Distance and Meaning

PDX/Near Home

2010-06-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

Longview/Rainier

2010-06-04T22:26:00.001-07:00

gloom walk around the way

2010-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last Week

2010-04-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

sneakpeeks

2010-04-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Messy Jacksons

2010-04-24T02:51:00.001-07:00

Still trying to figure out this camera. Also bouncing light off orange walls is a terrible idea.

Holga Shots

2010-04-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. Dusty. Living in an attic is surely the ideal environment for scanning negatives. This will be the last of the film for a while. None of these are for serious to me; just having fun.

Last Few Weeks.

2010-04-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

So busy. I don't think I was this busy in school. I'm going to show you these things in photo form, though they are not mine.

These things are in my life in some way shape or form.

http://www.embrocationmagazine.com/

http://www.ifbikes.com/

http://www.cellphoneproject.com/

Shit. I have been practicing Thai a shit ton. A lot. A dick spade. There are 2 HUGE personal projects in the works. A few others with Sean and I's design company BigDeal, one especially awesome in the works. SOOOOO stoked about that. More later. Trust me, It'll be good. The Veloshop is getting busy in a new and exciting way. Portland Bicycle Studio is feeding us all types of baller builds. Doing extra work for PBS as well as gearing up for another crazy season as a pit mechanic. Japan anyone? Serious. Might happen. Or Italia. Who knows. Either way my job is tight. Summer. Just Say'n. Black short shorts and pink T-shirts. Maybe pink, probably white and black. Andy sent me a gem and so as soon as it gets cleaned, photos galore.

Ok. I'm done.

we love our jobs

2010-03-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

An older guy with two younger girls stopped in front the of the shop and then after chatting a little decided to come in. I thought they just wanted to take a look around, but instead when I asked if they needed any help, the guy wanted me to confirm a belief. I guess when they were initially walking by, he said to the girls that the people that worked in bike shops we some of the happiest people around. We ride our bikes to work, fix other peoples bike and then ride them and then ride home. It's not all about making lots of money, he said. He was pretty on point. I agreed. My job is awesome and I haven't kept a non-bicycle mechanic job for more than a month in the last ten years. Plus, I don't wear a uniform and I get to listen to my music all day. Of course the girls said they never doubted him. I often tell people the same thing. That my job is great and I love it. It was interesting to have someone come in and ask my opinion on my job in such a way.

Don't take this as way of thinking I don't have other interests and ambitions. I do, and they are coming to life right now. However I think I will always find myself a part of a shop or some how working on bicycles.

Just a Sec

2010-03-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

New favorite band: Bodyslam. From Thailand. Kind of a Pop-punk sorta thing. I have the album entitled Save My Life. Look at how cool they are:

Can't Wait for Summer

2010-03-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

I finally caught whatever nasty shit was going around. I was hoping it wouldn't happen, but when half your house and half your co-workers are sick, it's not an easy thing to escape. It's cool though. I turned off my space heater and did myself a solid by staying in and resting. I just wish it didn't have to happen on some of the nicest days of spring.

All this warm weather and longer day light is getting me so excited for summer. Long bike rides that last far into the night and end up who knows where. Fires in a barrel and maybe a wild boar roasting over it. Hours on the back porch watching the sun set (or rise) bullshitting with friends. Wearing as little clothes as possible and watching other people do the same. These are some of the things that I look forward to the most. I have this iconic image in my head of this summer. It seems to have been taken with a Holga with Kodak 160nc film. I'm out of the saddle with no helmet leisurely climbing a hill and the whole scene is washed out with a sun flare. Let's see if I can make that happen.

I have two rolls of film that I need to drop off. Hopefully soon. In the mean time:

Italians + Cycling = Yes.

2010-02-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Ok. I talk about how I want new bikes almost constantly while I'm at work. It's to be expected. I work on some of the nicest bikes in the industry(just wait 'til my next post!!!). Once again I have changed my mind on what I would like next. Of course I'm going to get a fit from the great Molly Cameron, but, now I want to be fit for this:

And I want this to go with it:

Ok, actually I can't take a picture of it and show you because I think it's a secret helmet. I will assure you though, it is ITALIAN. White and gold and Italian colors. Trashy as shit and I love it. You know I would get a kit to match. Full kit; white booties and gloves and eeeeeeeeverything.

I need a sponser for looking good.

The First Avatar: Trailer 2

2010-02-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is out of control.

The Forest. On The Coast.

2010-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

R.I.P Mark Vanford aka The Spiritual Giant

2010-02-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Cross '09

2010-02-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

My scanner is so dirty I am not going to put in the effort to retouch these right now. The amount of dust and distortion is absurd. But I will let you look at them.

Astoria

Barton

Smoking In Japan

2010-02-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

Developing picture and a room

2010-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

I got three rolls of film developed and I am scanning them as I write. One is from this past fall. Cross pictures from Astoria to Barton. The other two rolls are from my recent trip to NYC. Looks like there are some great images. Expect them soon.

I got a hair cut last night from Tyler and it's fucking great.

I put up extra lights in my room and wired that shit myself. Makes so much difference. Next is the floor.

Finally put up the mounts for my curtain too.

And I got a plant to turn into a bonsai. I am so stoked about this.

Here's my new hat:

New Training Music

2010-02-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Fired.

2010-02-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Fired.

Possibly the BEST video compilation EVER.

2010-02-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

once apon a time

2010-01-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

i drove a van across the country with a fellow named phil. we had a mattress strapped to the roof. no heat and we froze all across the midwest. then in iowa we lost power steering. i though we were going to go over the williamsburg. but we made it. mark vanford aka the spiritual giant 2010. look out for the weedpocolypse 42010.

Real Quick

2009-11-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

Although I think I'm not looking too hot in this photo I wanted to share with everyone what I am doing this fall.

I wish I had a photographer. I was going to document myself, but there is no time for that at the races.

Other Pictures

2009-11-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos that I really like from this summer.

Thailand

Oregon Coast

2009-10-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I want to start out with a classic from high school. Well, when I was in high school. Probably one of the only songs I liked on the radio at that time. I was too "angry" to like anything else.

Amazing.

Remember what I said about cyclocross and it being on. Well it can't get any on-er. Molly has won two Cross Crusade races. It's pretty tight. And I get to hang out and feel important and hand off bikes in the pit. I like it. Especially when I don't fuck up. I'm going to get Nate Shapiro to make me some custom work pants for working in the pits. Super stoked about that; everything he makes is top notch.

I wish I had some pictures to show you but I don't. Maybe soon. I'm finally paying off credit card debt and that is such a good feeling. But it means that I can't afford batteries for my camera. I do want a van. I'm going to dream about this:

But I'll probably end up with this:

I'm bummed that tattoos will have to wait. I wanna get all my skin covered up. Just sayn.

Also here is another great cake.

Cross is On

2009-10-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Is this your bike shop?

No Molly Cameron owns this shop.

Oh, the reason I ask is because you are in here all the time and always so damn helpful.

(get bashful)
Ha. Well, it's my job. Thanks.

What a great way to start the day. I didn't know I was so nice. Dude bought a $.60 spoke and tipped me a dollar.

Yesterday I worked in the pit for Molly. It turned out to be dry and there were no mechanical issues, so it was uneventful for me. Verg was fucking running around throwing wheels at every other person that came through. Busy day in the pit for Shimano; almost ran out of 10sp wheels. Something tells me there are a lot of people riding in the A's that don't know how to set up their bikes. I heard and saw about 5 tubulars roll off rims. None of them where ours though. So many people got flats, even on the sew-ups. Course or rider error?

Absense

2009-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't updated in over a month I think. I'm not going to apologize because I'm not too sure there are "fans" of me. Most people know that I got into a nasty crash a few weeks ago and got a bad concussion. I've lost part of memory (as far as that night goes) and got a nasty scar on my chin (stitches). I woke up in the hospital not know what happened and with everyone looking at me just as scared as I was. Maybe more. They had to look at my fucked up self. Good thing I decided to wear my helmet.

Anyways after that I seem to not care about the internet of this blog. I supposed I will still write in it though. Or maybe start a new one.

Right now I am trying to get organized and feel a little grounded. There are a lot of things that I am going to sort out to help me get to where I want to be next. I am certain that I don't really want to have anything to do with the art world. It seems to sicken me these days. Maybe that will change in the future, but it won't be soon. The things that I want to do I am going to not talk about them here. When they happen you will know.

First thing to get done is finish walling my room. I have a new house in NE Portland. My room however is an attic space. So for the next few weeks I will be remodeling. It needs to get done fast. Its starting to get really cold and the rain is around the corner.

I will be working in the pits this cross season for one Molly Cameron. You can Google her. Hahaha. Should be fucking rad and possibly Euro.

There are other things I suppose I should write in here, but they don't seem important anymore.

Khon Kaen Drift, Bangkok and the U.S.

2009-08-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

Yes seriously. I went to a drift competition. It was interesting to say the least. I witnessed a whole other world. I think I may have a guilty pleasure for anything with speed. I'm sure it's much more fun driving than watching. I was invited by a girl that I was introduced to who turned out to be a driver. Her brothers and herself are all racing-drivers-people of sorts. Anyways she turned out to be a better drift competitor than most of the guys. I have pictures, but you'll have to wait. The roll is still in my camera. There weren't any thug looking dudes there which was interesting, but there was a lot of DMX playing. Solid.

My time in Khon Kaen was mostly spent either eating or thinking. I tried lots of new street food and dishes. Went to the teahouse and hug out with Adisak. Hung out with a lot of Thai kids.

My last day in Thailand I spent in Bangkok. Adisak invited me down and graciously offered me a place to stay so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel. So I said my goodbyes in Khon Kaen and took an overnight bus. Spent the whole next day hanging out with Adisak, his girlfriend Goy and his sister Poii in his organic food and stuff shop. It was fun. We talked, drank tea, made stamps and they made me food. After the shop closed we tried to make it to a gallery opening, but Bangkok traffic is infamous for keeping you form where you need to be. Then we went to a milk bar and ate toast with sweet toppings including one with bubble gum ice and jelly balls. Noodles were in order as well. The flower market was close by so we walked around there for a bit and they purchased flowers for there respective places of living. It was really cool, there were some beautiful flowers there that I have never seen before. I didn't have my camera which is kind of a bummer, but being that it was dark out it would have been a pain to photograph them. The girls went to bed after that and Adisak and I took a bus to a different section of town to walk around. There apparently is a water plant market sometimes but it wasn't the night I was there. That was a bummer. I really like aquatic plants, So instead we sat in the Democratic memorial, which happens to be a huge traffic circle and we talked for a few hours. During this moment I realized that I was worried about going back and I wanted to stay.

I happened to see a fixie kid going by.

The flight is what a 20 flight is. Except I flew on a great airline that has good food and tons of movies. Watched the new Star Trek, which they should rename cuz its not really Star Trek and a bunch of Japanese movies. I didn't sleep the whole time. I was so wasted at the end of the trip.

Being in the U.S. was and still is weird. I can't really explain how I felt. It was a little depressing. I am just now starting to recover from jet lag and such and the shop has plenty of work for me to do.

I'll leave you with this because I'm Italian.

Creep Goat and More

2009-08-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

Two more pictures from Varanasi. I totally forgot about this. This goat was all up in my grill. I thought he was going to try to eat my shirt, so I had a staring contest. After we got up he just walked past where we were sitting. I guess he just wanted to get by and I'm a jack-ass for thinking he was like all goats.

The rest are from Thailand.

Seeing a pace-line in Khon Kaen was so unexpected. Especially on these mountain bikes.

I have no idea what this is, but is so METAL!

Pups. :(

Market at the school.

These bees have been here all summer. Everyone is afraid of them, but they are pretty chill.

...and if I lead, no one's in my way.

2009-08-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

It seems as though for a lot of people they "find themselves" while traveling around the world. At least that's the cliche. I personally could not find this to be farther from the truth. I do not feel like me. With the time that I have had to myself, I've gone over who I was, who I am and who I want to be. I am certainly not going to transform into a entirely different individual. I have always been honest with myself. No, it feels more like shedding skin. In our memories and documentation we will remember the old me, and with determination I will make the changes I want to see in myself.

I'm sorry if this too mysterious for you. I think if I listed or tried to discuss the "changes" it would make them insignificant as well as not allow me any breathing room.

One thing is for certain and I will share it with you. What I am talking about are things that I want. Sure, you can argue that you are ultimately the product of your environment; but there is a large difference between that and not being true to yourself for the sake of pleasing and being accepted by others. I can recognize this behavior and its pattern throughout my life. It's going to stop here.

You may find it naive and/or cute that only two countries have had some "profound impact" on my life. Or maybe you'll be offended for some reason. That's fine, it's your prerogative to feel however you choose. I will certainly not ever tell you how to react to something I have created or written.

But know this: Its not just traveling to and experiencing two very different countries and cultures from my own that have affected me. Its that I know that I need to experience more. Learning about something from afar is not enough. The world is far larger than I previously interpreted and I have have lived a sheltered life. Every time I go somewhere new I expect my outlook will be the least of things to change.

There are a reported 203 "sovereign states" in the world which makes me think there are more than a hundred times more different peoples and cultures worldwide. I want to know of all of them. Maybe it will help me gain a better understanding of life.

New Baroness Too!

2009-08-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Check out the new song on Myspace. So good.

So Stoked! New Converge So Soon!

2009-08-17T23:34:00.001-07:00

Not much more info besides album art and track listing.

God Didn't Save Your Life, You Did

2009-08-17T00:23:00.001-07:00

Religion is fine and all. They are the result of some of the world's most compelling stories. It has allowed huge populations of people to survive through incredibly large periods oppression, not to mention the communities it tends to build.

I will however, never place any faith in something I have no proof of existing. God or whoever else doesn't know what's best for me nor do they control my life. I make my choices, just as those I interact with make choices for themselves.

Nor do I believe that everything happens for a reason or that there is some thing called fate. If that was the case, a lot of fucked up things have happened to a lot of people who have ended up with terrible fates. Or even still, an existence that doesn't even seem to do the word fate justice.

I recently have been around someone (though just for a few hours) that said she placed her life in the hands of God and Jesus is her savior. I could barely keep myself from telling her what a load of rubbish that was. To make it worse I read an article about how some girl had to jump out of a car before it rolled over a cliff. Her mother then commented that God was watching them and I thought "watching maybe, be he didn't do a damn thing." That girl was just smart enough to save her own life.

Sometimes I think getting a huge cross tattooed on my forehead wouldn't be enough to show my distaste for religion. But to each their own I guess. I will certainly not tell someone to not believe in a higher power. Just think it's foolish.

At any rate I want to see this movie along with Harry Potter when I get back.

Apparently its a little bit more than just a movie about aliens. And shit Peter Jackson has lost a lot of weight. He doesn't look at all like the same person any more.

Remember that time I was in Thailand and I told you nothing about what I was doing?

Also look at my tight ass jeans! I haven't had anything this tight on since I left the states. I can't wait to squeeze back into some.

Final Pictures from India

2009-08-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

I developed two rolls of film here in Khon Kaen both shot over a course of time in India. One is from the first part of the trip and the other from the end. I did't realize, but most of the pictures from Varanasi are from the digital camera. Here are the few that I liked and retouched. There are more that I like but am not posting. The negatives that I had scanned were incredibly dirty so they were only quickly done.

They are not in order. They are backwards. I don't think it matters.

Maybe I have a Parasite.

2009-08-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I am now back in Thailand. My experience in Kolkuta was so frustrating that when I got to Thailand I felt relieved. I have come to the decision that all major cities in India suck ass. I know that I haven't been to all of them, but I have been to most, and based on what I have heard about Mumbai, I think my statement will hold true.

Unfortunately that feeling did not last very long. Last night I went to a hospital after having a severe headache, what turned out to be a high fever and diarrhea all day. Actually I think I had the diarrhea when I was in India. I was told that it is most likely a intestinal infection. Yay. Traveling in parts of the world where they only fry food is going to be rough on my body. I want some fucking steamed kale and quinoa. I ended up paying large portion of money for an injection and some pills because I don't have insurance. Though it was still incredibly less than any medical treatment in the US.

Getting from Varanasi to Kolkuta was ok. Another overnight train that gave me more sinus problems and an aching back and neck. This time there were a bunch on electrical and mechanical engineering students on the train that seemed to take a liking to me. I talked to one student for a while (I don't remember his name) and then went to bed. When I arrived in Kolkuta I immediately was offered over priced taxi rides to my destination. I got the correct fare and started the hour long journey across town to find out that my driver had no idea where my hotel was and dropped me off some where near it. I spent an hour looking for it with my bags while tired and hungry. Finally a young man took me to a place on his rickshaw called the number I had and dropped me at a hotel with a similar name. So I said fuck it and stayed there.

This hotel was ok, though the internet wasn't working and the restaurant in its main building was the only thing open for about a mile. Measly portions and not so great food. One interesting thing that I witnessed is that there were tons of communist flags and hammer and sickle logos graffiti-ed all over this particular part of town. Didn't find out what that was about.

Varanasi was a terrible place. The food was decent, but we didn't eat Indian food. When you get something like food poisoning with a particular food, you don't really want to eat it any more. Anyways, the town is super sketch with organized crime and the tourists don't help at all. I can't imagine what India is like during the high season. I hate to say it, but most westerners traveling the world are terrible people. They some of the rudest people I have encountered. Not to mention ridiculous. When you go to India you should expect things like rats, poor people, power outages and spicy food. If you don't like those things then fuck off and don't visit. Do not start complaining to your hosts about how you are not going to pay a couple of bucks for you room because the shower didn't work for a day. Shit.

There are a lot pictures from Varanasi, but I will have to upload them whenever Justine gets a chance to do the same. I am leaving Bangkok tomorrow because it is expensive. I will go to Khon Kaen and then make my way to Chiang Mai.

More Adventure and I Still Hate Delhi

2009-07-31T02:30:00.000-07:00

The trip from Bundi to Varanasi was long, tiring and confusing. All of these things however are normal for India. It starts in Bundi where we showed up to the busstand at like 10 expecting there to be a bus waiting. Nope. Instead there are people laying in the shadows and "platform" of the station. As soon as we stand still the "hellos" and "what your country?" start. Not really in the mood we make our way over to a man shouting "Kota" for a shared jeep. We get the price down to Rs20 and have the experience of taking a shared jeep for an hour. Not too bad. It was faster than the bus anyway. We get to the train station and get a general seating ticket to New Delhi. Let me tell you something about general seating. Its a free for all. You know those pictures that you see of the trains in India with people hanging on the side and sitting n the roof? Yes, that's it. We thought we were going to have to sit in the door all night. Luckily some young man made room for us. However while it was nice to be able to sit, 12-13 hours in the same position, trying to get some rest and making sure you aren't getting robbed is most exhausting. Did I mention that the train arrived in Kota at 1:50am? We finally get to Delhi late and go straight to the tourism office and get our next train ticket to Varanasi. We chill in Delhi for a bit and get a pizza. When it is time to catch our train we head to the Old Delhi station (different from the one we arrived at) and find that the train number on our ticket is not up on the board. Ten minutes til our train leaves we go onto the platforms and ask where are train is. We are directed to a platform that has a different train number on it but it turned out to be the same one. This time we had bunks in a sleeper. I will show you the bunks in a bit. I don't want to describe them. I would do them justice. Not that the pictures will either. This train ride (also over night) was not as bad. We just should have packed more food. We actually managed to sleep even with three fans buzzing near our heads, noise from the train (because there were no windows) and the heat. This train arrived 3 hrs late. No biggie. Then we had to deal with sketchy ass auto rickshaw drivers who mostly are wrapped up in some crime syndicate. We were not dropped off where we wanted and almost gave up finding the Guest House we were looking for. Justine ended up suffering from heat exhaustion and we chilled for the rest of the day and slept in today. I think I like Varanasi so far, but I will let you know later.

Train

Varanasi

Good Bye Sweet Bundi

2009-07-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

So you may have read elsewhere that I had the pleasurable experience of getting sick in India. I feel like I almost made it. The weird part is that I can't figure out what I got sick from. I'm guessing it was the disgusting bathroom in our lovely rooftop room. The day before I got sick I'm pretty sure is the day I either cleaned out the toilet with steel wool or when Justine's pants fell in the toilet and I washed them. Whatever it was, it felt like food poisoning, which it wasn't because no one else got sick. I vomited til it hurt and could not eat the next day and a half. Mama gave me this natural medicine that seemed to do the trick. However, right after I was starting to feel better, Justine got sick from something. We were both out of commission for a while.

Here are some pictures from the past few days, as well as a few scanned prints. The prints are terrible quality so when I get back I will be scanning all my negatives and properly adjusting the color, light, etc.

Our lovely little hut.

Views from the rooftop.

An alien space ship hiding in the clouds.

Here are a few more photos from the fort in Bundi.

The "small" waterfall. It was amazing on the top, but that roll is still in the camera.

Justine look'n all sassy.

Our sometimes favorite kid. Actually not really.

This is Mama.

Me.

Hanging out.

Favorite Pigs.

Justine's additions to my tattoo.

Can't Remeber Anything

2009-07-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

So I am still in Bundi. It's rad here and originally we weren't going to leave because we thought there was no reason too. But then as many of you may know Justine received a most generous offer to stay in the guest house for free and help out. Well I just haven't moved on yet. The food is amazing and endless and the company is great. However, I only have until the 5th of August before I go back to Thailand. There are some errands of sorts that mus be taken care of before I can move on.

Anyways. We went to a water fall for the second time managed to hike to the top. It was amazing up there. There was no trash and no people. Fresh water crabs and Komono Dragon-like lizards running around. If we weren't with someone else, we might have stayed up there for a while.

Oh man I keep gettnig distracted by this street vendor right outside the window. He is selling Aloo Titka. So good. Have I mentioned that I will never be able to eat food with out chilies again?

Shit now I can't remeber what I was going to write about.

I am getting some film developed so there will hopefully be more pictures soon. Unfortunately Justine's camera is non-functional, so picture will be down to a minimum. Of whenever I get film developed and prints scanned.

The other night we heard gunshots every so often. We think it may have been people shooting dogs and collecting the carcuses. The Indian Government pays for them because there are so many dogs on the street.

Oh wtf else...

I started doing Yoga with Justine and working out a little in the morning. Its really exhuasting because of the heat but feels so good. Now I won't look like a stick.

Looking forward too: Veloshop Neutral Race Tent!

PIctures

2009-07-07T04:39:00.000-07:00

SO. There are pictures up. On Justine's blog. We finally figured out how to get them off the camera. It's been frustrating. Since it took three hours to upload the pictures to her blog, I will not be doing the same. If you really want to see the pictures click on this LINK!

Enjoy.

Sneaks and Sunsets

2009-07-06T02:20:00.000-07:00

So we are still in Bundi though we are leaving tomorrow morning for Kota. It's like an hour away. Should be rad there too. There is a moat with crocodiles in it. Thats all I can remember about it at the moment. Oh yeah on the bus ride here we met a young man who is training for the Indian Air Force. I forget his name but he said I was "looking cool dude." He has my email address and he made me promise to write him back, but he hasn't emailed me yet. So that's in Kota. there are also two power plants one being nuclear. Though if they are both operational, the westerner in me asks why there are constant power outages here. Of course if you refer to the picture of the power lines in Delhi that I posted, that might be obvious. Anyways.

Last night Justine and I switched to the room on the roof. Its rad, though today its really hot and the electricity cut out in the morning so basically we were sleeping in sweat puddles. Then at about 6 or 7 I think we woke up to what sounded like boulders on the roof. It was the "morning" monkeys. We were forewarned about this. We were not warned about a small monkey trying to sneak in the tiny hole in the ceiling. If I wasn't such a light sleeper he would have gotten further than half way down the wall. For some reasoned I hissed at him. He climbed back up to the hole and stared at me. So I had to walk over towards it and get him to leave. We shall see what happens when the "evening" monkeys come. I think those are Langur monkeys. They are much cuter anyways. They are gray with little black faces and super long tail. The other ones are Rhesus Macaques. They are super creepy and aggressive.

Which makes me think of something else. A few days ago we went up to the palace and fort that over-looks this small town. We went with a Swedish guy named Roger. He is a pretty cool guy. In the palace there are hundreds of bats and it was really cool. I wish I could show you pictures. I may get nose cancer from all the bat poo. After the Palace we went up the the fort which is free and abandoned. This makes even more interesting because its like the fucking jungle book up there. There are soooooo many monkeys. At one point Justine and I turned a corner and there was a baby and mom, and there seemed to be a photo opportunity. But we didn't notice that the other one had balls. Naturally, being that they were kind of cornered the male almost attacked us. We only got away unscathed because we had are wits about us and sticks. Monkeys don't like sticks. Tonight we are going to go back up there and watch the sun set. Dangerous? Definitely. But there is supposed to be a great view.

Yesterday I tried to get money from my card. I don't know if my card is broken or not. The internet was down for the whole city so the card readers might have been off too. I tried going to the only ATM in town and it likes to turn on and off by itself, so I didn't even put my card in it.

One thing that I have forgot to mention is how Justine and I have had our pictures taken by Indians so many times we have lost count. In the Amar fort we had a photo op with an entire family. There are also the men who sneak pictures with there cell phones. It never ends and we haven't gotten used to it and probably won't.

I think that when I get back the the States (and I think Justine agrees) most of the food is not going to be spiced enough. I have eaten so much spicy food here. I can't stop and I know that I have a higher tolerance for spicy foods. I tried running right after eating and it was like dwarves used their master kindling skills and lighted a fire in my stomach.

Also I think our bodies have adjusted somewhat to the heat, mine more than Justine's. I feel as though I am drink less water, which is not entirely good, and peeing more. At first I pretty much only urinated once a day, after drinking a gallon of water. Now it's a little different. I also don't get as hot as I used too. I think.

We both have lost a toooon of weight. I look fucking emaciated. I don't know if I mentioned this before. It's gross. I mean I have zero body fat. Though its not like I had much before. The only good side, is that when I get back and start riding again, I will be able to build muscle like a pro. Stoked about that.

That is a lot to read. So that will be it for now.

India Again and No Pictures

2009-07-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

So every time we got to new internet cafe, the same thing happens. The card reader that Justine bought doesn't work, the card reader that the shop has doesn't work, the computer thinks the card is a virus and tries to delete the pictures, the computer randomly shuts off while writing, the internet is to slow or the computer is too slow. Now maybe I shouldn't get so frustrated that when I go to spend 50 cents for an hour of the internet I can't get anything done. After all I am in India and perhaps I shouldn't be online so much. Though I didn't come here to find my spiritual self or spend hundreds of dollars seeing every ruin, temple or palace that India has to offer. Whatever. If you were looking forward to pictures you are going to have to wait even more. Maybe you all will have to wait until we leave India or even get back to the States for you to see pictures.

Anyways.

India. I know I haven't written anything about this place at all except for when I was freaking out about culture shock. While you may think that you might get over it after a while there are somethings that you would never get used too. Lets not forget that most westerners that come to India leave after a week. When coming to India one thing to remember is that there is nothing that you could ever do to blend in. NOTHING. Unless you are of Indian decent. Having tattoos and piercings only makes things worse. Well maybe worse is a harsh word. People are just fascinated with you. On top of that, it is customary to ask very personal questions of each other. Name, country, what do you do for a living, how much do you make, is that your wife, do you have kids, how long have you been married, does it hurt when you get a piercing, does it still hurt, why is the painting on your arm permanent, did that hurt, etc.

There is also the fact that the people here tend to make you distrust everyone that says hello. Sometimes its easier to ignore people rater than get halfway through a conversation at which point you are asked to go to this shop, or you should go to this "government" tourist center or will you have tea with me so I can read your horoscope in a creepy back alley shop. No thanks. I'm just going to keep walking down the street with "my wife." The children are the smartest, or most clever. They will come up to women and tell them that them need ghee for chapati and that their family is poor and lives in the desert. Sometimes this is true, but they would never ask you to buy food for them if it was. Turns out that the kids that were scamming (or trying too) were sons and daughters of government officials.

I mean you honestly can't blame them. Just like the rest of the world, their way of life has been destroyed by western influence. Here a great example that I got from some old German guy: About 30 years ago there was no plastic available to the masses. People did not buy chips, soda, bottled water or individually wrapped pills. They ate off of banana leaf (or similar things)and then threw it into the street. Then the cows, goats and dogs came a long and ate it. Very simple, very effective. When you introduce consumerism into a society that throws there trash into the street, what do you think happens? The country is one big landfill. It's terrible. This is why when you come to India you cannot drink the water.

Aside from the over population, the corrupt government, and the whiplash that India suffered when Britain left. Now there are Maoists fighting in the country-side, most of the bad things about western society mixing with a feudal class system and the highest HIV rates in the world. India is a great example of why the west has failed and our way of life needs to end.

Of course India is not all doom and gloom and there are some very very nice people here. I have seen over 50 species of birds, geckos on the wall every night, lizards monkeys, buffalo, ad more. Despite what I said earlier about ruins and the like, I have been to some and India is riddled with Mughal era architecture. Right now were are staying in a small town called Bundi. It is located in southern Rajastan in a valley. The mountains are topped with walls, towers and palaces. Which fortunately for us are abandoned, though unfortunately that means monkeys live there and we were told to carry sticks. We are also staying is a guest house owned and managed by a women and her two daughters. Refreshing so to speak as we have only talked to two other women while here.

So. Justine and I will continue to search for a way to upload pictures and videos. Justine has made a video and there is also a really bad one of me where I look emaciated that I may upload. As well as pictures of course.

Also you should all check out Justine's blog as we are together, but writing from our won point of views. There may be things that I have not mentioned or vice-versa. thereisabluebird.blogspot.com

Til next time I get frustrated with computers...ciao.

Agra

2009-06-28T07:16:00.001-07:00

Delhi

2009-06-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Quickie

2009-06-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all. Sorry I have not been on the updating front. I have not been able to upload pictures yet and I haven't had time to write. But I am still alive and I have done a lot. I will update soon I promise.

India

2009-06-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Is fucking hot.

For realsies.

My last few days in Thailand were great. I got to know some people better and I started to pick up on some thai a little more. I think I wrote about that already but whatever. Bangkok was alright. I did go to the Urban Tree house and talk to Adisak for a few hours. I then walked all the way back to Kalsan Rd, took a shower, ate dinner and then went to bed. Lynd called me at about 11 and we talked for about an hour. Then she woke me up at 4am which was very nice of her. Went to the airport and now I'm here!

So, like I said it is hot. Justine met me at the airport (only just have flown in herself) and we proceeded to go to the Hotel. I saw some dudes with spears and monkeys on the way.

There are so many fucking people and I am having a bit of culture shock. Thankfully Justine is being patient and helping me a long. We have tried to go see some sights, but at around 2 we have to go back to the hotel to rest so we dont have heat stroke. Yesterday I was just tired, but today I was having a hard time breathing. You kinda have to wear long pant and I should be wearing a longsleeve shirt to cover my tattoos. I think maybe when I adjust (hopefully) I will be able to write a little more.

Also Justine's camera battery charger was lost during her flight, soooo there might not be pictures for a long time, unless we find a charger, oh yeah and a USB cord.

LOOK! Veloshop Hang Sesh

2009-06-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

Not Doin Much in Khon Kaen

2009-06-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

The last few days, or I guess week have been pretty nice. Though I haven't done a whole lot. The fist few days after Luke left I was sick. I'm nut sure what it was from, but I pretty much just laid in bed for two days drank water and took medicine. Then I had some stomach problems from all th spicy, though I didn't let that stop me. I went downtown one day by myself and walked forever in the heat. Then the teahouse was closed. I went downtown the next day with Mook and the next day with Lynd. Apparently they never go, they just stay on campus. Not that its an amazing downtown, but its nice to walk aound. I went in the temple next to the tea house with Lynd and we got a tour from three hilarious little kids. I guess one wanted be to marry her or something. I went dancing again. I think I am a terrible dancer. But whatever. I have started to understand more Thai, though I don't speak it as much as I probably should. I do get compliments when I speak the language. Last night a bunch of us went to the vegetarian place together. That was pretty cool, since they all eat meat. Tonight I am taking an overnight bus to Bangkok and then early Wednesday morning I fly to India and meet up with Justine. It will be weird to be in Bangkok by myself but whatever. I have the name of a cool teashop/handmade soap and medicine place to go to. Oddly enough it feels weird to be leaving Khon Kaen. I haven't figured out why yet. I've only been here for a little over ten days.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share with you. I only have my film camera right now.

One thing that I really like about being here is how all the kids cook together almost every other night. Apparently none of them knew how to cook before they got to school, but the food they make is amazing. Well, the little that I could eat. Everyone shares everything and dinners last hours.

I also got to ride on the back of a motorbike a few times here. Its soooo much fun. Driving a motorbike here is like being a bike messenger. You can imagine why I liked it.

I think I will update once more before I am in India.

Khon Kaen

2009-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Khon Kaen is cool as shit. Not only because I've meet some really cool people here and hung out a bunch, but because the people here are nice in general. This area of Thailand (northeastern) is called Issan. It's old school Thailand. Primarily farming communities and shares more with Laos culturally, then the rest of Thailand. Though capitalism has reached its arms into the most distant of places. Consumer culture in Thailand is still pretty new and has the attention of almost everyone.

So we all (Luke, Saire, Jenny, Elizabeth and myself) took a really nice bus (AC, food, movies) up to Khon Kaen. Buses are really cheap; 6hrs and 340baht is about 10bucks US. We all went to bed when we got here. It was pretty late. The next day we (Luke, Saire, Jenny, Elizabeth, Saxophone and some other Thai girls that I don't remeber the names of and myself)went to a Wat (temple) and to a dammed lake. It was huuuuuge and warm and I swam in it. At the lake there are a ton of huts connected to together for eating. Soo cool. So we chilled and ate and talked and swam. Sarie and I tried to swim out to a pole in the water, but about 2/3s of the way there I got tired, so instead of drowning, we swam back. Oh yeah and at the wat there were HUGE milipedes and lizards and stick bugs. I caught the lizards and took them off the steps. There were some dead ones and I think that they get confused because the stairs are so long and then die from the heat, or starvation. Check out the pictures. A.R.!

That night Luke's old roomie, Piched and his friends made food for us all. There was a shit ton of food, I put on some Lil'Wayne and we drank normal whiskey and some crazy rice whiskey that is really intense. Then we all went to Baan Bar and hung out and had some beers. Saxophone (yes her name is saxophone and her brother and sister's names are trumpet and trombone) and I watched and tennis game where we notified each other when there was a slight view of panties. Hilarious. Then we went dancing. Yes WE went dancing. I danced and it was great and they told me I was good at it. Imagine that. It wasn't like part of the time, it was start to finish. And the funny part is that there was a band playing ska. I don't like ska (thought the thai kids love that shit). It was a good night.

The next day we went to a woman's cooperative were they made textile stuff. I think they grow own cotton too. I wanted to get another bag, because I brought my messenger bag and its dumb. But there was nothing that I liked. We also went to a market downtown and bought some stuff for dinner. Luke made dinner for us all. He always got to eat the food that the thai kids made for him so he wanted to return the favor now that he had time and was leaving soon. After that we went to karaoke. And again, I participated. I sang Akon and did a duet of Willie Nelson with Sam. So good.

Luke and I went to the mall the next day and quickly left and enjoyed some down time at an ex-instructor Adisak's new tea house. Which is free and nice and quiet. We had amazing tea and talked for about 3-4 hours about social movements and life. It was really nice. I'm going to go back soon.

Yesterday we went to one of Luke's homestays which happens to be in a landfill. These people were super friendly though I didn't really understand them. They live there because they don't have a choice and make money by scavenging through the trash to look for recyclables. They have 9-10 hour days and don't have weekends. When we got there Luke's Pah was sleeping because he had worked until 5am. The landfill is apparently growing exponentially and its pretty much full of plastic bags. Plastic is a big deal here. They always give you a straw and you can even get soda in a bag. I'll have to take a picture of it. There was also a small plant there to burn bio-hazardous waste from the hospital, but there was also just a huge pile of it next to the building. I'm still processing it all. Some of the kids in the program that Luke did tried to do a human rights report on it and never finished it because it was so complicated. There is a picture of a super cute puppy that they hand feed. It has a sweater too.

Luke's friends took us out last night because today Luke is leaving for Bangkok. It was fun. Luke leaving is not. But it should still be fun, the kids here are super excited that I am staying and want me to come back.

In other news, I hurt my neck very similar to the way I did last summer. Its not as bad this time, but it still really sucks. And my nose started to get stuffy, though I'm pretty sure that will go away soon. At least I hope so.

That's all for now. I miss everyone who isn't here. But I'll be back before its known.

Also keep an eye out for President Obama. Apparently he's been all over Thailand.

Khon Kaen Gallery

Bangkok

2009-06-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ok. So the computers here won't let me upload pictures to my blog, in fact the only thing i could upload them too was my picaso account. Anyways I'm going to write about each place and then give you a link to a gallery because I don't feel like writing code for about 100 pictures. I am leaving comments on the pictures so you know whats up. So Bangkok is ok. The only cheap place worth staying is hippie central and where westerners come to experience their own culture in an exotic place. Luke and I tried staying in China Town but we ended up bailing because they were the sketchiest rooms I have ever seen. This is about where I left you all last time. We only stayed at Koh Mak for about a day because we didn't want to run out of money. No ATMs on the island. Luke's camera also ran out of batteries on the island so there is a small gap in the pictures. When we got back to Bangkok from Koh Mak, thats when we looked for rooms in China town. Not only did we find terrible rooms, but no one knew where they were and we spent about 2 hours trying to find them. Even the police, who were super friendly, didn't really know. After we found the second place we were so tired of walking that we were like fuck it. But as we were walking around, looking for food we got more and more bummed out. There was a sign in the office that said do not leave you valuables in your room. This turned out to be because there was only a screen above the door. The sheets were dirty, there was no window, super tiny, looked like a cell and the hallway was dark with sketchy silhouettes at the end. So we went back to hippie central, where it costs more, but its safe and the sheets are clean.

We stayed there for another night because a girl from Luke's program was having a birthday outing. So we took a vegan cooking class! Now I know how to make Thai food. Really really good VEGAN Thai food. One of the dishes is raw. Som Tom. Its pretty much the best thing ever. That took about 4-5 hours. Then nap time and then we meet up with friends. These kids were all really good kids. The first night I had really good conversations with Hannah, Luke
and Jenny. We talked about social interactions, social change and activism, and in a way that has been more satisfying and realistic than anything I have ever experienced in the "radical" community at home. There is some very interesting shit happening out here and in the US that I feel radical kids need to be aware of, be a part of and have faith in. I'm not sure that I want to get into that right now....it needs it's own entry.

Anyways drinking in Thailand is interesting. First of all there is a very limited selection of what you can drink. Beer and liquor alike. There is really only whiskey and cheap whiskey at that. Beers of choice are Chang and Leo. Pretty good I guess. The whiskys are ok. I would never drink it at home. But whatever. That night we drank and some of the kids danced and it was pretty fun.

The next day Luke, Sarie, Jenny, Elizebeth and I left for Khon Kaen.

Bangkok Gallery

Koh Mak Gallery

Coooool

2009-05-31T01:22:00.000-07:00

I say that a lot now. Shit is cool. I think im going to skip over most of my flight and all that. Well I will say that I think I need to go to Japan now. When I got there it reinforced everything that I have learned about Japan and it's people and culture up to this point. The Sky was gloomy and shit and the clouds where low and everything on the inside was bright and happy. Very curious. I might say that a lot too. Bare with me on that one. It's my way of saying interesting and I'm still prosessing it. So yeah Japan. Curious.

Thailand is so amazing. I feel like there is so much that I learned in the few days that I am here that it would take be pages to explain it. I can't remember if I said this last time and I don't feel like looking, but the food... the food is so good. Shit. Luke and I found a vegan resturant in Bangkok and I had fake fish soup amoung other things. To refer to the AFP and Art Monk: AAAAAAAAmamzing. The part of Bangkok that we stayed in is sort of hippie central but its cheap and you don't need to hang out there. I want to go to China Town before I go home. When it rains here, its for real. No wussy ass Portland rain. Shit is more serious than East Coast during hurricane season. So good. Tuk tuks are the way to get around. Luke has a friend that is a tuk tuk driver, he gave us a local deal. I'm going to try and find him whenever I'm there. I really hope I can I can post pictures soon. They help with the explainations. Yesterday Luke and I took the bus from Bangkok to Laem Ngob and then a boat to Koh Mak which is where we are right now. We decided not to go to Railay because it woul take to long. Traveling here was great. I want to post picture rather than try to explain much too much. We went through farm land and the boat ride was intense. Speed boats over choppy water at about 60mph. We rode in the back of pick ups serveral time now. Its pretty fun. Lychees are in season and I think Pineapple and Coconuts. Just missed mangos.

It is so hot and humid here. You are pretty much wet all the time and take showers all day. Its not bad when you get used to it. Speaking of which I need to go get some water and maybe some food. I will probably update again soon.

Bangkok

2009-05-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Luke and I are planning out a few things right now, so this might seem a little rushed. I wanted to let everyone know that I got here safely.

I took a Japanese airline here which was an experience in and of itself. It was kind of like a luxury flight, though the meals were disappointing. I didn't really sleep the entire 22hrs I was on the plane. Surprisingly I'm not too tired. Luke is pretty good at speaking Thai and I'm hoping a can pick up some before he leaves. We walked around a shit ton and saw the Palace and rode in tuk tuks. The food here is soooo good. The people are really nice. There are also cats and dogs everywhere, some are cute some are sad. Tomorrow we are going to go to Railay Beach. Not sure how we are going to get there yet.

I hopefully will have some pictures for you all soon. I also brought my film camera, but those pictures will have to wait til I get back home.

I want to write a more reflective entry, but that will have to wait til next time. My mind just started swimming.

Oh yeah, and I feel more relaxed than I have in a really long time.

Last USofA Post for a Bit

2009-05-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

I am a romantic at heart I think. So even though I'm only going to be gone for something like 12 weeks, I am already missing everyone and everything. I feel like I am already gone. And being that I am in that state, certain types of music have made me want to cry. Though I haven't. At the same time I am so pumped about this trip. Who wouldn't be? I haven't seen Luke and Justine in months and now I get to see them and hang out with them half way around the world. Crazy. There is still a lot of disbelief about the whole thing for me, but I'm sure I'll get over it once I'm there.

I want to thank all my friends for making the last week and a half amazing.

Jack hung out with me almost every moment he could. I loved every moment of it. Molly arranged a nice night of Lebanese food, mountain biking in forest park and video games. Graduation weekend was great. My Dad and Laney came into town and there was a bbq at my Mom's on Sat. Jack and Chase came and there was plenty of sangria for everyone. Later that night we drank beer and played in the parks. Sunday was the ceremony and I totally got emotional. Though I don't think anyone knew. Went to dinner with the fam and then meet everyone at Yurs. Shots of whiskey all around and then over to Brenna's. Pasta, beer run and great conversation. Last night Chase, Ryan, Tesar and Claire came out to dinner with my Mom and I. Great fun.

I wish I could have seen everyone in person before I left, but it didn't work out that way. I'll see everyone when I get back. I will update for you all as often as possible, I promise!

Greatness

2009-05-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is the best thing I've seen at school all term. I had to post this, I'm not sure how many people would see it otherwise. The kid with the mustache is my roommate, who is also responsible for the making of this video. Can I also mention real quick that its amazing how easy it is to replicate a skate video?

Strep

2009-05-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Its a good thing my Mom came up this morning. I would have never guessed that I had strep throat. I would have not gone to the doctors either unless it was really bad. Apparently, lack of sleep, high amounts of stress and dehydration can lead to strep. Or at least it does in my case. I went to the same doctor I went to last time and he gave me the medicine that takes 5 days. i should be feeling better tomorrow.

ZZZZZZZZ

2009-05-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am so tired. I feel like I might fall asleep standing up. Or maybe while I'm welding. I just want to recover from loss of sleep. Ughers.

Ok

2009-05-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

I passed the Thesis process in whole. Got the signature from my teacher, now I just have to find my mentor, get him to sign it and then turn all this crap into the library for the archive. Then I have two more classes, which will be a cake walk. I can't wait for Friday. No more school and a party. Though they are charging for the beer this year. Just my luck. Maybe I'll just take it.

Few Things

2009-05-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

First thing:
Today is Justine's Birthday! Hurray! So send her a message.

I've been meaning to update for so long. I just turned in my Thesis paper this week and now I'm waiting to see if I pass that portion of the process. Exciting. Now I have three classes left. Math I am going to fail again. I didn't have time to practice learning how to solve a fucking rubix cube. Then there is Beg Wood and Masculinity in Comics. No big deal, studio projects for both. Friday is my last day. Fuck yes. I'll re-take math in two years.

I remembered that I wanted to write about loving my job and the fact that everyone at the Half and Half knows me. There was one morning in particular where I got there and was feeling relaxed and exchanging their feelings on the morning. Got my coffee and hung out at the shop til open. I think I had it better planned out for writing when it happened, but I think you'll get the gist of it.

This evening I threw away around 4 years of negatives. Kinda fucked up I guess, but i never look at them and don't really want them. In a way its refreshing. There's no shitty art from my past burdening me with it's physical presence. I really hope that I can reduce my stuff down to about 4 tubs. We shall see.

I sent out my Indian Visa application today. Nervous about that too. Though I'm sure things will be fine.

I am still trying to catch up with my sleep from Thesis week. I'm going to work on that now.

I Passed My Oral Presentation!!!

2009-04-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Another

2009-04-27T22:33:00.001-07:00

I'm Late

2009-04-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is Cool

2009-04-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

Wasting Time

2009-04-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

I should be editing video right now. But I am easily distracted and not very good. I got a twitter account. I only recently realized what they were. So I thought it would be funny to have one that is updated in a satirical fashion. For a little bit. Just what I need to be doing right now. Anyways heres the link

http://twitter.com/blackestbear

I wish I could tell you all about something and why but I'm not.

I found out today that my brother's dog, Lisa, has a tumor and its going to cost over a grand to do any kind of procedure. Fuck money and fuck capitalism and fuck the modern world. Sike. But kinda yeah.

I am doing my orals for my Thesis at 9am on Wednesday the 29th. I've already started to have small anxiety attacks. They feel great. Shit I just want to pass and graduate and not think about anything like this for a few months.

Ok, I forgot what I was going to write about and I'm feeling really guilty so back to work it is for me.

2009-04-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here I go.

Heavy

2009-04-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to spend time sitting in my room staring while listening to a really good album on the loud. Today it's Trap Them's Seizures. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out. You have to be able to feel all the low frequencies.

I have been spending a good portion of my free time at the shop. I really like it there. Best job I've ever had. I work with amazing individuals and get to experience a side of cycling that most do not. I like to hang out after hours with Ryan and listening to Luciano pretending we are 67 year old mechanics in Italia working on Merckx's bike. Haha. I just made that fantasy up, but it's pretty close.

The Paris-Roubaix just happened and I missed it again. Maybe the first time I get to watch it live will be in person in France next spring. I have fantasies of being in the race too. But as Molly pointed out, there's little to romanticize about pro Euro racing. Drugs and Lies. Hah. Whatever. I'm in love with Italia. I'm sure I'll fall in love with France whenever I get there.

Gonna get warm very soon again. It's probably coming from Miami with Phil. I hope I can focus. Short shorts are gonna get some.

If anyone doesn't know whats going on in Thailand and you are friends with Luke you should check it out. Though like in every case do not believe the fucking media. Things are not under control and things very well may get out of control. There is a holiday that is going on that everyone left the city for. We will see how "in control" the military is after the holiday is over. Luke is ok though. I talked to him for a while last night. He's still stoked on life and Thailand. As he should be.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/default.stm

Oh and if anyone needs to buy my mountain bike or parts from it let me know.

Springish

2009-04-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

It has been an unusually dry winter and spring. The last few days were amazing. Short shorts and pollen. Everything is in bloom. I can't wait until the Maple tree in front of the house has leaves. I can't wait for more sun and warm weather.

Puppy Mills

2009-04-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't really thought about animal rights issues for a while. Actually thats not true at all. I just don't equate other animal's suffering to "Animal Rights." It's been said before and I'm going to say it again. “No one is free from suffering unless all sentient beings are free from suffering.” I recently decided that I wanted to make work about puppy mills, pet owner-ship and futile efforts of animal shelters. I typed "puppy mills" into Google and a picture of barrels of dead cats and dogs came up. There are few things that I think would top the amount of selfishness that comes with purchasing pets let alone from pet stores.

This is not a thorough investigation of my thoughts on pets and their relationships to humans, so if you have questions or concerns, please contact me in another way besides a comment.

Dork to the Max

2009-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night that I was on a space station that was the shape of the Death Star, but the inside was more contemporary and the outside walls were all made of glass. We all were having a celebratory feast in honor of Commander Worf's glorious death in battle. There was epic song. However instead of a Klingon style meal it was dwarfish, roasted meats and mead. What a great dream.

I found out that they have cast the guy who plays Mr. Bean as Bilbo Baggins. I'm not too sure about that.

...

2009-03-27T00:12:00.000-07:00

I want to work on bikes like this forever. So great. Maybe some day I'll be a legendary bicycle mechanic.

Tyler cut my hairs. Here's a picture! You can see my fancy new glasses too.

Dragons

2009-03-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Trinity of Three Dragons from Orland Nutt on Vimeo.

Oh Yeah

2009-03-16T22:31:00.001-07:00

Of course! You die because your cells get bored. That makes so much sense. I'm just going to let my cells go to Cancun every spring and I will become immortal. Maybe then I can go to Valinor.

Yep

2009-03-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Too Much Snow

2009-03-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I know it could be worse and stick to the ground, but shit, I want to plant my seedlings. Enough already.

So there's a coyote that lives in my neighborhood. I seen em. Jack seen em too. He/she's a nice little fellow. Probably stealing babies out of open windows, keeping the human population down.

I am addicted to DS9. Sooo good. I think my favorite character is Garak. I love the fake science and terms that are thrown around in every episode. I have even gotten tot he point where I will look up Starships and Federation rank insignia on wikipedia. And Commander Warf is on the show now! So tight. I used to watch Next Generation with my parents when I was a kid, so any reference to that gets me excited. Now I understand what Jen is so stoked about all the time.

Tomorrow I have a Mid-Term Thesis Review. In front of a panel of four. Tight. Supposedly it's informal. Ugh, I can't wait for school to be over. I hate other people's time-lines/dead-lines. I hate the pressure. I've never had so many problems with anxiety. I am so much more excited about traveling, reading what I want to read at my own pace, and spending the right amount of time that I need on designing and creating art.

Speaking of which, 10 more weeks of school. 11 and a half til I'm out of this country. Fuck yes. I'm not buying a return ticket. I don't know when I'm coming back.

But, for the time being I need to concentrate on the present.

My ribs are almost healed up. I had Grastons done last Friday, I really like that technique. A lot more than electrodes. Now I can go on some long rides on my sweet Bottecchia. Steel is real.

Winfield out.

This has Replaced Grape Lady

2009-03-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

Playing this at inappropriate times on Jack's Ipod is hilarious.

Gilgamesh, sorta.

2009-02-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

Its from this site here.

Crows

2009-02-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

I really like this photo.

Rain

2009-02-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Finally. It feels like Portland during the winter. It has an odd sense of comfort even though I don't really enjoy riding in it all the time. As much as I make fun of other people listening to "sad bastard music" I am listening to Neurosis and it completes the atmosphere of gray and wet. I will say at this point I love it.

This semester is flying by at a scary and thrilling rate. Scary because before I know it I will be standing up before a room full of people and a panel talking for about an hour or more. Thrilling because I will be done with school and will be out of the country for a bit.

My messenger bag as mis-aligned one of my ribs. At first I thought the pain I was feeling was from anxiety. but I realized that the lower strap goes exactly over the area of pain. I over load by pack a lot so it makes sense. Unfortunately, this means I need to get a large backpack to ride with soon, otherwise I'm going to continue to injure myself.

Lost my thoughts...

I R Metal

2009-02-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Before i get started, there's something that y'all need to see. Seriously. I have been borrowing this to run errands that a bike cannot and it is waaaay fun.

If you aren't around you can imagine what it is like with me being in this van. I pretty much only listen to Coliseum while I drive it. Thanks Verg, you rule.

My weekends have been a lot of fun. Last weekend we watched The Fellowship of the Ring, made lentil loaf, had a huge fire and drank wine. This weekend started off with pool at Yurs with Tyler and then I packed the van with people and we all went to my house and sat in front of the fire with an 18 pack of Pabst. I woke up the next morning and went mountain biking at Scappoose with Molly, Kevin and Emily. I always love doing that and I always forget how much fun it is. After work I met Jack Tesar and Claire at Jack's Aunt's house and we watched more Lord of the Rings and ate fried rice. Then Tyler came over and we started to drink. Claire fell asleep (she broke her elbow earlier in the week) and the rest of us went for a walk in Mt Tabor. It's actually really fun to walk around drunk at night with friends. Who knew? When we got back to the house,Jack tried to make me drink more, but Tesar saved me. Jack and Tyler started to wrestle and I threw about 50 beanie babies at them as well as some soccer balls. At whatever point I went to the bathroom and let my dinner come threw my mouth while Tyler and Tesar sat next to me. It wasn't miserable, though not thrilling. Mostly funny. I asked Tyler to text Ryan to tell him that I was not going for a ride the next morning. That was hilarious, though I feel bad for skipping out on Ryan. So, I had my first experience with vomiting as a result of too much drank and a hangover the next morning that lasted all day. I will say that it was a lot of fun, but next weekend is going to have to be alcohol free. Shit takes a lot out of you.

In other news, my Thesis is going well. I've cut my personally belongings down to a quarter of what they used to be. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be here next winter. I'm going to start teaching myself Spanish. Again. Naomi was here last week! But now she is gone again. :( Here are some seedlings:

unrelated:

snipsnip!

if you know what I mean.

Some Pictures

2009-02-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry my posts are getting a little random and sporadic. I get internet at my house on Friday. Things should shape up by then.

Anyways here is the seed bed. Its exciting to me.

And here are some carrots I pulled out of the garden a few days ago that were delicious.

Hopefully by the next time I check out a camera I will have my shelves done and bedroom walls painted. Maybe I'll have some pictures that aren't so mundane as well.

i love bikes in italians

2009-02-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

I have been riding a lot (only comparatively so far) and I hope to keep that up. I want to do a few mountain bike races this year and hopefully kick ass in the B cat. in the fall. I'm about to sell some more of my stuff. I don't need it all. I put seeds in a planter bed. Anyways I borrowed a camera for this weekend. I hope to have some semi-interesting pictures up soon. I have a consultation with Brian for my graduation present to myself. More later.

I Know I Should Be Working But...

2009-02-04T10:24:00.001-08:00

and

Also this is a billion dollars

Super Cake

2009-01-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

I want a similar cake for my next birthday. Maybe Barad-dur.

Fog

2009-01-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night was wicked foggy. I was riding over the Broadway Bridge and could not see more than 50 feet in front of me. Visibility stopped with the railing on the bridge making it pitch black on either side. Creepy. The rest of my ride home was about the same. Visibility was even worse under street lights and in some sections of the neighborhood where there were no lights at all. I think that's the most intense fog I've ever had to ride through.

In other news Cameron has FINALLY moved in. Jeeze. It is really weird not having any loved ones in the house any more. I miss you all. It's also weird not having Lisa around. Though it's probably for her own good.

I wish I had more to write about. School has been time consuming, but not much has happened. I hope the excitement picks up.

Update

2009-01-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Portland now. I got in on Monday. The rest of my adventure out east was mostly enjoyable. New York was pretty tight. I got to see a bunch more people that I haven't seen in a while as well as meet some new rad individuals. I got to see Mark and catch up with the stuff that he's been working on. I stayed at 538 Johnson so I finally got to see that place and meet everyone that lives there. Went all over the city with Justine. Got to see Jack and Sean. I spent a lot of time with Sean and we managed to hangout outside of the loft. Spent time with Andy. Went and saw a few sights, ate at some delicious vegan eats etc. I don't have pictures of my own, but when I was with Justine I took most of the pictures, so if you want to see pictures of my travels, look at her blog. Some day I will get a new camera. Mikey and Welch came up the last weekend I was in New York to have Remainder practice with Jack and Ben. They are a great band an when they record you should check it out. I then got a ride with them back to D.C. and met Justine at the airport. I spent the next few days with her and helped her tie up some loose ends before she left the country. After she left there was Positive Youth Fest, which was real fucking boring (except Remainder, and seeing Lee, Kiki and everyone else). The music was not great and I'm 24 where as most of the kids there seemed 17. That ok though, that's what it's for, I probably just won't ever attend the event again. I spent a lot of time with Mikey and got to form a closer relationship with him. I left D.C. on the eve of the madness.

Now I'm back and my two favorite people are no longer in the country. However I am excited for them both. I have a pretty large task at hand anyways. Fucking Thesis. But it'll be tight and I be infamous at the end of all this. I'm tired of writing so I'll com back later and put some more in here.

Break So Far

2008-12-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

Has been alright. Ups and downs really. I spent a few days in Virginia Beach and I have to say that I fucking hate that place. I don't really want to go into too much detail here. I would end up ranting about muggles and all the rednecks. I've spent a lot of time with Justine. We've had fun. It's difficult, but we care enough about each other to make sure that we don't fuck things up in the long run. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that. The internet is not the place for you all to learn about things of this nature. If you cared or wanted to know, you'd ask.

DC or well the East Coast can't make up it's mind what season it is. It's been bitter fucking cold and late spring. I prefer warm, but we all know what time of year it is. I'm glad I got my superhero thermals.

I have read a lot of comics. Justine has been reading Y: The Last Man, so I picked it up and I'm hooked. I'm also reading a bunch of comics that will set me up to read the Marvel Civil War series. Then I'll read about Captain America dying. I've cooked a few things with Justine. She makes some rad baked goods. She also made a blog where she posts her recipes. Yum. I've seen some people that I haven't in a while. Not much else. There probably won't be too many pictures being that some dickbag stole my camera.

I miss home and everyone there a lot right now.

I'm leaving to go to NYC tomorrow at 7am. Sick.

Weekendz

2008-12-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

It seems like a lot of things happened this week. I had a final crit in one class. Went terribly. I've been casting a lot of espresso cups, though not nearly as many as I need to finish what I want to make. Work is so incredibly slow. I got a new jacket. Had a screening on Friday night, it went ok. A bunch of people now know my name that I don't know and for a video that doesn't exactly represent who I am. On Saturday I had a birthday party. I was disappointed by the turn out at first, but the people that came made up for the lame ones that didn't. Sunday it snowed. Its kinda cool, but school was closed early so I didn't get anything done. I stayed home til about 6 then rode on ice downtown to meet Jill. We went to the Macaframamama whatever video screening. Shit was boring. I'm glad this culture is finally starting to die. Then we tried to find food, the only place that was open in the pearl was Yurs. Its way cheap, warm and the people are nice. Then I had to ride back on ice and crucial wind. That's all. I don't have pictures of my birthday party yet. Soon maybe.

2008-12-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

2008-12-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a lot of fun. I went to the last cross race of the season for oregon: US Grand Prix. It was a loooot of fun. Phil and i went in the ameri-truck (1950's chevy) and we met Luke, Naomi and Jill there. Jill is my new friend. Everyone was stoked. The race was so exciting. It was super muddy, there were a few national and international champs there, and I got some Belgian fries. I also ran into some old friends who I hadn't seen in a hot bit. I then had to go to school, the least exciting part of my day, but I hung out with Jack while we worked on our projects until I was done with my work study. I then took the shop bike to the cross crusade after party where I met up will Jill again. I walked in and was immediately spotted by Kyle who directed me to Verg who handed me a beer that they had snuck in. It was pretty fun. They ended up sorta breaking a moon bounce and Jill and I watched the drunken hilarity. I got a super nice hug from Molly. I'm going to miss her, but she'll be back before I return from the east. Then I rode home with a buzz and no gloves. Best day in a while. Jill also invited me to a bunch of stuff, which is rad because I need tons of distractions in my life right now. Unfortunately, school is prohibiting me from taking advantage of these events.

Here are some fun things that are going to happen:

-I have a video showing at Gallery Homeland. I'm famous.

-I'm going to the Trap Them show.

-I was invited to go to Soul Night, but I might have to do school work.

-There's a party on Friday that I was invited to go to.

-I'm having a Birthday Party on Saturday night!!! fuck yeah!

-Next Wednesday I'll be 24!

-School is over next Friday.

[omitted para]

I know that my friends love me and care about me and they've been so amazing to me throughout this process. I know they know I would do the same for them.

In any case, I am excited to see Jack and Sean and go to New York.

Oh yeah and Cameron is moving into my house. Sick!

Whew!

2008-12-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

I did it. I got through the first step of my Thesis process. Now just two more weeks of school. Then I will be on break for a month. I'm not exactly sure who all reads this, but for those of you that do not know, I will be on the east coast from the 22nd to the 19th of January. I'll see you all soon.

Holidays

2008-11-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

Holy crap. I love my Mom and everything she did for this holiday weekend. This year we didn't do what a lot of other people do. I still haven't had Tofurkey and mashed potatoes. On Thursday we drove to Pacific City, where my Mom had reserved us a room in a very nice hotel. Even Lisa got to come. It looks right out on to the ocean. Literally, there's a road, a sandy parking lot and then the water. It's nice. On the way to the hotel we hiked down a trail that over looked a beach that was inhabited by hundreds of seals. Better than Planet Earth. Today we went to this section of shore that my Mom is observing for some non-profit organization. The tide was high when we got there so we walked behind the dunes for a ways. There was a lot of tall grass under low coastal pine trees. I tried to pretend that I was in Middle Earth. We eventually got onto the beach and walked for quite a while. Lisa was pumped. She loves hiking and going to the beach. I think most people would never guess how much a tiny dog like her could be into going on adventures, but she can keep up on some of the longer hikes we do. Then we came back to the hotel, ate dinner, watched a movie. The lady that works for the hotel gave my brother and I some wine. They had some opening for some jewelry thing and had left over drinks so she decided to give us some. Rad.

Now I can't sleep. It's hot in the room, even though the door to the balcony is wide open. My mind is also racing. That never helps, and being that I am in a hotel room with my Mom, I can't exactly fall asleep to the TV or cartoons like I do at home. So I went to the lobby. I found this:

I think it's amazing.

Molly's interest in cyclocross is responsible for mine. Not that it's a bad thing. But I think about that a lot. I want to race next fall. I don't know if the desire is so strong because I want to be done with school or I really just want to race. I also have developed an interest in countries like Belgium and France because of it. The interest in France also has a lot to do with school; art and World War II class I am taking. In any case I want to go to those places at some point. Nuff said.

Countdown

2008-11-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

One week until I give my proposal. I will be talking about social practice. Never done it before. It'll be rad, I've got my shit together.

I also have figured out how to make art about bikes without it being kitsch. I'm really excited about it. I will post pictures and an explanation when its done.

I would really appreciate it if someone would buy my mountain bike. I needs the money. 2k is all I'm asking,its a sweet deal.

Art.

After

2008-11-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

Beards Before

2008-11-17T19:36:00.001-08:00

We have found ourselves together this night, bonded as brothers through the journey of wisdom and beards. We mark the occasion with the sacrifice of that which has taken us so much to endure.

2008-11-13T14:33:00.001-08:00

Rain

2008-10-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of the [school] year that I had to suit up in all my rain gear. Jacket, pants, gortex socks, fender. Dumb. Unfortunately I was unable to fully appreciate the beauty of this morning. My alarm went of at 630am, my head hurt and I could hear the soft patting of the rain from my warm bed. I also have taken to wearing my glasses more often because of my lack of sleep cycle and I honestly can't remember the last time i rode in the rain with my glasses but it sucks.

However, now that I am warm, and I have some tasty espresso I can reflect on my commute. I didn't seem to notice the leaves change until Justine brought it up. I then realized that it was amazing out; half of my ride, wherever I go from my house is like a ridiculous calender picture. The maple tree in front of the house is especially amazing. I'm glad that I noticed this before it started to rain, I fear now that its started to rain the leaves wont last very long. Though the upside to that is there will be huge piles of wet leaves to do some epic skids on.

So my ride this morning wasn't that bad. Once the act is over I can appreciate the lore of the Northwest. This will be what gets me through the Winter. Though around March it will get old, it always does.

Play Time

2008-10-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

One of the films that I have been introduced to this term in my video class is a filmed called Play Time by Jacques Tati. It was filmed in Paris in 1967. There are two very interesting things about this film: Ones is that it entire buildings were made so that the set for the film was entirely Modern and any iconic imagery of Paris was for the most part cut out. The other interesting things is that there is no soundtrack for the film it relies entirely on the sound coming from the actions taking place. The use of color is also remarkable, but I haven't watched the entire thing yet. I did find the whole thing on youtube though. Here is the first clips.

Holloween Costume Idea 1 and 2

2008-10-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

1. Professional Hedge Jumper

2. Dunedain

2008-10-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Things seem to be back on track a little. I paid off a credit card. I finished my bear armour (pictures and explanations soon, hopefully). Overall I feel a little less stressed about school. I'm finding more people to hang out with. I need people, to keep my mind sane.

I had hoped to keep documenting stuff and posting pictures here, but I realized shortly after Phil's computer was stolen, that that person the took my camera as well. So pictures might be scarce.

My hopes of cyclocross racing in the fall have dissipated. Its too much to do that as well as work on my school work. Maybe next year. Who knows what will happen. I did get to go on a ride with Ryan this morning up in forest park. It was fucking cold, but really fun.

I think I may move into a studio apartment near the end of the term. I need a place to live that I can rely on and everyone that I live with are slowly dissapearing. I'm a little aprehensive to live by myself, but, I dont really need to be there unless I am sleeping or eating. And I could always have friends over. Again who knows.

Anyways I'm going to watch an episode or two of the Venture Brothers until something else happens or I fall asleep.

Hardcore kids always put lyrics on their internet shit.

2008-10-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

Black rose,
Be my light in the darkest of days
Be my heart in the darkest of nights

I was so excited to start my thesis year. Everything sounded exciting, video and sound, and easy studio elective, and finally on my way to creating my best work of my under-graduate career. Maybe I should have expected it. Too much hanging out in the studio with fun people, massive amounts of debt, and the absence of Justine(which was supposed to help me focus. not sure at this point that's actually working).

I have project that's due on Tuesday and I have serious doubts about finishing it on time. This matters a lot to me. This is for Advanced Studio; a class where you produce work as if you weren't in school. To make it worse, I have a teacher that I highly respect. If I fuck this up, I fail. Life.

I don't care that Artist don't make money. I'm not in it for the money; how could I with my background? Remember that Modern Life is War lyric?
We're not pretty and we're not rich.
We're gonna hafta fucking work for it.
It's our life!
It's about the impact that I feel obligated to make. Things must change and this is how I believe it will happen.

As soon as school is done I'm gettin the fuck out of here.

Im going to learn how to dance like this.

2008-10-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Cause For Anger

2008-10-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today Phil's really expensive laptop (Mac Book Pro) was stolen from me. Some [expletive] went into my studio, opened my bag and pulled out the computer and my knife. I still can't understand how someone would have enough nerve to do that. Or, how they would know to look in my bag. For some reason they didn't take the charger or anything else like all the other valuable shit in my studio. Luckily Phil was nice about it, that was rad. Maybe it'll end up getting back to me some how. Mostly I'm just bummed that someone at my school would do that to another student.

Anyways

TrapThem put out a new album. That's going to be ill.

What I should have done today was dropped out of school and raced cyclocross. Maybe some day I'll learn this lesson.