold weather has me dreaming of greener pastures. With my car still buried thanx to the nasty cold streak this year. I've dug it out, but I'm reluctant to drive it. The snow keeps everything slick and generally cold, including me. I find myself thinkin about boating, camping, fishing, honestly anything that involves me running around in the Outdoors. I yearn for the Mighty Sun to return. So, I figure the best thing one could do with these dormant months of inside living, is work on maintenance and preparation for the season to come. So far I've fixed a compression bag for my sleeping bag, ordered any kinda equipmnt I feel i needed and then stumbled on a Crawdad trap. This could be interesting i thought. I got it, and in May I'll try my luck possibly bring home some freshwater mudlobster.

My cousin is stationed in florida, which just so happens to be a great coincedence. I want the sun, and its been a while since I've seen him, let alone he needs his comp fixed.

A recent Roadkill session spawned some wonderful in character drama in my basement a week a back. It all started with a plot seed I dropped about a guy that had information on a "treasure" deep in the wasteland. Well everyone jumped on the idea, and weaseled the info out of him. It was here that the party split in motives. Joel was happy with getting the info and wanted this informant to go his merry way, Brian, Jim and Tim had alternate idea's for this informants future. Mid-City in a town that has a security force like a prison, these three decide that shiving the poor sap in an alley would be best. Needless to say they were forced out of the city, Including Joel who was heavily against the slaughter.
So now the party is hogtied to a nasty situation: Joel has the map, they got the muscle. Neither side wishes to have the other side, though they must endure. "I love it when a plan comes together."

:::[01.Jan.04]:::

I work far too much for my taste. and lately there has been so much snow that it has made everything slow down. My car got so icy & frozen that brian has been giving me rides to work. i figure when it gets a little warmer than freezing I'll have better luck digging it out. Well on recent agenda I set up an Ebay Seller's account, so I'll finally start to get rid of the weird piles of "stuff" that I've collected, though had no use for. So far the only thing slowing me down is finding boxes to ship stuff out in. How is it I got all this crap?

:::[28.Dec.03]:::

Xmas was great this year.. i ended up at 3 different present sessions; One for my family, one for kara's mom's side, and one for her Dad. It was really cool this year nobody seemed to be dissapointed very much. We left for kara's dad's xmas morning after my seesion with mom, dad & pete. I got kara this really nice watch she's been wanting, dad got a new tuner & subwoofer, mom was really excited about the sauces & fixin's we got for her and dad. I got Pete a bunch of LOTR books. Hopefully everyone was really happy with it all. I got some books I've wanted, a new cd burner, a weight bag, and the Deadpool Comic I've been missing!! Thanx again kara. Thanx to everyone else too I got some great things this year, so i dont want anyone to think any of it wasn't wanted.. it was!

So its all over & now I'm using my time of werk to get everything functional. put in the cd burner, clean my room, and get everything I want to sell on ebay ready. I got an ebay seller's account so i figure its a great time to start getting rid of all this Junk.

:::[22.Dec.03]:::

Well i shouldnt be here today, I'm at work and it's 3 days from xmas. Normally the store would be closed right now, but my boss has some kinda workaholic binge going.. last week it was, "We'll be closed but we'll still come in to get a few things done.. ", now I'm hearing "We'll be open pretty much this whole week." Needless to say that i wont be here.. and i'll fight for my freedom to the death.

:::[19.Dec.03]:::

Taken down by the flu. This year it was really harsh, like the news had said. I'm just heading out of it, though still feeling a heavy energy drain & a nasty cough.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was Released this week. We've begun our LOTR bonanza, watched the hobbit & the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring. This last weekend we the extended version of "The Two Towers". So this week we will follow up watching the special footage & extras. Tonight we'll go to the "Return of the King".

All my xmas shopping is DONE! I'm not scrounging about like years past, I kinda had everyone all figured out & went to it.. damn near in one stop, thank you amazon.com. HAHaha.

:::[18.Nov.03]:::

Well it’s been eventful. It’s also been along time since I chimed in. Brian started werking were I do, since then the workflow has generally advanced, so finding time to drop entries in is rare.

Roadkill News! The NEW SITE is done & uploaded. All you roadkillers out there check it out, i need feedback. Let me know if you find any discrepancies. Sorry its taken so long, but know that I''ve put alotta backbone into it. Theres lots of good stuff added.

Lately we’ve been doin alot of RPG’s playtesting my friend tim’s game “tidal wave” along with continuing a saga in the star wars chronicles. My game is about to go up.. I’m puutting some final touches on the changes made before I upload it to the server.

I finally got hold of ryan which was great, since anthes left its hard getting solid advice ont eh computer fixin’s in life, but ryan was more than handy on multiple occasions. I found out that he got a DVD burner, & one of those unlimited rental accounts.. so I can kinda see how he went missing for so long. heheheh

As for my computer amusement? Well, I just experienced my first virus.. on the mac you ask? hell no. That doesnt happen. It was my Window$ 98 box.. 11 files infected, 5 different viruses.. what a damn mess. BUT! (i always have an answer) Mere DAYS before this happened I recently have been toying with a linux distro called Knoppix, its a “live cd” so it will boot straight off the CD, not touch your drive, giving you the chance to preview & testdrive linux without the dreaded “install”. but if you like it, its gotta handy super easy process of setting it up on your system. That virus crap was all I needed to see to make my descision.. so now I’m setting up my box to become a dual boot system..

I know you all wanna know why I dont just leave windows in the dust.. I want to trust me. but there a re few vices in the world for my, fallout is one of them. So the coolest part about this.. once I get this running, i’ll have a PC that looks like its running OSX. HA! ( check out Gnoppix the distro using Gnome as its GUI)

:::[24.Oct.03]:::

Happy halloween everyone....

The Koga Koalition Reconnaissance Award goes to Layne! He recently sent me a link to one of the radest pages on the web. Check out the Rat Bike goodness! Thanx again layne!

Roadkill Update:
I've recently been changing the contect & design of the roadkill game drastically.
Recent Changes:

• Upgraded the rules section for better navigation
• Added a sample equipment list.
• Added the Electrostatic Discharger Rules
• Added Poison/Radiation effects tables
• Hopefully will have a Cheat Sheet Download available soon.

Sadly the weather has been cooling down a bit, but it's not really that cold yet at all. which makes me think that there might be some time to go camping at least once more before the snow comes down.. and scares us all into hiding.

Aside from all this I got sick of the idea that its getting colder, and built a patio Fire Pit. I used an old oil drum, cut it in half & mounted a small grill inside for ventilation. I'll try to get a picture for you guys up soon. It's damn cool making a fire on your back porch. I'm gonna go get marshmellows.

Stuff for sale!
→ A brand new Belkin 4-port Cable/DSL Router Still in the Plastic!
→ A brand new Belkin 5-port network Switch.
If anyone is interested let me know.

:::[29.Sept.03]:::

Brian Sheridan is back from Japan, & he'll be crashing with me for a while. It's good to have him back around.. hopefully it will inspire have some good stories for once, instead of this random banter.

Jason McGimsey Came into town this weekend. He's recently been living in italy for the past few years, helping fight in the protests & working for Glodal Radio translating news reports. It was good seeing him, too bad he wasnt here longer.

Yeah!! MAD Master Travis WEbb!!!!! as in WEBBwerx.. the man got the ToyBox WERKINg! Go check it out!!

:::[18.Aug.03]:::

Jon Anthes, has started his journey to china. Soon he'll be on his plane and over in china, with everything all cozied in. Good Luck man, dont take any shit like Brian did.

Afterwork I was able to fix my car alarm.. after dumping like 6oz's of water outta the siren, now I gotta find a cheap airhorn setup.. that outta make that small dog have a big bark.

:::[13.Aug.03]:::

13 hour drive, Vegas to home, in one day.
We woke up around 9, got everything together & bailed vegas, 10 miles down the road we stopped at the iron skillet for a great breakfast. I think Kara really enjoyed herself, cause this was the last day of our trip & she's still glowing, like she was from the start. It was 3 am by the time we were home.. which I crawled straight to bed.

:::[12.Aug.03]:::

Haven't seen the Grand Canyon Since I was a kid. So getting to go again was really neat. Though, like the first time i was there, I think I enjoyed the wildlife & vegetation of the area more than the hole itself. But I have to admit, it's a really gorgeous site.

Vegas - nuff said

:::[10-11.Aug.03]:::

Spent the next 2 days at my grandma's house. Exploring the terrain, and Helping Kara look for "Creepy Bugs".
During one of the "Creepy Bug" hunts i was standing with kara, and had looked around the house and spotted a skunk right on my grandma's porch. Just then, Grampa had run up behind us from the other side of the house. "Okay you two, be quiet.. Andy keep that flashlight on that Skunk.." He pushed between me & kara, armed with a long riflr he ran forward toward the skunk. I taled behind trying my best to keep up and keep light on the "mark." It started to run but me & grandpa were right on top of it. As it got to the ledge Grandpa squessed off a shot *BOOM* the Shotgun rang out into the night, Kara squeeled, and the skunk had dove off the ledge in the nick of time. He got away.. this time.

Later we found that Kara had assumed it was a BB gun like her dad keeps by his door. So it startled her quite well when it went off.

:::[09.Aug.03]:::

Waking up by the heat of the sun cooking us all in the back of a minivan, what I way to wake. We were stiff & sleep deprived. It was when we got out & had a good look around in the sun that we realized this service road held some of the best campsites we'd seen yet. Some off beat place that many a youngster had used for a place for a kegger or general campsite, complete with remenants of campfires.

As we looked around more we realized we were right above the blanders lake. So we drove down for a good swim in a very refreshing water.

The thing I like most about down south, is that it really spawns idea's for the roadkill setting. Southwest tribes & the Post-Apocalyptic seem to mesh hand in hand. Canyon de Chelly is one of those places that can take you back (or forward), and let you imagination run. The tribes here used small earthen houses called Hogans. Let alone dwellings carved right into the sides of the cliff wall.

Petrified Forest, alotta trees that were turned to stone.

Arrived at my grandma's house around 10pm.

:::[08.Aug.03]:::

Last night we left on our trip to NM, headed southeast, through boise yesterday, got as far as this cool gorge we stayed at last time through here, calls Malad Gorge. It was relatively painless, but was dark by the time we found it. Note to anyone looking for it: its off I-84.. not the tiny road to Buhl, which takes you nowhere very slowly, we know.

This morning we were back in the car. Got a good distance down the road, but took a longer route in hopes that it would be faster.. Around Salt Lake City. We were able to hit Arches Natinal Park before dusk, to check out a landscape that looks like it was taken straight from mars.

By the time we got out it was too dark to find a camping spot..so I figured its gonna be just as easy finding one right then, as finding one a few hours later.. Dark is still dark. So we drove farther & Ended up in a huge thunderstorm (rain included). everyone decided that the tent idea was out.. we stopped by the side of the road, & made soup & hotdogs with a propane stove in the back of the van.. & only a few miles down the road decided that a service road would work fine as a camping spot.

With the rain & thunder as our enemy, we nestled in to our minivan, for a "cozy" & rough night.

:::[07.Aug.03]:::

Alright this goes out to my buddy Layne, for diggin the fact that I etch the Post Apocolyptic genre. So all you true belivers out there look out, we got Brian Sheridan on the Script writing now, & a whole slew of techniques that outta grab some attention & open your mind.. you ready for the waste? Here's a SNEAK PREVIEW!

Dad got his Airport card Finally!, problem is now I have to make the network ready for him to use it. It's like one of those Sears bikes that parents get for there kids, that they have to build first..

Well I'm leaving for my big Road trip today, everythings packed & ready..If you guys would try and refrain from jamming my email with huge pics that would be nice, but feel free to write. I'll be napping in the back for the first few hours (woohoo SLEEP!) Hopefully I got everything I need.. ya always forget stuff, in my case its something important. like a tent, or pants.

Last weekend I found that Papa Roach was in town last weekend, why you ask? A wedding. Turns out they're guitar tech was marrying a local girl. Who? an ex of mine. I wasn't even invited. She always had a nice way of making me feel special.
But, it doesn't even matter. Cause I'm with a girl that blows her clean outta the water, she makes sure I know how much I mean to her, She is the one that makes me smile at the end of it all.

:::[05.Aug.03]:::

When it Rains it Pours
The summer is starting to go away, & the rain is coming more frequent. I had put in a car alarm after kara got her stereo stolen. After it rained for the first time in weeks.. the alarm now needs repair. But that will have to wait because my power locks are trashed.. I tried to fix them, & now instead of only working half the time they dont work at all. Plus, the panels of my door are in my back seat. I feel like i break more than I fix.

Kara got a new stereo though that her insurance covered.. turned out to be better than mine ;) I think she'll be happy.

Dad should have all his birthday gifts by the time I leave for NM.

I need sun. the cloud cover is starting to get to me already, its only been 3 days.. though last night there was a refraction of sun & the cloud cover, that made everything look like you had red tinted glasses on.. it was very very strange, but so far it fits the mood.

I'm so glad I get to go south for a bit. I need it.

burned laynes ATK Enhanced CD, and a 700mb MP3 mix of all NIN remix, singles & bsides.

:::[28.July.03]:::

Found that my brother got a tattoo started on his calf... mom was not impressed. i figure if I ever get a tatoo.. it would look like this, simple and small:

Went back up to Kara'z dad's place this weekend, Only to be reminded that we were going camping up there. So without planning at all for a camping trip we were completely unprepared, but personally I think it usully works out better that way. a tarp became out shelter, which I jimmy'ed into a makeshit tent, but without walls it actually worked out better.. Everyone has slept in a tent that by about 8am is roasting like the colonols own oven. So, our 'tent' acutally didn't suffer from the roast syndrome. It was nice.
So far the only downside came yesterday.. an hour swimming in the river up there & i'm one nasty sunburn richer & i think everyone got a mild case of heatstroke from the ride home. Myself included. I pretty much slept & chilled out for the rest of the evening. Can't remember the last time I had a headache like that.

By the way, there is a new Logo Idea.. Take a look.

:::[22.July.03]:::

:::[9.00am]::: Jake, my dog, was put to sleep. Rest in Peace, my friend. :(

:::[8.00am]:::
Andy: today was a day
BS: (damn, it's only 8am there... what could have happened so far?)
Andy: yesterday i meant
Andy: dave was riding me about everything (typical),
tried to put in an alarm on my car, as of now half the alarm works. & half the car works
BS: holy shit! lol
Andy: by about sundown we called it a day.. gave up & then my dad wigged out.
cause I tried putting his car on the street & moving kara's in the driveway
BS: so?,what's wrong with that?
Andy: considering it has a plastic bag for a window it seemed logical
BS: fair enough
Andy: dad. logic.
BS: ah...oil and water?
Andy: that mixes like baking soda & vinegar
BS: (dude, that's fun!)
ever made a baking soda and vinegar bomb?
Andy: you bet, though dry ice & water is much better
BS: I used to take little plastic film containers...fill it 3/4 of the way with vinegar float a little piece of aluminum foil on top, sprinkle some baking soda onto the float, put the cap on,and throw it at people ;)
by the time they catch it it pops in their damn hands and their soaked with vinegar
(I learned THAT trick in church, actually)
Andy: we took dry ice in a 20oz bottle once into jackpot while ross was working
now you can carry this thing around as long as you like
so long as you have the cap loose so air can get out
as I was leaving I closed up the bottle nice & tight & dropped it in the trash .. as if I just finished my soda
BS: LOL hahahahahahahahahaaaaa!
Andy: needless to say we were only about a block away when there was a sound familiar to a gunshot ...from what I heard the next day ross had dove to the ground thinkin he was under fire
BS: holy shit...
Andy: he said trash had hit the ceiling , then went everywhere
BS: well, considering Jackpot's rep, it wouldn't surprise me for employees to think they were under fire
Andy: as long as he worked there I was never allowed inside if I had a drink
BS: shit, I wouldn't let you near me with anything more dangerous than string (and even then I'd watch what you do with the string at all times)

Andy: that fuckin alarm pissed me off
BS: well no shit, if your car only half-works now
Andy: well you know on the drivers side, there are 2 switches that are triggered when the door opens
BS: yeah, the dome light and something else, right?
Andy: right we tapped this to make the alarm sound when the dome light is on
Andy: it doesnt work.. but the dome light still goes on
Andy: this other switch tests to see if I left my key in my car, well that doesnt work anymore & we never touched it
BS: how much would it have cost you to have it professionally installed?
Andy: (bout $150)
BS: how much have you charged your sanity with this installation so far?
Andy: so far i'd say $50 sanity dollars
BS: well, so far you're still on top...

:::[17.July.03]:::

Thunderstorms are starting. The nights have been so warm. Running around barefoot as much as possible.

Me & jon went to work on those alcohol stoves. Jon, was very amused. 9-inch flames & alotta pop can trash.

Got the boat back in the water & it works like a charm. thanx to the plumbers tape.

i need a book on edible plants.

:::[14.July.03]:::

The Apocolypse has came & gone. I made it through the weekend, which was a wild one thanx to travis. The apocolypse party went great. the visuals weren't happening but that's nobody's fault. the lights still went nuts, along with the people.

Boat update.
Friday we hit the river only to find that we finally pushed the moter mount to the limit. the motor stopped going up and down. So we pulled it out of the water, only to find that the rise gear had completely broke off. The odd part was that there were barnacles growing along the crack.. if anybody out there ever had a marine biology course you might otice that barnacles don't grow in freshwater.. & i've never had this boat in the saltwater. meaning this crack has been there sonce well before we got the boat.
Problem is, it's still broke. Do we fix the part? get a whole new bottom end?? A new boat???
Fuck it, lets Jimmyrig the bastard for the rest of the summer.. & figure out the rest when it's too damn cold to board. A little plumbers tape later, and now we should have it in the water again by tomorrow.

The Hobo Stove Project is a mess, me & jon worked on it late last night.. made little headway, & for the most part came out smelling like a fire. So, I think we are going to start moving on to try Alcohol based stoves. *shrug*..

This is pretty much lead by the Trip i've been cleared to take. I'll be going to New Mexico again, as kind of a reprise trip that I took with Mom about 2 years back. This time kara, & hopefully my brother, will come as well. Last time we camped all the way down, and all the way up as well. It was quite the roadtrip. So, Lately it's got me really entertained with Ultralight Backpacking, and the SAS.

I always feel like I'm rambling. Does anyone actually read this?

:::[08.July.03]:::

The Fourth of July came & went without a problem, no fingers blown off, no serious fire damage. It was a good night though. We even managed to meet up with some friends I havent seen in a while. The Following few days were great though. We went camping out on the river. Me, Kara, & jon all gathered our stuff & headed out just after 6pm on saturday. once we were on the water jon wanted to get a bit of wake before the sun slipped off the sky.. It was right when jon was coming in that gordon & jim rolled up on a boat, they were out with some friends. Not ony were they out there to share the fun but they were camping as well. So, we pulled in next to them & shared a site & a fire. All in all it was a great time.

In retrospect I've been doing alot of research on ways to make the caming scene a bit easier, & fun. So I added a few more links to sites that could help. Check it out.

For you others out there. Camping & wakeboarding may seem to docile, so, for you I've stumblied apon some cool pages on converting your car into a Cornohol Engine. Anthes went nuts with this & hopefully soon I'll be helping him convert his engine, & build a still. HEHEhehehee, fuck you exxon.

:::[02.July.03]:::

The weekend was Wild. Let alone Long. The moment I left work on thursday we piled into the car and headed for Kara's dad's place. It was his wedding that was the occasion. Friday we went out & stocked up on fishing supplies, rented a canoe, and went all over a lake. The following morning we chilled out a bit because the wedding was that night. So the time came & we headed up to the casino in Coure d'Laine where the wedding was & after half hour of getting ready the ceremony began. The five minute ceremony was followed by a 8 hour reception, a $1000 table of food, & slew of idaho people lookin to get smashed. They did. All in all, it was a great weekend, thanx Kara.

This Week I've found yet another way to amuse myself. I like to think of this goofing off as "Sanity Reimbursement".. I've decided to make cases for all of my svcd's which is quite a few, but in the last 2 days I've already made about 10.

:::[20.June.03]:::

Kara had never been to an Arby's® before... So yesterday we made our way there to engulf her in the world of the Beef & Chedder©. As soon as we went in I recognized the cashier, It was a friend of a friend that went wakeboarding with us last summer, (though I couldn't remember his name till a bit later). So moments later I was seriously hooked up with food, & had plans to hit a infamous fishing hole that NoBody is really allowed at.. Thanx again Gordon.

I was on my way home, in an absolute rush. David had proceeded to talk my damn ear off, well after 5pm, so I needed to make up for some lost time. I took off like a bullet. When I came to 2nd street I was contending with 5oclock traffic.. but I saw an opening after a bit & decided to take the chance.. I peddled hard, but half way across the street was when my chain flew off the gear again.. sending my torque driven knee into the handle bars. After sliding across the street, feet dragging behind me, I stopped for a while.. trying to regather my brain activity.. the pain was harsh. I tried remounting the chain but it only came off 6 blocks later. So I figured that we could all learn a lesson, I stopped trying to rush everything & walked the bike home. Ok, Gimped the bike home. But, I got there, with no major injuries.

:::[20.June.03]:::

A very unEventfull weekend, Too cold to play, but just enough sun to make it undreary.

Webb UPdate!
There has been some heavy updating on the web, just about everywhere, but every so often there is work done that hits close to home.

• Travis has really revamped his site, I wasn't gonna say anything yet, but I got a look at it this morning & he's really got it lookin GOOD!!!
  It's more than just a new look, he's also added a bunch of content, including a Message board! Which could be very useful to get the word on about his shindigs.
• Sheridan also, has taken my advice and split his page into to worlds that fork from the entrance. One path leads to his work & progress as a production man, The other is his rambling as just another hairless monkey. Including some new material on his "rants" page. The first one got some laughs done were I work. i'll probably be pissing myself by the nights end. Check out his bitchfest on chain letters...
• Jason, for the last year easy, has been helping the freedom fight scene in Italy with the help of Global Radio.

  "..the main page i do is Sherwood Comunicazione and we're in the process of putting back together GlobalRadio after an evol electrical storm that destroyed the first. ci sentiamo presto-"

  If you Wanna hear him there are links to the global internet broadcasts they do.
• Ok, if your still looking for entertainment, check out this link list I found on the unscrewed page. It kept me busy for an hour.

:::[20.June.03]:::

Hopefully everyone likes a good joke. I stumbled apon a list of the greatest College Pranks ever. Check it out, Maybe it'll inspire a bit of chaos in all of you.

Comp Giveaway
The NixBox is gone, it has went off to a better place to become a PHP server, which is kinda cool , so I really didn't mind how little it went for. I probably would have liked more, but I figure it's like donating to the cause.

I still have a Comp Quadra 660 AV left.
Let me know if anybody is interested, i'd rather see it get used, than sit on a shelf rotting.

:::[17.June.03]:::

Wake season is officially on!
Last night we were able to get out with the boat. We got up to Lyons Ferry around 7pm. And literally dropped it in the water. Dad was a bit freaked out when the trailer went off the side of the ramp.. but hey.. it landed in water. So me & jon hopped to it, unstrapped it and pushed it the rest of the way in. Moments later, Me, Kara, Dad & Jon were all piled inside. So we took off, heading straight for the Pallouse junction. Before we were even stopped jon had his clothes off & was in the water. So, i gathered the rope & threw it out for him.. let the wakeboarding begin.

Once up jon never did get happy with the speed of the boat.. so after going a few rounds he called it good & came in. My turn, up & out I went.. into what i found was WARM water.. like bathwater.
Up and away! The boat pulled off & i was up, but, like jon, I really wasnt enjoying the lag of the boat. It wasn't till my headplant that kara noticed the boiling water all over the inside of the boat. Dad freaked, jumping out of his seat he rushed to the engine, finding it half engulfed in water. The petcocks were still open, its a procedure used at the end of the season to help air out the engine.

Well after bilge pumping the engine & getting the majority of the water out, we were back in business. So after we failed to talk kara into getting into the water we thought was so warm, jon was back out & ready for boarding. He rode with a much fiercer force, now that the boat wasn't taking on water. You could tell be the grin on jon's head. All was happy, then on our way back in the mouth to the cove dad decided to hug the left and follow it around. I was opening my mouth to warn him right as the boat, in it's full speed, lurched hard.. Sand shot into the air, jon skidded to a full standing hault. This is where I decided to finish my warning by telling dad about the sand bar that's now 2 feet under water, and right under our hull. "i had now idea" he said, I just followed by saying "yeah, i didn't either before I found it the same way a few summers back." Luckily the moment we hit dad pulled the engine up instead of trying to stop. So once again there was no serious damage to the engine.

We all counted our blessings, and as we headed out of Lyons Ferry, i think everyone had the same idea...This is gonna be a good summer.

:::[16.June.03]:::

Lately, main street has been heavily loaded with young kids hanging out where ever there is room to stand. I happened to be down there visiting my girlfriend while she was working at the coffee shop down there, thats when chaos broke out. Some kid started Kicking the crap outta his mountain bike. kicked it, threw it, bent it. Then left it for dead. After he ran off when the cops came, everything settled back down. 2 Days later we found that he left his bike downtown, bent to hell. I figure 2 days is a reasonable time to consider something finders keepers. So we threw it in the car & took it home. With the pats that we were able to salvage, i'll be able to not only get my mountain bike fixed, but also use a bit of it, to extend the coolness of my BMX.

Aside from that I'm testing some web serving software, & maybe I'll be able to make my own toybox. I could link it from here. hmm.. By the way thanx again Steve for the wecams. If things work just right maybe I'll make a live webcast show.. heheheh.

Roadkill news..
Sounds like things are going strong in japan, Sheridan has picked up the script that kody started years ago. It was the script for the fabled comik book for roadkill. He's continuing where kody left off & from the sounds of it, it's actually coming along alot quicker than I thought. Hope your having fun with it Brian.

WakeSeason!
Yeah!! We worked on the boat, fo the most part of the entire day sunday, only to NOT getting it running in time to actually take it down to the water. But after dinner me & jon went back out to give it a whack, & I'll be damned if it wasnt the same thing that made it seem like the motorcycle wasn't running either. After rescraping the points, we actually saw a great spark. it was only moments later that dad came rushing out the door to see me & jon screaming over the roar of the engine! WOOo!

So hopefully in the next day or so we'll get the boat out for the season, & wakeboarding will be only one quick trip away!

Welcome to the darkside tim.
Finally the weight has lifted off my shoulders, for I got that mac working for tim perfectly, no errors or anything anymore! God knows why there were errors to begin with, but I've squelched them none the less.

Wow, quite the productive weekend.

:::[10.June.03]:::

It's amazing how fast time seems to go when your running through daily life with allergy medication pumping through your veins.. It seemed like a good idea last night. Helped me breathe over the night, just long enough to sleep, thanks to this farming community. It was the waking up part that was a bit more difficult.. it was like pulling myself outta quicksand. good god, i'm so drowsy. hehehe,

The Red Cross made a cool page about bring prepared for a disaster. There's alot of good info, but I hink I can use more for idea's within the world of Roadkill. I'm sure a few of you might see the same value in such a cache of info. nonetheless it's pretty cool info. In the event that disaster it's your area. I mean, where else would you find step by step instructions for survivng a Tsunami.

:::[04.June.03]:::

Looks like the powerhouse mac I built a few years back is moving on with a friend of mine, he seemed to really want it. That sounds like a pretty good home to me. Ever notice though how you have something thats really working great it always goes to shit, the moment you try to pass it off to someone who could really use it. So, it looks like I have a good mess in front of my to figure out whats the problem on this machine. Soon as I figure out the bug, tim, the powerhouse is yours.

:::[04.June.03]:::

I updated the little head to the right--> So, at least now it fits the page, & its not an obnoxious weird black box..

Check it out it's the 4th of June not only have I NOT gone fishing yet, but I still haven't gotton started de"winterizing" the boat yet.. & getting alot hotter out, i guess this week of almost 90° might get my ass in gear.

I got out my minidisc finally & used it to give a better soundtrack on the way to work.. its kinda wild riding a BMX with a heavy track blasting in the background.. i feel like I'm on some 80's movie. hehehe.

One thing I did decide to figure out is getting a longer seat post bar that I'm gonna bend (somehow) so it'll get my seat rocked back over the back wheel, which will make it look like a lowrider, but at least it will give more legroom.. heheh.

christ I'm rambling.. what is it you guys wanna hear about? Let me know!

:::[02.June.03]:::

Roadkill News..
We finally got to begin the wild Roadkill Game i had planned o so long ago. For some reason everybody's schedule came into agreement. The game began without a hitch, though my brother wasnt able to make it till the following session I had to improvise a bit & give joel & jim a bit to chew on to keep them busy.. & busy they were. Jim got to experience a crossbow bolt in his shoulder along with a 1.25" wrench to the temple.

Joel I'm sure woulda died if it wasnt for his perk which came at a great time, causing his attacker to break his leg in a rabbit hole.

Needless to say the two survived long enough to find Peter's character tied to a cross. after much monkeying about they eventually got him down.

They all survived the fight that followed when they stumbled apon a small group of slavers..yet it was a few days later that they all realized just how big there foe really was. lets see how they deal with a 30 man army of militant slavers. Especially considering there near death experiences already.

The Bike
I realized recently that driving to & from work is disturbingly hard on the gas milage let alone a waste of good sun. So i found the first bike I ever had, the old red beater that it was, covered in cat piss & years of rust & weathering. I pulled everybolt I could find.. took it all apart, and set to the task of refurbishing the old beast. 2 days, & $29 later I have a new bike. Armed with new tires, a new chain, a completely repainted frame & handlebars, my new bike moves not like new.. but way better than it was.

Now I'm contemplating making a custom seat, one that is rocked back a bit, hanging me over the back wheel, but it will increase the leg room & the ride..heheheh

:::[30.May.03]:::

Well after destroying this page, kinda pieced back together. Hopefully all will come together quickly, though it really depends on the feedback.

Roadkill
Ok, the game is coming... i've been saying that for a while, i know. I'm hoping we can get everyone togther soon. Me & Brian have worked hard on it, & i think the guys will enjoy the story. I'm shooting for tonight. by god jim, dont let me down. hehehe.

:::[28.May.03]:::

Here it is. The Beginning of a new blog to help keep the communication lines open. Let me know if you feel like something is missing. (though right now I feel like everything is missing... damn machine)

... I had this whole page built. Then I accidentaly wiped the whole thing out.. fuck. I'm so damn mad. i had a hell of a lot more content for you guys. so for your wisdom, remember this: When a computer asks you for confirmation about OVERWRITING data.. stop and think.

:::[17.April.03]:::

I've finaly completed my training. I got my Cisco Certification a few days ago, so now I guess I'm a boneAfide geek..

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Copyright 2003 by Andy. All rights reserved. My pictures. Mine.
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