You're Crazy, but I'll Follow You!

Famous last words as I followed my friend Dusty through a boundary gate into uncharted territory.

Unfortunately we haven't been getting the snow we need up here in Bozeman to open up the ski areas. Dusty and I were getting the itch so we made a last minute trip into Jackson, WY to board at Jackson Hole. We drove down there at night through a snowstorm. I say "we" but really it was Dusty that drove it, and he did a damned fine job. At some points we couldn't make out the road due to all the snow. We had to use the markers on the side of the road to navigate. Then we hit the pass into Jackson and it was pretty sketchy. Only later did we learn that the plows stop after 9:00pm....we were arriving about 11:00pm!! It was pretty slow going, but we made it.

The next day we got up and checked the snow report. Only 2 lifts and 11 runs open at Jackson, or we could hit Grand Targhee - about 75% of the mountain open and only one lift not operating. You can guess the decision that we made from there. And of course, it was back over the pass.

At least there was light and the plows had been running. It wasn't too bad, but you just had to take your time and drive slow. We were on our way to our first day of boarding!!!

Interestingly enough we both noted that there were a TON of back country enthusiasts and ski trails all over the place. If you are into back country skiing this is the place to go!

After making it to the ski area we were a little disappointed with how many people there were hanging around and only one major lift heading up. One guy behind us was telling us that the conditions weren't that good so we weren't looking forward to much. We both agreed that since it was our first day boarding we'd take it easy and just get some good runs in. Little did we know that the powder was incredible!!! We warmed up with a green road / groomer and only briefly got off into the powder a bit. Then we did a quick tweak of our equipment, got some liquid courage and headed back up!

This time we hit some blues. Unlike other ski areas that I had been to the runs weren't very well defined and that made for wide open boarding / skiing. It was great for carving all over the place and going through tree lines. Powder was easily 3 ~ 4 foot deep everywhere we went. I guess the guy that said the conditions were bad was another crack-smoking wondering idiot of the great North West. Here is a shot of Dusty playing in the snow while on a run.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, we actually ended up on a black run and played through some treelines until we hit the road again. Talk about a fat bastard!! I felt completely out of shape as the high altitude and working the board were taxing me a lot more than I remember from last year. So we rested for a moment and then Dusty says we should go through this boundary gate as there is a ton of powder down there. I then noted that there weren't ANY tracks and it didn't appear as if anyone else was going that way. That is when I uttered the statement that I thought he was crazy but I'd follow him in.

Dusty is a far better boarder than I am but he's patient with me which is why I like to go with him. He pushes me and then he's nice enough to wait for me while I figure out how to navigate something. So off we went into the really deep stuff. I'm not as good in real deep powder, but I am learning. I wiped out a couple of times and it really hard to get back up when you can't push off of anything because your hand sinks in to the snow up to your shoulder. Dusty calls out to me telling me not to come this way, to stay high and avoid it, but it's too late. I have to go that way and unfortunately I didn't have the speed to carry me through a fairly flat section. Imagine, if you will, a narrow V with very little room for moving and 30 ~ 45 foot walls of snow, rock and trees on both sides of you. That's what we were now stuck in. I had to unstrap my board and hike through the flat spot. No trick angles or trick photography here. I am literally up to my crotch in snow and fighting to get to a downhill spot so can get my board back on.

We got our wish!! Only, it was more of the same narrow, twisting, very difficult "trail" with which we had to navigate. I kept thinking it couldn't be too much further to get out, but it just kept getting worse and worse. We probably should have hiked up the incline when we had the chance, but it was too late now and we had to keep going.

The best part? How about the cliff we had to jump off of?? Yeah, sweet. Some kid yelled to tell us there was a cliff ahead, but it was only "six feet." Does this look like a six foot cliff to you? The sad part is that while we were trying to figure out how to navigate it the ski team school came by. A bunch of little kids with an instructor and they went off of it one-by-one like it was no big deal. Finally Dusty takes the plunge. He goes over the edge and disappears out of site. We all heard this loud "WHUMP!", but no Dusty. So we were all looking at each other and someone said "that didn't sound too good." But as it turns out he was fine and was able to get this pic of me getting ready to take the plunge.

And was it over? No, not by a long stretch. But we finally made it out and onto the road. I have no idea how long it took us to make that run. Probably a good hour and a half or more. Naturally, we had to make it back to the bar and have drinks after that run. I looked it up on the trail map. We started on a blue, hit one of two blacks, across the road, and then into an unmarked "out of bounds" trail to bring it all home. So much for taking it easy the first day out. I managed to only hit two trees and three rocks.

We ended the day with a couple of more runs through some deep powder blues and tree-lines until we literally couldn't control our boards anymore from being so fatigued. It was just an awesome day out there. Next stop? Back over the pass to Jackson where we were staying for some Apre Ski beverages and dinner. We tried to hit Teeton Thai, but it was closed until Dec. 20th so we had to head off elsewhere for din-din. If you ever go there, I would suggest NOT going to the Snakeriver Brewery for dinner. It was OK, but it didn't really do it for me after a hard day of boarding.

We hit a few bars afterwards and then I found a breath analyzer machine that I thought would be fun to try out before we headed back to the hotel. Little did we know that it wasn't working. So we are there and there a bunch of guys checking the whole scene out. Dusty goes first and he's blowing into the little straw and nothing is happening. So we all encourage him to blow harder. Poor guy, I thought he was going to pass out from blowing so hard and then a chick walks by and tells us that it's broke and not to waste our time. Oh well.

The next day we drove back to Bozeman. Fortunately the sun was out and the roads were much better than they had been. We even got to stop at the Wolf Pack Brewery and sample the suds and grub. Every time I have ever been through there they have been closed so it was nice to finally stop in and check it out.

All in all it was a great trip. Nobody got hurt and we didn't end up stuck in a ditch. The only bad thing is that now we get to compare the rest of the season to what we just experienced. Somehow, I don't think it will stack up.

BTW - if you want to check out more pics, click HERE. There are some good snow / scene shots!

My Tax Dollars at Work

I read a post by Miss Carnivorous on her blog about helping out needy families during the holiday season. I started to reply to it, and then I got really worked up thinking about it. So I decided to write about it on my own site (Sorry Miss C). Click here to read the original post.

I do not give people cash handouts. I will buy you a gallon of gas. I'll buy you a sandwich. I'll give you a ride, but don't ask for money because I am not going to give it to you.

I'm in a 28% federal tax bracket. That doesn't account for any other local taxes which I pay. Effectively a fairly significant amount of my money goes to taxes. A large portion of that goes towards some type of welfare program. It pays for the soup-kitchen, the homeless shelters, and the illegal alien to reap the benefits of our civil services and medical benefits. I could go on, but I think you get my point.

I don't feel a need to give even more of my money away to people that have chosen to only be a part of the system in that they are a leach sucking the financial life out of people....and amazingly the democrats seem to support this, but I digress.

I do, however, participate in several programs for kids. I always take part in the toys-for-tots programs. I also go to the "angel tree" every year and buy about four or five things for kids that would otherwise not get presents. I also try to buy scout cookies, or participate in other charitable events that go towards children.

But do NOT ask me for money. You already get it.

Screw NASCAR!!!

If your idea of racing is a bunch of guys in cars with 30-year-old technology going around to the left, check out this video. MotoGP is where it's at!

The World Famous Sip and Dip Lounge

I'm currently in Great Falls, MT. I'm doing some wireless presentations to educate people and hopefully get some potential clients out of the deal. One of my friends, OJ, sent me this email and said I had to go to the Sip and Dip to check it out. Here is her email:

Because no trip to Great Falls wouldn't be complete with out a trip to the Sip-n-Dip...

At night, drop by for a cocktail at the legendary Sip 'N Dip Lounge, located in the O'Haire Motor Inn (17 7th St. S.). There is probably nothing in the world quite like the Sip 'N Dip Lounge. First, it's decorated in a Polynesian tiki style (in and of itself pretty surreal for Great Falls), but adding to the weirdness is the glass wall behind the bar, providing a view of the hotel's indoor swimming pool. Bar patrons have a great view of whoever is in the pool, including assorted mermaids and mermen (who are hired by the bar during busy hours); in the past, even Daryl Hannah (she of Splash fame) has shown up there in a mermaid suit. On most nights you can find Piano Pat Sponheim tickling the ivories and singing standards like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Fly Me To the Moon."

Make sure you wear your Hawaiian shirt. And if in the off chance you'd be seen in public in a Hawaiian shirt you must send me pictures!

Sorry, OJ, I didn't go in a Hawaiian shirt, but I did get the pic above. I had a few others, but that was the best one. Unfortunately I didn't even have a beer as I am trying to not be such a fat bastard. It's been salads and water for me!!!

In any case, surprisingly enough the bar was rated the #1 bar by GQ magazine....(are you getting this, Bling?). I have no idea why it was rated #1...or what category they had it in. It was fairly interesting, and yes, that is a swimming pool that you can look into. There were some kids swimming, but no hot chicks unfortunately. The bar was opened in the 60's, but didn't look a day over 25 years...

Speaking of other places I had to go check out we ate dinner at a place called Eddie's Steakhouse and (get this) Dinner Club. When was the last time you saw something called a dinner club? That place had been in business over 60 years, and for that I broke my diet and had a steak with a salad. It was quite tasty, but I must admit I have had better steaks. Still for the price and the history, it was damned good.

Prior to dinner we stopped by a school to see about doing a wireless job in it. The principal looked about my age, which was scary. I always though principals were "older" and had to have a lot of experience. The worst part? Some of the teachers were kind of hot. It's only during times like those that I thought I just might be older than I think I am.

Loading c1700-advsecurityk9-mz.124-9.T1.bin from 192.168.4.180 (via Serial0/0): !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OO!!!!!!!!!!!!!O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!O!!!O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just loading a file onto a router across a VPN connection. I am bored. Not much to do until that file is loaded and it has a ways to go.
If anyone is reading this, and is in Montana, and understands what that means give me a shout. We could always use another engineer.

I also booked my flights home today. They were going like hotcakes!! Yesterday I looked up flights and there were plenty of them. I did the nice thing and requested permission to buy the ticket and by the time I got on this morning almost all of them were gone. They were literally selling out as I was trying to find one.

Lucky for me I was able to get on an 8:00am flight. I needed to get on one this early because I have to traipse all across the continent to get home, now. I first have to fly from Bozeman to Salt Lake City, Utah. No big deal...done it a million times. But then I have the privilege of flying to Atlanta, GA just for kicks. From there they fly my BACK the other way to drop me off in Texas. yes, that's 10 hours of flying and airports (provided there aren't any delays) and a grand total of 2,667 miles.

But it's all good. I'm going home....and if I am lucky first class won't be sold out on those flights and they will automatically bump me into first class like usual. My plan is to make them pay for having me fly at 8:00am and then having to PASS my home, hang out in an airport, and then go back the way I just came before arriving in DFW. You might ask how I would do this.... it's quite simple. Free alcohol. I figure if I can suck down enough of those little bottles full of the good stuff then at least I won't feel so bad about being stuck on a plane all day.....except for the hangover the next morning.

My Rough Schedule....

OK for those of you that keep asking and asking and asking.....and you know who you are!!....here is my rough schedule for December.

• November 29th ~ Dec 1st - I'll be up near Great Falls, MT doing some presentations and trying to drive some sales.
• Dec 7th ~ 8th - I have to do an on-site installation somewhere (not sure where, yet).
• Dec 9th - Driving down to meet up with friends at Big Creek Cabin and my vacation begins!

From here on out it's "tentative" depending on weather, if the ski resorts are open, if I can get a room, etc.

• Dec 10th - drive to Red Lodge and board for a day.
• Dec 12th - drive to Jackson Hole and board for a day.
• Dec 14th - drive to Grand Targhee and board for a day.
• Dec 16th - drive back to Bozeman and finish packing while squeezing in even more boarding up at Moonlight.
• Dec 19th or 20th - fly back HOME to TEXAS!!!
• Dec 20th ~ 23rd - shop my butt off for all the presents I haven't bought, yet.

Jeeze! I should probably do some laundry in there somewhere, eh? I might be kind of stinky after all the snowboarding!

If anyone would like to join me, by all means, come along. I'd love to have the company.

A Welcome Surprise....

Saturday evening several of us were supposed to go out. I had called a few folks to confirm or find out what was going on only to hear that they weren't going out after all. No big deal, but I was looking forward to it.

So here I am, chillin' on a plane. I'm thinking about lyrics to songs, reading a book, wondering why America has turned into a bunch of pussies.

But I get off the plane and I need to go home and clean up a bit before I get out. Low and behold, there is a group of my friends waiting for me as I walk through the security exit! They have a "welcome home" poster made complete with pictures of midgets, ferrets, and Aprilia lion logo on it. They had also brought me my sippy cup filled with a beverage, and my blow-up sheep. (don't ask if you don't want to know!)

It was really thoughtful of everyone and it was nice to be surprised in such a manner. They then took me out to dinner (no McDonalds, either!) and wouldn't let me pay for anything!! I think they were going to go out and party all night but the roads were pretty crappy and drinking and driving is never a good idea - especially on glazed roads of ice.

Effectively they pulled a Weasel and Grasshopper - keeping me out until the following day. I crashed on a friend's couch and didn't make it "home" until about 10:30am the following morning. Their dog curled up at my feet, and their cat slept on my chest. I guess I can't complain too much....not everyone gets a little pussy all night.

Brrr....It's Chilly!

Friday I was riding motorcycles back home with some friends. It was 78 degrees with light winds. Not too bad for bike riding.

On Saturday I land in Bozeman and it's 17 degrees and snowing!!! I drug all my snowboard gear back, but none of the resorts are open as of yet. It's the first time in years that the resorts haven't opened. It looks like some of them will open this coming weekend, and then the rest should be open by Dec. 2nd.

Just When I think I am out…

….they pull me back in. The following is a real story based on actual events. Any coincident between people, real or imagined, is intended and may have actually happened.

My history with Skyline (my current employer) is fairly sorted. I got hired in 2000 and since that time have had my ups and downs with the company pretty much as you would in any company. This also included two layoffs and some severe pay cuts during our post dot-com bust days. We had to run pretty lean.

Then I was asked if I wanted to take a gig up in Montana for six months to see if we could build the region and put a new business model together. That was a year and a half ago. For those who have been reading my blog and keeping up with the emails you know that some of this has been great and some of it has been not so great.

But for two years, I’ve effectively been living in MT while keeping my residence in the state of Texas. I just came home this week for Thanksgiving. Prior to this I wasn’t home for two months. During this time I realized just how burned out I am. It was very hard on me. I have become very depressed, but I know how to deal with it. So I planned to start my own business and quit Skyline. I had to get out and get back home or move to Montana, and I just don’t ever see myself moving to Montana while working at Skyline. We just couldn’t make that work.

I ended up casually talking to another company and finding out they had a position open and that they wanted me. This is Right Now Technologies. They are based in Bozeman, MT. As with most of Montana’s screwed up economy they couldn’t afford to even get close to matching my salary, but they wanted me back in Texas!!! We negotiated over the period of several weeks and ultimately I signed up to take the job. I was coming home to Texas!!!! The pay was a quarter-salary difference but the benefits were very good, and I liked all the people there. I already knew them. They are a client for Skyline.

Now, I couldn’t post ANY of this on the blog as I don’t know for sure who reads it and who doesn’t read it. So I quit Skyline. Finished. Done. See-ya later, alligator! It was not an easy decision. But I sat down with Brent and told him I was leaving. I thought he’d be mad or upset, but he wasn’t. He was very understanding, but he asked for me to give him eight hours to see if we could work it out. Fair enough. I’ve worked for the company this long and been out of town for two years, what was another eight hours. For those doing the math, I’ve been on the road roughly 85+ weeks out of a possible 104. This is not even counting the year prior when I was in California and Chicago all the time.

So, to make a long story short Skyline wanted to keep me. And they made a nice counter with the key words being “back in Texas.” They were also offering a financial incentive as well. But I felt I needed to put it all in writing as to why I was leaving and let them see if they could work with where I needed to be.

So here is an actual simulation of the email I sent to them (parts omitted to protect the identities of the individuals involved):

When it comes down to reasons why I would leave Skyline it comes down to a few basic reasons:

• 
  Not living in my own home. I will have been on the road approximately 85+ weeks out of a possible 104.
• Not doing the things that I want to do – I didn’t ride my bike hardly at all this year, my boat never saw the water, I don’t get to enjoy my house with the big-screen and nice theater system.
• My health – I wouldn’t say I am unhealthy, but I haven’t been able to work out with any type of regularity or schedule in over 2 years. I have put on weight, lost muscle mass, have a decreased cardio system and bags under my eyes. This was not the case 2 years ago.
• The B.S. – no company is free of this, I don’t care where you work but the two things that rub me the wrong way are the unwritten company policy that we have to travel on personal time (I’ve written about this to Frank and Roger at length) and it always seems that everything is a P1 and trying to settle into a rhythm is just about impossible.
  
  Most of it all comes down to the travel and work schedule I have endured over the last 2 years. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it anymore. I am so burned out that I am depressed, I can’t stay focused, and I simply no longer motivated. I feel this is impacting my work, but you would have to be judge of that. Note that money is not the motivating factor here. With the exception of our lean years after the dot-com bust I have always felt that Skyline has paid me very well and that is one thing I do not complain about.
  
  So getting to heart of the matter, I understand that Skyline is interested in me staying on board. I am interested in staying on board if we can make it work. The primary issue, for me, is going to be living at home with significantly reduced travel. That doesn’t mean I am not willing to travel, but it does mean that I want to be home more than I am gone. I am not sure how to put that into quantifiable terms, but I don’t think saying X-percent on the road is the way to do it. Right now, I am so burned out that I don’t want to travel at all, but I realize that is unrealistic whether I was with Skyline or someone else.
  
  My thought on travel would be something like this:
• I think that one week out of the month would not be a problem – whether that be in MT, teaching a class or whatever.
• For special projects or extenuating circumstances we can extend that as needed – but every month can’t be a new “special project.”
• If the travel is a day trip or something in TX, I’m not counting that – i.e. don’t sweat it.

Mandatory travel on personal time has got to go. This doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to travel on a Sat / Sun (whatever) when necessary (i.e. have to be somewhere on Monday morning to teach a class, there is no other way to do it), but I can’t tell you how many weekend golf trips, motorcycle trips, camping trips, parties, etc. that I have missed out on because of this. If the project, class, whatever necessitates it then I’ll do it but I will not continue to eat up all my personal time traveling for general work.

And they thought about it and agreed with it. The kicker was that they are giving me a “partnership” in the consulting arm of the company so that I will get a bonus based on the profit share. It’s not an out-right raise, but I could make some good money at it. Other times, I might not make anything but the incentive is there to do good.

I had to tell Right Now I wasn’t coming on board. I sent the two guys an email, but I haven’t heard back. I hope they aren’t too upset. It’s not uncommon in this industry for this to happen, but it doesn’t make it easier.

So I am coming home….soon. I have to go back to Montana on Saturday and work another two weeks there. Then I am taking vacation and getting in some snowboard action. I’ll start my vacation on December 9th and probably fly back to Texas somewhere around 20th ~ 22nd.

With the new agreement I’ll still come up to MT every now and then. That means I’ll still get to see my friends up there and enjoy what MT has to offer, but I’ll also get to live in my own home.

I left out some details since I am in a hurry to get this done before I race out the door to get attacked by my niece at Thanksgiving dinner. But that’s not such a bad thing, is it?

No animals were harmed in the making of this story.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm a Fat Bastard!

Today I went to the doc about a persistent pain I've had in my side for over a week, now. For those wondering, he thinks it's either an ulcer or gallbladder problems. I need to get an ultrasound, but it's going to be hard to do that since nobody has any openings until next week and I have to be on a plane Saturday. I will have to figure that one out.

In any case, I stepped up on the scale and clocked in at 166-lbs. Now, sure you could say "but you were fully dressed and wearing your five-pound boots with the steel toe and shanks!"

I'd say, even dressed like that I should not even weigh 160-lbs. I attribute it to eating fairly poorly lately (I have to eat out all the freaking time) and more importantly not working out as much. But since I am going home soon, I can get back in the gym and get back in shape.

Ick...

The 2006 International Motorcycle Show!

I was able to make the show this year and I suppose it was about as expected. There were some cool bikes on display for the '07 year. Unlike Europe there weren't any hot semi-naked chickie-babes hanging on the bikes to show 'em off. Mostly, I was interested in checking out the Kawasaki Concours - it's a sport-touring bike based on the ZX-14R sport bike (fastest production sport bike....see previous post on it somewhere on here!). They had one that was obviously pre-production and you couldn't throw a leg over it, but I got a few pics.

The weather was a bit cool, but we rode out there anyway. I went with Bling! and his wife aka Mrs. Bling! (she hates that). She is looking to learning to ride so we had her trying on several bikes for size and comfort. I took pics for Robert and Amy since they couldn't make it. So if you want to check out all the pics, follow this link!!

I also found out that the new Arai RX7 Corsair helmet fits me perfectly- a medium with size 25 cheek pads if anyone is thinking about a good Christmas gift. Unfortunately they go for about $650.00!!! (snake skin sandals anyone?)

I realized that I also need to call the doc and try to see him before I fly back out. I've had an uncomfortable pain in my right side just below the rib cage. It's always worse after eating (full stomach?) and it bothered me a lot while walking around today. This evening just sitting around is noticeable. It's not acute. It feels like a side-stitch that won't quite go away.

Never Come Between a Woman and her Shoes....

I have a friend that is a shoe freak. You can probably imagine that it's a woman. I have never met a man that is a shoe freak. If I do, I'd be a bit surprised. If you were to look up numbers the average woman has a ridiculous number of pairs of shoes..... perhaps I should say that compared to men women have a ridiculous number of pairs of shoes.

I'm sure there are several women out there that would say they don't have that many shoes compared to the average, and if you are that woman then I commend you for being sensible. But my friend makes up for you....and just about everyone else. She blows the curve by having some obscene number of shoes. I can't even remember how many, but it seems like it was on the order of 100+ pairs of shoes at any given time.....and I think that was after she moved and got rid of a lot of them.

The other day I was talking to her and she is telling me about this great pair of sandals that she found. They are python sandals and she really wanted them. As it turns out they cost $1100. You know me, my next question was "are you fucking high?" She laughed, but I could also tell she was serious about it. $1100 for a freaking pair of sandals. I just had to ask what made them worth $1100 as I obviously am fashion ignorant and simply don't get it. She explained that they were python. OK, I get that. Python....I have a pair of python boots. They didn't cost anywhere near $1100. I think I got them for about $250 ~ $300. So I keep digging to get to the bottom of it. As it turns out they are designer sandals and that is why they cost $1100.

I will never understand the fashion world where people pay way too much money for a simple item. Take blue jeans. I wear mine until they fall apart, but women will go buy them with holes already in them for hundreds of dollars because they have been labeled by a designer. You are crazy.

Anyway, I tried to put it into logical terms for my friend (which is hopeless as I have since found out). I explained that was such a ridiculous way to spend that kind of money that I would fly out to see her, smack her upside the head for buying them, buy a drink at the bar, and fly home. And I could do it for less money than she would pay for the sandals.

And then later, while flying home for real I got to thinking about how many pairs of shoes I now had. Far more than even five years ago. When I was growing up I hardly had any shoes. I didn't need many. A pair of sneakers, a pair of cleats, and I was done. When I was 17 or so I think I had two pair - sneakers and maybe a pair of boots. I'm not sure if it was a fashion thing or just because my feet were growing and I didn't have a need for more than one or two pair.

Now, though, I am substantially older and have a need for many more pairs. Let me explain the difference, though. I go buy a pair of shoes because I have a specific need that I must fill such as riding boots for the bike - not because I think they would look great on me or go well with that outfit. I buy shoes for function and necessity. But I started counting them, and I think I am up there for a guy..... here is what I have:

• Sidi Riding Boots - to protect my feet and ankles in the event of a fall.


• Snakeskin Boots


• Tennis shoes - racquetball, working out and stuff


• Hiking Shoes - hiking in the mountains required a good stiff shoe that could handle it


• Work / Casual Boots - what I wear 90% of the time.


• Lake Sandals - I don't care if they get wet and trashed. That is what they were made for and I need them when I am at the lake, floating the river, etc.


• Slightly nicer casual sandals


• Rockport black shoes - dressier occasions


• Wingtip black shoes - real dressy occasions


• Italian dress shoes - black of course


• brown casual shoes - because I just don't have any brown shoes other than my boots.


• Snowboard boots


• ski boots


• bicycle riding shoes - for "clipless" pedals

So what is that.... 14 pair of shoes? I think that is a lot for a guy. I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there that have nowhere near that many. If I didn't participate in all of my various activities I could reduce that number significantly. I could further reduce it if I didn't ever have a need to dress up. And let's face it, I like dressing like a slob.....it's far easier than trying to figure out what shoes go with my outfit.

Going Home…..Finally.

Well the wheel is in motion. It’s turning and hopefully I won’t be crushed underneath it. The bottom line is I am finally going home. I am not sure exactly how this is going to happen and I can’t comment further on them at this time. But, before the New Year I will be home.

So I’ve been thinking of things I want to do to the house. I haven’t been there much in the last 2 years, and the house is almost 10 years old, now. I have some ideas for some minor improvements and thought I might just catalogue them real quick:

Tile the kitchen floor – the linoleum is old and starting to look like it. I’d like to tile the kitchen area but last time I calculated this it was going to cost about $5000 to do it. I need to see if I can get the cost down. If I can get it down to about $3000 then that would be sweet!

Pergo / Hardwoods – this would be to replace the carpet in the den and hallway areas. I think I can do this myself with some friends and few cases of beer. Of course, I guess I can’t complain about the results later, but the materials would probably still run me about $1500. I’d also re-paint the baseboards at the same time and spiff it up.

Bar Stools – I have a foosball table in my dining area, so there isn’t any place to really eat except at the bar. I’ve been trying to find some kick-ass stools for years but the good ones are about $500+

Re-stuff the sofa cushions – I have a leather sofa. The leather is in good shape, but the foam could be re-done in the cushions. I hear that you can get it done fairly cheap so that is an easy fixer-upper.

Seal the Garage floor – I’ve always wanted to do this for some reason. It’s cheap and just takes a little time and effort.

Place wear – I need to get some new plates, glasses, etc. I have the cheap crap from long ago, but it’s time to get rid of it and get some nicer stuff.

Yard work – the yard is not in bad shape, but it needs some tweaking. Flowers, pruning the hedges, etc.

I’m sure there are other things I’ll come up with, but this is a good start and will get me used to being around the house again. I’m looking forward to it.

For Dan....Because I think he'd Appreciate it.

SFW - Safe For Work

Psycho Chicks...

So I was watching Enduring Love last night. It's a European film and in it, for once, there is a psychotic, male, stalker....which kind of blows the stereo type of psycho chicks. With one exception.... he's gay and stalking another guy.

How does that fit into the realm of things?

Therapy Without a Therapist….

…or why we blog?

I am going home for Thanksgiving. I need to go home….really bad. I am burned out and fairly depressed. It’s getting to me and has been for a long time. I guess, though, that I deal with things well…or at least the best that I can. There are a lot of things that I’d like to post on here, but can’t right now…. It will make sense later on.

But the thing of it is…with all the things I am dealing with… I don’t really have any one person to talk to about it. Not someone that really understands all facets of bRad. Not anymore. So I think that’s it. I can’t jam and I don’t have someone to talk to about all this stuff….so I spew it forth on here when I get the chance.

I don’t think it’s the same for everyone else, but if you break it down to it’s substance it’s a medium for us to voice our opinions, feelings, whatever. It’s really not that much different than standing on a soapbox and going off about whatever we want to go off about – politics, religion, sex, global warming, myself, whatever.

People keep telling me I need therapy. At least this is free…

The Ramblings of a Lunatic….

At least that is what I feel like sometimes. What does it all mean? Does it have to mean anything? Can I just ramble to ramble??? I guess it’s my blog, I can do whatever I want. But I think about these things. The eternal question – why are we here? I don’t find myself asking that nearly as much as questions such as “are we making a difference?” Then the question becomes “a difference in what?” What do we, as humans, contribute? And what, are we contributing it to?

Think about this…. I was watching a show on TV the other day on black holes. They were getting fairly deep into it and of course I had read about this stuff before. But the graphics were very cool and Fuego and I were shooting tequila so I found it fairly interesting.

During the last few years there have been significant developments which allowed us to learn about and pinpoint where some of these black holes are – 60+ million light years away (or maybe it was 13? That’s a rather unlucky number isn’t it?). There is one in our own galaxy and one in the nearby galaxy (it’s all relative at this point). Apparently, they are no longer concerned with the sun going super-nova and wiping us out. Now the model suggests that our two galaxies will collide and fuse together. They don’t know if this will destroy us, or give us the best light show ever…..all over the course of a 2-million year cycle…..and that’s after it starts.

So while I think it’s really neat, and I realize that there are scientists just like this all over the world thirsting for one type of knowledge or another, what does it mean? What good does it do mankind, right now or in the immediate future (let’s be nice and give ‘em a few thousand years)?

And then there are “the others.” The countless minions of sheeple that walk the earth and do nothing more than exist. They might be good, and might be evil. They exist simply to exist and are usually far more concerned about what Britney spears did than the realities of our lives and the universe we inhabit. And, as much as I hate to say it, I think most of us fall into this category. Not necessarily as sheeple (but OMG there are a ton of them out there), but as humans that don’t really contribute to the greater good of mankind (feminist freaking out over the word “mankind” need to get a grip). Forget the earth for a moment…. I mean, really…global warming? Nuclear war? We are but a spec in the cosmic time frame of the earth. We could annihilate ourselves with nuclear weapons and in a few million years (a pittance to Mother Earth) the planet would be just fine. Most of this is a way to make ourselves feel better anyway.

So these were my thoughts this morning as I clipped along at 60 ~ 80 mph along a snow blown canyon road. BTW – have you ever had dipping dots? That’s exactly what the snow looked like.

I saw two large herds of beefalo’s, a bunch of antelopes, cows, and the occasional bird. It was snowing fairly well this morning. And then it all went away. The ski resorts are no longer sure if they’ll be able to open up or not. That’s disappointing as I was hoping to get some snowboard time in ASAP after getting back from TX.

Just Time for A Quickie....

It's late, and I am tired. However, I wanted to put a quick word or two in here to remember Veteran's day.

Thank you to all those who have, and still are, serving.

What’s in a Nickname?

I have quite a few friends that have nicknames. Not all of them, of course, but several of them. Recently I’ve had quite a few people ask me to remind them of who is who. So here is a quick list. How did they get them and what do they mean? That is another story…

Adren = Sticky
Alexander = Bling!
Andy = ‘Droid
David = Budda (misspelled on purpose)
Danny = Grasshopper
Dusty = The Duster (this one hasn’t quite stuck, yet)
Giles = Giles (different pronunciation)
Julie = OJ
Mike F. = Fuego
Ron = Weasel.

A Friend’s Observation:

This is an email that I received from a friend of mine:

Here's my question: the day following a crucial election, one where there will be significant changes to many of our day to day lives-why on earth is Britney Spear's impending divorce getting nearly as much press time as the voting results??? Seriously, I was watching CNN last night trying to get the information on who won the Tester/Burns race, and the runner at the bottom of the screen switched to Britney and K-Fed's separation. Good Lord! Why do I care? They are both white trash and were a car wreck from the very beginning. I can only imagine that it is was presented because people wanted to know. Doesn't that make you proud to be an American? :) No wonder people in other countries get irritated with us.

I’ll address this in two parts:

Part 1 – The Entertainment Phenomenon

Quite simply put, American’s place a higher value on entertainment (as a whole) than anything else….including politics, religion, family values, core values, etc. I’ve written about this before. It’s why Britney Spears was getting major coverage over the elections. It’s why athletes make millions of dollars while emergency services people (fireman, police officers, EMT’s, etc.), school teachers, and renowned physicists, engineers, and medical researchers make jack shit.

We’d rather be lulled into a semi-catatonic state watching TV, playing video games, or reading why Paris Hilton’s dog has hair extensions than worrying about the day to day happenings of the world right outside our front door. We have become fat, lazy and complacent with our MTV, fantasy football, and escape from-reality reality tv shows.

PS - the fat chick is Britney Spears....

Part 2 – Why Other Countries are Irritated with us.

I suppose there are many reasons for this, but in my travels it has pretty much come down to two things:

1 – they are jealous of what we have in the U.S. This is minor, but they don’t like our success and they don’t like our politics and the fact that we are THE dominant world power. Take that however you like it.

2 – more importantly, though, is the fact that we are a bunch of fat, lazy, complacent MTV watching assholes that feel our way of life is best and that we have to ram it down everybody else’s throats.

Shift of Power….

Well now that the democrats control both the house and the senate I am sure we can expect some major changes. For the time being I won’t make too much of an effort to discuss the changes as there are a billion other people far better at writing about the political fallout and changes that will be coming.

Still….I have to think that the republicans had to know this was coming. Let’s face it…as much as the democrats alienate their own supporters with their (sometimes) radical ideas, the republicans alienate their supporters by ignoring their feelings. The republicans have had too many problems with the war in Iraq (not that I am against it, but it’s turned into another Vietnam), controlling the media, and addressing the public’s feelings. I think that is what lost them the house and the senate.

A friend of mine email blasted “Christmas Came Early” and linked articles on the republican’s fall from power. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but it’s what the country voted on and now we’ll get to see what happens.

Laptop Lies....People Died....

err....or rather my laptop died. Sort of... but it's been resurrected. A while back a paper clip got jammed up in my vent and it snapped off a blade on the primary cooling fan. So the whole thing vibrated for a while. I guess I could have sold it off as a new marital aide, but I kept working with it as is. But, because the fan was out of balance, it wore the bearings out and the fan seized. So I could only run the laptop for a few minutes at a time before it would start to overheat.

Now, if I were in....say, Texas.... I could have ran down to Fry's and purchased a $5.00 fan to replace it. But, here in Montana there aren't any electronic stores that carry this type of thing. So I had to order the entire $82 heat-sink assembly from HP..... and it took them a few days to get it here. So I was essentially off-line.

Today I fly to CA and will be busy there, but I'll update some stuff on here when I get chance. Sorry 'bout that.

I’m Fweeezin’!!!!

I used to hear that a lot…. Not anymore, but now it was my turn. My friend let me borrow his Aprilia Mile’ and his wife and I took off riding around the valley. My original write up was going to focus on how I got a bit chilly going up Pipestone pass into Butte….but then things change. They always do.

Sunday was pretty windy out, and it was cool but by no means cold. My Amy had asked me if I was interested in riding, and frankly I needed it. Too much mental stress and turmoil. It would be good to not think about it for a bit. So I met up with her and we went to go get the Aprilia out of storage. Since Robert (Amy’s husband) wasn’t there I scammed his Alpine Star perforated leather jacket, some summer gloves, and a helmet. For those who don’t ride or can’t figure out what perforate means the jacket has HOLES in it. A lot of little ones to let the wind through so you don’t overheat while riding in warm weather.

Since it was just a tad cool I went ahead and put on a long sleeve shirt with a mock-turtleneck to it and a longer pair of socks (the wind blowing up the pants leg can make you cold).

We took off and the “adventure” started. The first thing was that we couldn’t find anyplace to get air in the tires and they definitely needed it. When we did find some air it was one of those stupid machines that you have to keep hitting the start button every 10lbs of air….grrrr……

But that was well and good and we got on the road. I let Amy lead so I could explore some roads I didn’t know and I didn’t have to concentrate as much. The wind was really whipping up in some spots and so we slowed the pace down….a tad.

When we came through one of the canyons it was absolutely spectacular! There were sheer rock walls RIGHT on the road, with a river on the other side looking into canyon walls that were laced with bright green trees. The river brush was a bright golden color and some of the trees lining the river were a nice orange and burnt-red color. It was beautiful. If I had a camera and could have pulled over I would have gotten some pics, but as it was there wasn’t any place to do so.

We made a decision to head over the Pipestone pass into Butte. I’d driven it before, but never ridden it on a bike. It was 30 miles out and we knew it would be cooler but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t freeze to death before we got through it. As we got close and the elevation started to rise it got substantially cooler and the signs warning of ice in the corners were out. Great.
As it turns out there was snow all over the sides of the pass, but the roads were clear and mostly dry so traction was not a problem. We weren’t crazy, but we probably sustained about 90mph through there when semis do about 15~20 and cars usually hang around 60~80. It was a nice clip and I was pretty cold by the time we got to the other side.
We stopped in Butte, had some hot chocolate to warm back up and turned around. Back up through the pass and into the valley the sun was starting to set and you could tell the air was getting cooler. At this point I was just starting to feel a tad uncomfortable but it wasn’t that bad.

Then….it hit us. A wall of freezing cold air. There is no other way to describe it. We were out in the middle of nowhere whipping through another small pass at about 90mph when we found the cold front that was moving in. Now, I’m sure everyone has felt the temperature drop suddenly….over a matter of minutes, etc. But, if you can imagine opening up a door into a big industrial freezer and riding into it at about 90mph that is what it was like. The temps easily dropped 20+ degrees in under 5 seconds. (I found out later it was closer to 30+ degrees). And the wind picked up….

So, I’m on a bike….in summer gear, out in the middle of nowhere, and Frosty the Snowman is having a field day with us on the bikes. Remember the perforated jacket and the little holes? Yeah, well having an 80+mph 30-degree wind blowing on you is not a good thing. We were literally freezing….but there wasn’t anywhere to pull off. We had to at least make it to US287 and I-90 (yeah, for you folks back home….it’s the SAME US287).

We made it, but had to pull of once to warm up hands on the engine blocks of the bike. By the time we got to the gas station we were both shivering pretty good and while I didn’t know it, we both had the same thought – Can I get my legs to work good enough to stand the bike up when I come to a stop. I was already practicing flexing my fingers just to work the clutch and brake levers. We were dangerously cold…..this was not good.

We hang out in the gas station for a bit to warm up and as it turns out my riding partner had now lost her wallet…. Uh oh! Things are just getting better! I bought a pair of glove warmers for her and we climbed back on the bikes. It was so cold out I was literally shivering before getting out of the parking lot. What had turned out to be a really nice ride was now miserable…..but we had to get back.

So off we go….freezing, shivering, and I’m trying to tuck in as best I can behind the windscreen to keep the wind off of me as much as possible. 20 more miles….we can make it. Of course, the cross-winds picked up even further and we were both leaning the bikes at about 5 degree angles just to stay in our own lane. Lane change? No problem just stand the bike up for a split second and it would easily push you over about 10 feet.

But then….we got behind the line and it started to get warmer. Now I am not talking warm as in tropical islands with hot chicks in bikinis warm. Not even butter and toast warm. But warm about how that pizza is when you pull it out of the refrigerator warm. Trust me, it was an improvement. When we finally pulled off the highway I said “I’m either so numb I can’t feel it any more or it actually got warmer.”

But we were off the highway and heading back towards the storage shed. We turn off of a main street onto a side street in an industrial park. Amy is still leading and flips her high-beams on. Wanting to help out I do the same thing. Little did I know that our trip was not over, yet, and the fates decided to blow a fuse on the bike and black out all the lights. So now I can’t see….. it’s pitch black, and I’m on a black motorcycle on an unlit street….. and I’m still freezing. If it had been in traffic, or we’d have been on the highway I would have been done…..but as it was we got the bikes back to the shed.

To top it all off? We couldn’t find the key to lock the shed up when we were trying to leave and spent about 10 minutes looking for it before we finally found it. Some friends of ours were having dinner nearby so we stopped in, made a jack and coke and started to try to warm up. I swear it took me about 2 hours before I finally felt warm again.

Lest you think that this all sucks….. most of it did. But don’t forget that part of riding is the experience. ALL of it. Not just the good. And now I have another experience to add to my canvas…. Would I do it again? Not willingly… but I am happy to have had the experience and a good ride with a friend.

PS – as a quick update, it did snow that night. A little while after we got off the bikes it dumped about 4 inches of snow. The temps kept dropping and when I went home last night it was a whopping 4 degrees outside according to the car. Brrrr….

I’m fweezin’!

The Devil Wears Ferret Costumes….

Or was it Prada? I forget….But the results are IN! I’ve got eight responses to the Purity Test. I was hoping for more, but you take what you can get, eh? What is the Purity Test? It’s a test to score and scale how “pure” you are compared to other normal (or not so normal) people.

Now I am not going to lie here. I’ve had a lot of “fun” in my life and probably tried and done a few things I shouldn’t have. I guess that is completely open to debate and how much of a moralistic snob you are. But, some of the results surprised me. Not so much that I didn’t realize that there were some sick fucks out there, but in my opinion most of the people scored fairly average. At least the average people and the sick fucks are my friends. It makes life interesting.
So this test is 500 questions and it starts off pretty simple….like “have you ever held hands?” From there it’s pretty much downhill as you could probably imagine. So while some of us scored higher on the scale than others, it definitely left some of us wondering “how could someone score so low?” Most of us feigned to say “live and let live” lest we have to imagine our friends with a farm animal, engaged in a homosexual act, or practicing necrophilia (maybe it was a dead, gay, sheep?).

And, I can just see my dad rolling his eyes going “ummm….ok.” He’s a bit conservative, but I love him anyway.

Want to take the test yourself?? http://www.puritytest.net/

Religion Costs a Buck-O-Five....

So I am sitting at the bar reading the paper last night. It was a long day and I wasn't in a particularly good mood. There was an editorial commentary examining if we should be taxing NCAA sports. If you aren't aware, they are currently tax exempt due to the institution being a school. However, the article made some very good points about the colleges making "big money" off of the sporting events like their football programs.

I find all of this to be a good and healthy debate. But....I think if people really want to recover monies that are "lost" to non-profit institutions then they need to look at Churches. First off, the separation of church and state is not a literal separation and people need to realize that is an unrealistic expectation. The separation of church and state was to prevent the influence of politics via voting and other channels from non-profit organizations. The reality is that it happens anyway and nobody does a damned thing about it.

So if we push that aside let's examine a few things. You earn you money and then if you are a good Christian you give 10% of your gross (not the net, the GROSS) to the church every year. This doesn't take into consideration any other donations that you make. If I remember correctly that is tax-free. The church also gets it from you, again, tax-free. So now we have a funnel of money going into the church that the government doesn't get anything out of.

Now the church is also allowed to act like any other corporation in that it can buy and sell goods, trade stocks, broker real estate, etc. And....of course.....tax free. Did you know that the single largest wealthiest entity in the world is the Roman Catholic church?? Yet, we get no tax benefit from them.

Churches may claim non-profit, but the reality is that they utilize our civil resources just like any other organization and they rake in BILLIONS of dollars. Yet, nobody would consider taxing the church, would they? Nobody that wants to get re-elected anyway....

Halloween is Upon Us....

Apparently people have an easier time picking out costumes for their ferrets than I have picking one out for me. It's just hard for me to get into the season anymore. I used to enjoy Halloween. Getting dressed up and playing make believe like a big kid is generally fun. Now it's a chore.

For personal reasons, I'm just not into the spirit of things so it's difficult to be creative. Then there is the whole issue of having all my stuff in TX. Back home I could whip out a costume fairly easily. Here, in MT, I have to figure it all out and then figure out how to put it together and even where to buy it at..... only so that it will probably never make it back to TX to be worn again. And let's face it, I'm a cheap bastard so that doesn't work very well for me from a financial perspective.

But, thankfully, I do have friends that want me to come to their parties. The only caveat, of course, is that I have to be in costume. I've asked friends for some help on this one and I have gotten all kinds of responses. Just go as yourself..... and then say you are a serial killer (the problem with that one is that I might just freak out on everyone.... you can never tell with us quiet types). One person suggested going as someone that is tired. WTF?

I'd like to do my Big Lebowski one again as there several people here that would get it... but again, all my stuff is in TX. What to do? I have a couple of ideas that I might be able to get away with at a cheap cost. We'll see....

Until then, I'll just get a laugh out of these ferrets. No, I don't really have an obsession with them, but you have to admit it's pretty damned funny in it's own twisted, warped, way.....

Are You an Imbecile?

Above is a map of IQ averages by state. Steve Sailor has an interesting article on it. I must be a near moron according to this chart.

More Political Fallout

I think my father said it far more eloquently than I could on his blog, Political Angst in America. Both sides of the political machine are gearing up and starting to sling mud. I don’t think it helps the issues and the people, I think it hurts them. For once, during my life, I’d like to vote for a president that I truly believe in rather than the lesser of two evils.

But here are a few links I’ve received in my mail over the last week.
This first one is something that most of us have known about for a while, but have probably turned a blind eye to. I seem to hear more about this from college campuses and to some extent I am far more lenient of this type of behavior in those situations. I figure you don’t have to pay the college to go there and deal with this. But in a public school I feel this is completely inappropriate no matter which side you follow. I feel that public school teachers have an obligation to teach children facts, and offer them guidance based upon those facts. I do not feel the public school system should be a delivery platform for you political agenda.

High School Student and Bush Bashing.

The next link is an article from Ann Coulter. If you are a liberal democrat you probably won’t want to read it. It isn’t very kind to liberals and doesn’t allow one to confuse emotions with facts. What I don’t understand is why liberals are so eager to allow the terrorists to have a fair shot at killing more people. Can someone answer me that question? I think socialist liberals forget that terrorists are not going to be part of their socialist system.

OJ Trials for Terrorists.

Real Estate Falling

I haven’t researched the national market, but I am hearing that in “hot” places like Bozeman that there is a substantial fall-off happening. I first noticed it when I heard of two investors and builders that were unloading. Then I got wind of another guy dumping his property for “under market value.” Gee….do you think it might have been over-inflated to start with?

Yesterday my roommate, some of his friends and I checked out a house around the corner. I think his friend is going to buy it. It’s a very modern and interesting house, but like most houses around here they did some thing architecturally that I don’t care for. But, get this….they wanted $489,000 for the house and they are going to “let it go” for $412,000. A $77k difference? That’s not good negotiation. That’s the market starting to puke. But let’s see what happens come February. This is traditionally a bad time of the year for sellers so it may not be surprising, but that’s a significant difference in “adjustment.”

Ever Eat A Burnt Weenie Sandwich?

I said I was going to try harder to post up on here, but as per usual work got in the way. It’s not always a time issue so much as a timing issue. Sometimes, when I am done with work the last thing I wan to do is be on the computer writing and /or trying to be creative. I’m mentally spent at that point and just want to veg out and do something that does not tax me mentally.

The last week hasn’t been particularly stressful at work and that is good. We’ve been getting some good snow showers and the mountains are starting to fill in nicely. I’m looking forward to boarding once again. I even rented a very cool snowboard film called First Descent that is about the history of the sport and also about hitting some extreme runs up in Alaska that may have never been touched before.

I even presented a potential vacation schedule for the upcoming holidays that I may get. My boss said he would see what he could do, but they aren’t going to like it. I usually don’t take issue with my boss too often, it’s everyone else….and I realize that most of what he gives me is coming from up above.

I have had some very interesting social conversations in the last couple of weeks. One of them included a girl at the bar who said she’d rather be bent up like a pretzel into a vertical 69 position, but that she wouldn’t have sex with guys. I guess, like Bill Clinton, it depends on where you draw the line.

My friend threw a nice party for everyone last night. The premise of which was to wear some cool slippers, have some cocktails, and play a game or two. Well some of us wore slippers, everyone had cocktails, and no games were ever played. Unless you count some of the mental sparring that went back and forth.

I was told during the course of the evening that I didn’t like women. Let me make it clear, I love women. Like most men, though, I just don’t always understand them. I’m not willing to play games and I expect people to say what they mean. The anger that one might get from me has a lot more to do with being jealous of the guys that treat women like shit and have them, and the guys that treat women good but don’t. Why do women do this and then complain about it?

Damned Blogspot Site!

Well here I am trying to update my blog site and the freaking page won’t load. This seems to happen frequently when either trying to do an update or just to read some other people’s blogs.

I’ve also noticed it has a lot of problems with pictures. Even ones that I link to as opposed to uploading. I try not to upload any pictures anymore.

Maybe the new beta site will be better. I’ll have to migrate my site and try it.

Foamy Nails It....

So I was checking on the latest Foamy rant and he opens it up by saying "I'll date anyone that isn't any idiot. Hence, why I'm still single." I can't help it, but it reminds me of myself. I'm sure I am winnig points, now, so I'll just go crawl under this rock.

Check out the latest Foamy....once you go black, you never go back!
http://www.illwillpress.com/

Why I Hate Football.....

Like most American males, I played football growing up as a kid. All kinds of football. Touch, tackle, smear-the-queer, etc. I wasn't very big as a kid and that kept off a lot of teams, but I was fast, could hit hard and was able to anticipate plays.

I played all kinds of sports when I was young, but I never could get into watching them very much. I don't know why, it's just the way I am. Rather than sit on my ass and watch sports I'd rather be out playing them or getting into some kind of adventure or trouble.

But then I found hockey..... or rather my friends turned me on to it. It took a long time to get inot it because it has a fairly complicated set of rules. So it took a couple of seasons before I understood it enough to appreciate it.

Then I was hooked.... no other sport on TV compared:
Golf? Forget it.....waaaaaay too boring and slow.
Baseball? Are you high? Baseball is so boring they have to count errors.
Basketball? No thanks.
Football? Major boring shit. One play, for five seconds and then you have to watch the same play over and over again from 12 angles. No wonder it takes 5 hours to play a 1 hour game.

But for me, Hockey has it. Constant action with little interruption (in most cases), guys knocking the crap out of each other, you have to be in excellent shape, it moves fast, and all for the glory of trying to get a puck in the net. And of course, let's not forget the fights.

But there is more to it than that....and I STILL can't bring myself to sit and watch every game. If I am home and there isn't anything else going on I'll watch a game. I might go check out some choice games with some friends from time to time, but I love going to the games!!

Sorry....I digress. I'm supposed to be telling you why I hate football, right? I live in Texas. Football dominates everything in Texas. And I live in the DFW area. So you can imagine we are overrun with the drug-addicted, gun-toting, whoring thugs called the Dallas Cowboys. EVERYTHING is Dallas Cowboys. Everywhere you go, everything you see, etc. Even in the off season when the Dallas Stars are going for the Stanley Cup we get 20 minutes of sports on the latest arrests of the Cowboys, how Dion Sanders hurt his poor wittle turf toe and a brief 10-second spot on how the Stars moved into the semi-finals. WTF?

But it gets worse....there is college football AND pro football all playing at the same time. And then there is baseball and basketball and everything else. You know what ranks at the very bottom in the sports bars??? That's right, hockey. I can get to a bar, get there early and they will turn OFF a hockey game to put on a fucking football game. It pisses me off.

I was in a bar the other night and suffering through the smoke and everything else. They had about a billion TVs and nobody was watching anything. So I get there early and they put the game on for me and I order a couple of beers. Right about the start of the 2nd period the Denver football game comes on. No big deal, right? They turn three of the TVs around me on the game for the grand total of six people watching. That's cool. Then they crank up the volume on ALL the TVs. I can still hear the TV I watching, but just barely. Then the waitress MUTES my TV. I asked her what she was doing and she tells me that football takes precedence over hockey and that is just the way it is around there. It's a good thing she wasn't MY waitress.

But that's the norm. It happens all the time. I was in a bar once with a bunch of friends watching a game. There were a billion TV's and they turned every last one of them onto the college football game for two OUT-OF-STATE teams. Not even teams from Texas. I complained and was told that this is what everyone wanted to watch. Really? What about our table of 10 that had been there for the last 2 hours running up a bar-tab? So how about I give you the finger and.... No problem, we walked and I never went back.

So the next time you talk to me and I tell you that I hate football or hate the Cowgirls, don't take it personally. I just want to watch hockey...

A Quick JP Update.....

I finally got a chance to talk to the man himself. Most of what I had on here before is accurate. He was doing high-altitude jumps and had left the plane OK. Popped his chute and setup for the landing when he passed out. He came conscious right before impact and so he flared a little bit (put on the brakes) but was also ligned up with an irrigation pump.

He shattered his hips, but broke no other bones. He had some use of his legs when he left one hospital, but later became paralyzed from the waist down. They do not know why he is paralyzed. He told me he barely moved a toe or part of his foot last night, but that it was practically imperceptible. He was also in a coma for over a month.

In speaking with him on the phone I got the impression that he was staying positive. he's looking forward to potentially walking again. He also said he would be getting back in the swing of things as he goes through rehab. He may never walk again, but it didn't sound like that was going to keep him from hitting the slopes, biking, and doing the other things he loves to do.

I did notice, though, that he didn't quite sound like JP. A little bit of slurred speech and he didn't quite have his sense of humor. Like he was slightly different. My guess is that it was either from the coma and some minor brain damage, or that he was on some meds. He did tell me he felt tired today, but that could be because he had recently went out to the movies and gotten a bite to eat the day before.

I hope he does well. He is coming back to Bozeman, but it may be a while. Good luck to you, JP. If you want to get in touch with him, let me know and I'll get you some contact information. I don't want to post it here.

Sooo Sorry.....

Sorry that I haven't posted much lately. I went home for a week and was trying to get a lot of things done. I got some of them done, but not as much as I wanted to. The weather was nice and I took my 'Priller out just about every chance I got. I also played golf with my dad (didn't do very well), saw my family and friends, and even managed to get a game of foosball in.

I didn't have any drunk-fest parties with the hot tub, chicks and staying out all night until the sun was coming up. That's probably a good thing. I didn't get my company setup the way I wanted to, but I did find out a lot of information about doing it. I also still managed to turn work down a few times and yet somehow work way too much.

I find that more and more I am getting tired of being away from home and on the road. I'm way too burned out with work and the company having a lack of direction for me.

So I left the great state of Texas for Phoenix to teach a class at AMEX. I'm not real impressed with Phoenix. It's OK, not bad, but not anything to get a woody over, either. It's a big city....in the desert....with sand and stuff.....and nothing else to do. But teaching went well and I guess I can't complain about that.

I got back into Bozeman and have been trying to get caught up on emails and stuff like that. It was disappointing to get ahold of a paper and start reading through it....both political machines are gearing up and it just makes me sick. No wonder nobody wants to go vote anymore.

But the police report was kind of funny....

a guy took a poo on someone's car
a patrol officer had to get some sheep off the road

and that was about it. Another rough night in Bozeman, MT.

I'll try to post more later. It's amazing how many things I want to write about when I am away from the computer and then when I sit down I just can't motivate myself or my mind goes blank.

A Theoretical Situation....

So I was engaged in an intense conversation at the bar the other night and we did some basic polling, but I thought I would ask you, dear reader, to give me your opinion on a particular subject.

So let's say that there are two guys hanging out in an apartment. They are just chillin' and not much is going on. So one of 'em breaks out a bong and decides to light up. "uh...hey dood, you mind if I get high?" "not at all" replies the second one.

So the guy sparks up his bowl and proceedes to take a hit. Then he offers the bong to his buddy. The other guy says "uh... you know man, I'd like a hit but it's really better if you blow it into my mouth instead."

So the first guy says "what?"

and the second guy says "yeah, and not from a distance either. Can you lock lips with mine and blow it in?"

and so the first guy is now bombed out of his mind so he says "sure."

The two guys lock lips and the first guy blows the smoke into the other guy's mouth.

Would you not consider this to be gay?

Is that gay?

Absolutely!Of course not! Quit being homophobic!It's not gay, it's bi!It's not gay or bi. I do it all the time.

Free polls from Pollhost.com

And secondly....if it was a guy and a chick, would that not be an excuse to make out?

OK, Who brought the cat?

I'm fairly sure that is a photoshop picture, but it's kind of amusing and leads me into a joke. I read this the other day, and it's quickly become one of my favorites.

A teacher is explaining biology to her students. "Human beings are the only animals that stutter", she says.
A little girl raises her hand. "I had a kitty-cat who stuttered", she volunteered.
The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.
"Well", she began, "I was in the back yard with my kitty and the rottweiler who lives next door got a running start and before we knew it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!"
"That must've been scary", said the teacher."It sure was", said the little girl. "My kitty went 'Fffff, Fffff, Fffff'... and before he could say 'Fuck!' the rottweiler ate him!"

Update on our Marines - The Pendleton 8!

A while back I wrote a quick summary of a group of marines that had been brought back to the U.S. and thrown in a prison for killing an insurgent in Iraq. They apparently did this without first getting permission even though they were being fired upon at the time.

The unit was from Camp Penleton. They are still in prison awaiting an Article 32 hearing (similar to a grand jury hearing). They have been denied council, food, water, sleep, and due process. In summary, they have been treated far worse than any of the prisoners that were hazed in the camps.

I finally got some more information, but most of it is easiest to read if you follow these links. PLEASE take some time to read this and get the word out. The press is either not talking about it, or revealing only part of the story. It is a shame that we would treat our own countrymen in such a manner.

A general web site about the situation with updates and an option to donate for the defense fund (remember they have been denied JAG council up to this point).
http://www.marinedefensefund.com

Another blog site about one of the marines being held and the situation at hand:
http://friendsofjerry.blogspot.com

Here is a site about Congressman John Murtha. Apparently he's one of the congressmen that not only is against the war, but has the balls to dissrepect our men and women fighting in the Iraq war. Seems a lot of people want to see the truth about him come to light and get him out of office.
http://www.bootmurtha.com

Stop Bullshitting Everyone!

That includes yourself. This political correct stuff is way freaking out of hand. I almost got bent out of shape the other day over this type of thing. People are too sensitive to be told the truth and take responsibility for their own actions.

Muslims are peaceful, loving, people that just want to conquer the world and kill anyone that isn't a Muslim. They will leave us alone if we just leave them alone. They are repressed by society. I guess you might say they are political, socially, and religiously challenged. What a bunch of crap. How is it that the U.N., which supposedly upholds freedom of speech very highly allows these folks to say that if you insult Islam then there will be dire consequences. Yet, Bush is the anti-christ that is trying to take over the entire world. Do they supply unlimited crack at the U.N. meetings or is it just me that thinks this is wrong. When was the last time some U.N. folks got fed up with this shit and walked out? Why is the U.S. continuing to tolerate the leftist, liberal bullshit being fed to everyone and allowing these other countries and factions to walk all over us. What kind of pussies have we turned into?

Secondly.... let's call a spade a spade. I don't agree with calling black people niggers, though I do think that there are niggers. Just like there is trailer trash and crackers along with other white people.

I can even understand that some people are offended by the word "negro." But seriously, African-American is a bunch of shit. It's false and misleading. It also doesn't do anything to describe the color of someone's skin. Here is an example:

African American - Charlize Theron

She has it right by calling herself that because she IS from Africa. She was born there. Heck, I spent two weeks traipsing around Europe with one of the whitest African Americans you have ever seen.

Now, a picture of a BLACK guy

This guy could be from Africa. I don't know if he is or not. But he's definitely black. Calling him an African American does not tell you anything about that person other than where they might be from.

My bloodline is Irish. I've even been to Ireland. I am not an Irish-American. I'm a white cracker. Where we are from has NOTHING to do with describing the way we look. STOP trying to make it into something it's not.

And for you communist, socialist bastards that sue everyone for speaking the truth? You should be flogged and then thrown out of the country. Does anyone remember Stalin and other Socialist countries? Do we want to be like that?

Why do people make things so complicated?

In the last week or so I have had multiple conversations with multiple females that want some introspective insight on the male psyche. I guess they ask me because of the obvious answer, but it always astounds me how women want to make things far more complicated than it really is.

I always like to open the conversation with something I heard from a comedian. If a woman wants to turn a man on, she simply has to show up and bring beer. That’s it. That’s how complicated men are.

Now before I go any further let’s make sure that you understand that stereotypes exist for a reason. If you don’t believe that or don’t like it then you are disillusioned.

So listen up ladies! Here it is….and while you have probably heard it a thousand times you still don’t believe it.
The primary motivation for any guy that isn’t a geriatric (ok some geriatrics, too) is reproduction. Hence: sex. I believe that its part of our genetics and that we don’t understand it any better than the next animal on the planet.

Everything else evolves from, and is secondary to, the first. Companionship, friendship, relationships, marriage, etc. How we look, dress, the way we conduct ourselves is all about the first priority.

That’s not to say that all the other stuff isn’t important….but why did we talk to someone in the first place? Probably because we were attracted to them at a physical level. Either that or because we were being forced to fly wing-man because our friend was interested in another female.

So don’t over-complicate things. Sure there are dynamics in any relationship. But men are simple creatures.

You can break it down to:
Sex
ESPN Sports Break (for some of us, but not others)
Beer

Got it?

So the next conversation I seem to get wrapped up in is “Why are guys jerks? Why did he lie to me?”

First off, see the order of priorities above. That doesn’t always include wanting watch Steel Magnolias and listening to every intricate detail about your emotional state since he last saw you while trying to establish a long and meaningful relationship. 1

Seriously, I was recently engaged in a conversation where I explained some of this and the female-type-person said she would actually respect a guy that didn’t try to B.S. her just to sleep with her. If he would just be up front and honest, he’d have a fair shake. Ok, that is good.

About ten minutes later she said that she didn’t want to just sleep with someone she wanted to establish a relationship first, etc., ad nausea. My first thought was that here we are! Establishing a clean line of communication to men is important because we can’t read your minds. Ladies, did you get that? WE CANNOT READ MINDS. If you tell us one thing, that is what we think. If you say that nothing is wrong, expect us to take it to heart and to treat you like nothing is wrong. Don’t get mad at us later for it.
The next thing was that I pointed out reason #1 why guys are jerks and lie. They want to get laid. See above (1)….and see above that (order of priorities).

There is also is some well documented psychological phenomenon wherein women will tend to keep going out with the same kinds of jerks over and over again. There are, of course, multiple reasons including self esteem, wanting to “fix” someone (usually you can forget that), etc.

I like to think that women aren’t so gullible as to continuously believe the same crap that men spew forth in order to get a piece, but for some reason they keep doing the same things over and over again.

I’m sure I’ll touch some buttons with this one. Guys will be saying “that’s not true!” while their g/f’s read over their shoulders so that they still have a chance of getting some that evening.

Women will be saying that I have it all wrong, and that men and women aren’t really like that. Didn’t you read “Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus?”

And of course both will be trying to point out all the other dynamics and nuances that make up our relationships. If you are trying that hard, you missed the point.

It’s all the rest of it that can get complicated if you allow it to. Keep it to the basics and it stays pretty simple.