Good bye Christmas

Wow am i glad Christmas is over.
This is going down as the worst christmas in history.

First off the santa killer is such a terrible story. That is so sad and awful.

second, how ironic is it that Eartha Kitt, famous for singing "Santa Baby" dies on christmas?
are you kidding? is that real? santa must have really come for her. After all that singing she did for Santa, maybe she got him all excited and never delivered? who knows?

And i did not have a good holiday season at all. No offense to everyone i spent it with. or the ones i didn't spend it with.
The holidays are really just kinda ridiculous.
I'm all for quality time with loved ones but i try to spend quality time with them year round, not just once a year.
Its just silly.
Wait.....hold on. i know whats coming next...
I'm a grinch...................Good one.

And the holiday music really tops it off. oh man, i'm glad thats done
Worst holiday ever.

life is really crazy.
think about it
for atleast a second.
it really is something.

Scratch that last post...

I got an offer a day after for a job at Brant Lake Bowl!!
They are offering health insurance after 90 days too
i would love to have health insurance.

Anyways, i am pumped, come visit me at the BLB!!

Citizen cafe is still a really great place to eat, check that out too.

I got a job!
I got a job!
I got a job!

I just got so excited i put on the Old Wisconsin Slim record (speed 78)
I danced freely in my room to all four songs!!
Yee Haa!!!
It was a real hootenany!!

Citizen Cafe
Come visit the quaint cafe with excellent food and now better service!!!
38th st and 24 ave So. MPLS!!

my body is limp
laying there.
it has been worked to exhaustion
it is so tolling
yet it still cannot rest

there is a line,
a certain amount of everything that the human body can endure
we are not invincible
all along i had been thinking i was invincible
no body told me
i wouldn't have listened anyways.

and then it began.
right as i was lying here,
i felt my brain being massaged
not my scalp, but my brain
it was so soothing.
i drifted off...then back in.
it stayed clear for a bit.
there was nothing in my world
it has all drifted away

Then the most wonderful loving pressure was on my head
not a bad pressure but a pressure like you are getting a hug
some one was giving me a hug. They knew i needed it.
bizarre
amazing
evolution

Being Home

I have been home for over a week now.
I can say i am not very happy to be home.
Adjusting has been harder than ever.
I did not expect this at all.
It is so dark here.
I was used to another 5 or 6 hours of bright sunny day.

Its weird how my emotions are flying around.
I am totally out of my element
its not fun
I'm not myself

Usually i feel i can adapt a bit faster than this but its harder than usual right now.

maybe planes are a bad idea
Transporting people into a totally different place,
in such a short amount of time

my mind needs meditation.
It needs to be clear.
for atleast 1 minute
please?

Poems of an unknown author

I need to be free
I need to be free as a bird.
Free as a stray Argentinean Perro.
yes stray
and yes free and happy
free to see, explore and learn

do not tell me what to do
do not try to control me or any part
I'll knock your dick in the dirt faster than a shot of whiskey
you wont be able to say
run free spirit, run free
fly free

Don't try to hold me back
Don't tell me I'm wrong
I wont hear you, the wind will take it away

I will continue to hike the paths of of past explorers and know:
THIS IS REAL

When nothing is around me
nothing in this dimension
i have some sense of the world being real
I will continue to see everything that i can
Take it in
Learn from it
Never stop

I need to be free
free as a bird

Poems of an anonymous author

Sobering up is like traveling through time.
you sit there and watch eveyrthing move around you,
wondering when you're gonna get to the other side,
how much time its gonna take,
and how hard its going to be.
There's so much going on around you
all with very little meaning
But it moves, and it moves fast
and you are still.
When you try to think about how long you have been in this state
you have no idea
Eventually things slow down and you arrive at your destination
Afterwards you sit and wonder what world or dimension you were just in
or if you were even Alive.

photos

Whiskey on the Glacier


Perito Merino, one of the biggest glaciers in the world and still advancing
there is hope




on a hike in El Calafete



Before Paragliding




James and i grilling Argentina style



Wine tasting in Mendoza

Obama

Yesterday was a fantastic day
for so many reasons

We started out at 9:30 taking a bus out to some wine country in Mendoza. There we rented bikes and proceded to our 7 vinyard tour. all on bicycle!!!
it was a blast i got to taste some really fantastic wine. we actually made it to about 5 wineries.

After that we headed back into town. Our friend Kama´s birthday was yesterday and we grilled a ton of food and had great drinks while watching the election results.
We were cheersing to Kama and Obama!!!
THe lemon marange pie was magnificent as well.

Dinner was served around 10 or 11 (standard argentine dinner time) after that we went to the Irish pub and finished there.
Today some how i am feeling alright

As the results from the election came in i was with people from all around the world. Everyone cheered when the results for California and Washington came in.
everyone was very happy
It was very surreal for me watching it on TV and not being in the states.
i feel so much better about our future.
breathe easy

TOnight i am headed south on a long bus.
patagonia is next, which i am so excited about but wish i had more time.
i will get photos up soon

ohh also, i went paragliding over Mendoza,
it was pretty cool
kinda crazy
you just run off a mountian cliff with a parachute on and off you go.
there is absolutly nothing around you except air.
it almost didnt seem real

ok all for now
i am so happy i will be able to come back to the states now.

Photos!!!

scroll down to previous posts for more photos
finally



monkey drinking beer

Dali painting? Nope, just southwest Bolivia

Election

The election is in a few days
get out and vote
I´m just letting everyone know now,
if John Mcain wins i am not coming back to the states ever.
ever again
dont you dare vote for him

Im off to salar de uyuni for 4 days
wont be able to post
www.wikipedia.org/salardeuyuni

Tons!!!

Ok so here is the quick version

I have spent the last few days in La Paz, Bolivia, Copacobana and Isla del Sol on the most beautiful lake i have ever seen - Lake Titicaca. Yes more beautiful and more clean than Lake Superior. Lake Titicaca is the largest lake by volume in all of South America and sits at 12,500 feet above sea level. Making it very cold. I did of course swim in it as well. Im hoping to still be able to have kids someday. It was as clear as a swimming pool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_titicaca
Went for a long hike on Isla del Sol yesterday that was longer than expected but had amazing scenery of the lake. There are also Inca ruins on this island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_titicaca#Isla_del_Sol

before Copacobana i was in La Paz. La Paz was amazing to see but very poluted, to the extreme that i could not breath very well. I did get sick with a cold for a few days but am recovering now. I blame the city of La Paz.

I did go to a WWF style bolivian Wrestling event in La Paz. Which is probably to most random thing ever. Rey Masterio and Scrap Iron Cadastky had thier grandkids there wrestling i think. It was hilarious.





Also went mountain biking in the Bolivian Andes. We were on really nice full suspension KONA mountain bikes. It was amazing and so beautiful. We start in the mountains, sometimes snow peaked, and decend into the Bolivian jungle. At the end of our ride was plenty of beer and food for us. we actually ended at an animal refuge for pets in Bolivia. There were tons of animals there.
Heres the thing, there were monkeys there.
Now my parents know this more than anyone, when i was a kid i loved monkeys so much. When we went to the zoo i would sit and watch the monkeys for hours. I remember begging my dad, begging, please, can we call the zoo and ask them how much the monkeys are. Of course no phone calls were made.
At this refuge i got to hold a couple monkeys.
It was amazing, i giggled like a school child. It kinda tickles when they crawl all over you. I was so happy. Some of the monkeys there were trained to steal things from people, cameras, glasses, watches, money and now their in recovery at this refuge. I have photos of that as well. -soon






I will write more soon and get photos up.

La Paz, Bolivia

OK

I'm in La Paz. This city is crazy and huge. Like really big, almost new york city like with less organization. I got stuck in Puno last night, i was hoping to get to Copacobana which is across the border to Bolivia but missed the bus. Crossing the border sucked, they dont like American in Bolivia and charged me 135 USD. Bullshit, thats robbery. The American government does it to them though. I had lunch in Copocobana today with a guy from New Zealand and a lady from England. It was beautiful out and we could see lake Titicaca. Also they were playing Bob Dylan. It was a great moment. My Tuna sandwich was about 1.80 USD

The bus rides sucked but i'm here now.

Few random things
i saw a lady with a pet monkey, the monkey had a shirt on and was sitting in her lap
I'm pretty sure in Peru they feel the cattle corn stalks. I saw a ton of cattle eating everything but the kernals of corn.
I think they need the corn for other things.
Bolivia is substantialy poorer than Peru. Bolivia is the only 3rd world country in South America. I can see the difference.
I'll get some more photos up soon.

Things are great still

I have met so many travelers and everyone is so nice. These are people that care about the world and people in it. They're hard working and openminded and understanding. Everyone i meet shares food with me and i with them. Even on the bus rides when they cant speak english. This Peruvian man shared his potatos and cheese with me. These situations do give me a little confidence in people.

Bolivia is really cheap.

ok gotta run. The hostal i am in has a microbrewery on site and we get a free beer everynight. and all you can eat pancakes in the morning.
The total cost for the room and all that is less than 8 dollars. Wow

Photos

This is me steering the jungle raft through a lake. We were looking for giant otters but they only come out at night.

photos

These were my friends on the jungle trek. I taught everyone how to play spoons and we had a blast that night. My Grama would be proud.


Machu Picchu

The Jungle is Hot!!

OK
once again i dont have enough time to write about this, I got picked up by our guides for the jungle trip 4 days ago. We took a van for quite a ways and then a motorized canoe up the river a ways. Both vessels were quite sketchy. Every once in a while we had to stop to tighten the wheel nuts on because they weren´t staying tight for some reason. We also crossed a small river in the van. It was really fun. i was soo excited. The roads through the Andes mountains are not good. Gravel roads only big enough for 1 van. We had to stop every time another car came.
I got to see 3 different types of monkey, tons of medicinal plants, over 50 different types of moth\butterfly. tons of insects, spiders. We went white water rafting as well and on a zipline through the canopy of the rainforest.
Also-this is a longer story-i spent the night with some type of Jungle rat that we could not identify. He slept in my room with me. hehe.
All very fun and amazing, exacally what i was looking for. and safe too-
The jungle is soo cool and i wish i could have stayed longer and gone in deeper. I also got lucky because the people in my group were really cool. I had 4 people from switzerland, 2 from Holland and 2 from Russia. We had a great time together.
I am going to Puno next and then to La Paz Bolivia.
Sorry i cant write more or put up more information but there is a 15 min limit on the computers at the hostals.
ok by for now

MACHU PICCHU

Today i saw the amazing ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. This is a city build in the middle of the Andes on top of a mountain. It was for sure one of the top most amazing things i have ever seen.

Sorry i dont have time to write. Tomorrow i am leaving early for a jungle trek in to the peruvian amazon. i´ll be gone for 4 days. its gonna be crazy fun.

i hiked some mountians in Aguas Calientes yesterday before seeing machu picchu today and they were amazing as well

things are great here
sorry i cant write
i´ll put more later

Machu Picchu

Tomorrow i am taking an early train to Aguas Calientes, which is a small town close to Machu Picchu and staying there for a night and then rising early to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. It will be amazing. I decided against hiking there because of the altitude and time crunch. I am kind of dissapointed but i am going to do a jungle trekk as well now. instead of only one or the other.
I am now at 10,800 feet above sea level, which is the highest i have ever been i believe. I am climitizing now i think but every time i go up some steps i get out of breath. The air is really thin here. Planes have trouble taking off and need more runway. Its really wierd, i have no energy.
I'll post again after Machu Picchu in a few days.
miss ya all

Cusco

I'm in Peru.
So far everything is really great. I arrived in Lima and got some sleep on both flights. I dont even remember taking off on them. When i got to Lima i was planning on sleeping in the airport and getting a flight to cusco in the morning, but i met an Irish lass that was going to a cheap hostel. So i baught a ticket for cusco in the morn and we shared a cab to the hostel. The owner of the hostel was really really nice. we talked for a while and then hit the hay. The Irish lass just got done with a trip on a motorbike from Colombia to Buenos Aires. She did it on a 125cc bike. Holy shit. now shes doing volunteer work in Pisco a city that had an earthquake wipe them out. Speaking of earthquake there was one the morning before i got here. hehe
anyways
Things are great here there are tons of travelers and people are really nice.
I havent taken any photos yet but will start soon. I have not had one chance to really relax yet. I have a feeling thats how its going to be until i get to Buenos Aires.

This evening i had a traditional Peruvian dinner which consisted of Alpaca, which is llama, rice, potatos, tomatoes and onions. Llama is not too bad but pretty tough. Kind of gamey like venison, only in taste though, not in texture.
There are alot of Aussies, Irish and Brits here that i have met. Only a few Americans and thier all from CA.
I also just found out that none of the hostels have heat and most of them dont have hot water. Peru is really something so far.

Few days out

First off-

I just finished a book that i have been reading for about a year now. Its very very dense and packed with information. Its a text book essentially. Written by Jared Diamond the title is "Collapse". I recommend it to anyone that is ambitious. Jared Diamond is a professor at UCLA and world renowned. The main premise of the book is a major study on different societies in our past that have collapsed and all of the different reasons that led them to collapse. Diamond reviews probably 10 or 12 different societies, each unique in their own situation, also including some situations that the society was near collapse and how the pulled through.
anyways -

Last night we had a wonderful dinner at Joan's house and i had a great time. We swam in lake Minnetonka (Oct. 3rd) it was pretty cold. Not unbearable though.
Thanks everyone that came and shared food and good conversation.

I leave on early on Mon. morning which is less than 35 hours away.

Its starting to hit me. I wont see anyone for 6 weeks. Wow.

And i will be in only spanish speaking countries.

I'm really excited.

Chris Isaak

Today is the first day that i have obtained a Chris Isaak song.
I head wicked game the other day and it brought me back to 7 years ago.

I have such good and comforting memories of my father putting "wicked game" on while i was reading a book on the couch.

Thank you Dad.
Thank you Chris Isaak.

Life makes a lot more sense when you realize that people are animals
Think about it.

Well once again alot has happened.
At Scallywags Bike Shop we have had a great season. We were busy fixing bikes, with some really fun projects and alot of local people coming through. We had some good times watching the tour de France and some good laughs as well. We are going to be moving and reopening the shop next spring, but for now we closed the shop and packed it up. It was a good summer, i learned alot about running a bike shop, becoming a better mechanic and getting some experience running a business. Thanks to everyone that supports us.

As for myself, i am only 2 weeks from my departure. I have been studying spanish quite a bit and am very excited to dive in to that. My goal is to become proficient in speaking spanish by the time i get back. I think that is definitely the way to learn a language. Traveling spanish speaking countries beats the hell out of sitting in a classroom for 2 years. Thats how i learn, that is the method of education that works best for me.

I am very excited to get down to Peru. Its really going to be amazing. I had planned on booking some stuff before i went but i decided against it. I think i am going to just get connected with the hike to Machu Picchu when i get there. Some people tried to tell me you need to book it months in advance but i am not going during the tourist season so i think i'm going to be fine. It will probably rain a decent amount when i'm there. It will be the rainy season.

This summer has been a fun one, Lollapalooza was great. such a fantastic time. I got to camp a few times. not enough though though, never enough. We did have some really good times out at the various hidden beaches around Minneapolis.

I did manage to fracture my collar bone mid-summer. that wasn't fun. I have actively been trying to rehabilitate my shoulder and prepare it for carrying a backpack all over. I think it will be okay, i'm hoping to come back with some more muscle stuck to me. Some of the hikes that i plan to go on will take some work for sure.

well these next two weeks i'm going to be working alot, saving money, studying spanish and doing push-ups.

Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and possibly Brazil

well its about that time.
I bought a plane ticket.
Wholly shit
did i by a plane ticket.
Here is the deal
Oct 6th i fly into Lima, Peru
Nov 18th i fly out of Buenos Aires

In between is up in the air

I jumped up and down and screamed like a girl for 10 min after i bought the ticket.

I have so much to do.

i cant catch up...

this summer has been so busy. its been great.

except for some things....for those of you that i haven't talk to in a while..
i cracked my collar bone.
over the bars, on to the pavement
ouch.
There is no treatment for broken collar bones for those of you who dont know.
Life turns in to living with constant pain for 6 weeks
its feels better everyday though
I actually think that it can be a pretty good thing
its humbling when your bike is stronger than you
and life gets harder and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it
you just grit your teeth, deal with the pain and move on

On another note,
i just got back from
Lollapalooza

wow, what a time.

Radiohead sold out the first day. there were 75,000 people there.
It was magical
Fireworks shot off during "Everything in Its right place"
During their last song Idioteque a big gust of wind from lake michigan came and tore and smashed this big balloon light.
here are some photos:
http://www.lollapalooza.com/2008_files/photos/day1/default.asp

i have wanted to see Radiohead play for so long

Best weekend of the summer so far...

well,

i really wish i had more time to write these days but i am keeping very busy.
once again a ton has changed.
I am taking on more responsibility at the bike shop and i am very excited about it.
This summer there is only 3 of us running the shop. But that includes all of the mechanic work, sales, payroll, bookkeeping, cleaning and all the other random stuff. Its awesome. I really love it.
i never thought i would be running a small business like this.
We are going to be open at that location for the rest of the summer (2011 franklin ave)
after that we are shutting down for a few months and moving the shop to another spot in the same neighborhood.

That means i will have october, november and some of dec to do something.
hmmm....
what should i do...
if i had a few months off what would i love to do....?

ha ha
ha
so i am getting the F--- out of MPLS for a while,
its been so long since i've been out.
well not that long but i'm still dying here

once again i love it in MPLS
but i love traveling more.

i haven't decided where yet...

lots...

Well alot has happened since i have been blogging.
We moved out of our house in Prospect Park
I dont know what the deal is with moving so much. I hate it but of course continue to do it.
I am on Blaisdale and 32nd now. The house so far is good, we really like it. Nothing is set up yet and we need to buy a bunch of stuff. Moving is the worst. I think it will be a good house to spend some time.

Also, I am in Las Vegas right now. This place is really something else. The biggest little city i have ever seen. We are staying on "The Strip" in which there is no such normal life anywhere you look. No grocery store, no cafe's, no schools or libraries. Its crazy, and there are just hotels and bars everywhere. We were out and causing trouble last night on the strip. Great fun.

Its really crazy though, each hotel has its own little civilization in side. You would never have to leave your hotel if you didnt want to. They just have everything you could imagine for entertainment all in one massive building. Theater, IMAX, casinos, bars delis, restaurants, buffets, coffee shops. Its nuts

I have been taking some photos, that are going to be good later.
went to the pool today with my Wayzata basketball shorts.
that was fun

also, first day we got here it was 107 degrees.
my Minnesota white ass cannot handle heat like this.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be better, 80s i think
And Tomorrow we are going to Zion National Park. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_national_park
I am so pumped for an intense hike.
I just hope it doesn't rain i think there is like a 40% chance.

Anyways, when i get back from this trip, it will mark my beginning of summer. I have been really busy and really stressed out this past month. But life will slow down in a few days, which i really look forward to.
I really need time to relax. at this point i have no time for that at all. everyday is go go go. working doubles 5 - 6 days a week was not the most relaxing thing. But i have learned alot in the past month and have been doing things that i love... mostly.
all for now,
i need to go win some money from this disneyland town for adults.

i am in a new house,
i love my room
i love walking to lyndale ave

despite the weather, my birthday was a blast!!!

thank you to everyone who i got to see on that day

it was way better than my 23rd birthday i think. 24 seems good

i had some very good times with very good friends.

thank you so much.

hey Kids

its my birthday!!!

I am 24 today, i just got an email from my dad that said:

I remember holding you just after you were born and you would look around the room, follow my voice and you sneezed 2 times

i just wanna be happy today, so for i have been

I have completed a week of training in the studio with Steve (this is my apprenticeship)
He basically went through most of the process that it takes to produce a piece (of his)
the first week was training and i learned a lot. I will continue to learn through out everything.
I really enjoy being in the studio and working on things,
I enjoy it even more when it is m piece that i am working on,
which i started on today
just a basic base layer that doesn't really matter anyway
but it felt really good to start it
i am very excited for it
not because i think its going to be good but because i am excited to create something
i am excited to experiment
Steve is completely changing what my perception on art has been in the past
and my idea's about creating art.
I am learning to let go of control completely
and just create
I really like this philosophy of art, in which i am very uneducated at
I am learning so much

I feel very fortunate and lucky to be under his wings

this last couple months have been kinda bullshit
i have planned on a bunch of different things
and planned on back-up plans
and none of it followed through

that stuff drives me mad
absolutely mad

i hate making plans that do not work out
i think we are smart enough to realize those plans wont work out when we make them
there are, of course, exceptions
but not in this (my) case

The point is i want to be seeing bolivia right now and i am bitching about it on the internet.

just please
i want to be content with the next and last couple months of my life


actually... on a totally different note
i started what i call an apprenticeship
with my friend Steve Filla
he makes art,
and he makes it well
He has the opportunity to get in to a gallery in Seattle in about 2 months
which is kind of a short time for him to get a bunch of pieces together
I was out for drinks with him and asked him if he needed help
This lead to other talks and i am helping him with the non-artistic parts of his work.

IN conclusion, i am not going anywhere for the next 2 months
i don't really know what i think about that
but what ev
It's killing me staying here
but if i am able to learn about art and experiment,
i think that is a very valuable thing to learn in life
i am all about learning and new experiences

I think i have made the right decision
in this area atleast.
peace
He is going to teach me as much as possible and pay me something.
why would i say no to this

he really does make very beautiful art
His website is nothing compared to seeing it in first hand.

think of all of the moments that have passed
they have occurred and expired
and will never happen again
how great were they
what should we do
the options have grown to produce way more than possible
which is the greatest option
things have been much worse
life use to be shit
i mean a long time ago
things have really taken a turn for the better (over the years)
it's amazing being able to say that
no matter what i choose, it will be okay
my head will be okay
do i need more patience or should i go for more
i love life, i really do.
it's amazing,
if you aren't impressed, your not pushing yourself far enough
don't be afraid.
No matter what - it will be okay
never forget that
even if your living in a homeless camp in AK and there are people with machetes
it will be okay
let your friends remind you
if you dont have friends reminding you,
you need knew friends
will this be good in the morning?
will i ever ruin it?
its all mine so what does that mean
nothing really
it really means nothing.
but know this:
i am almost always enjoying myself
even when i am working for little money or no money at all
or pressure washing pig shit from the barn

what's the point of being pissed off
it's as good as pissing yourself
and as good as drinking budweiser (i don't recommend it)
As far as my life, i want to make the most of it
i dont want to waste time,
there is no way to measure that
i do feel i have plenty of ambition
to see, and to experience and live.
i want it all
i think i want it all with out too much greed
i could be wrong
what the hell do i know?
according to you .... nothing
and i don't blame you for it.

i would think the same thing
can we all relax, we dont need violence
i wish i knew what to do
not even the right decision, but what's best
every decision is good
there is no for sure

until i have a plane ticket
nothing's for sure
Wait......
i thought that was truth
Steve told me otherwise
i trust him
don't you?

Is this world even real?
who can say for sure?
step up

it's real in someone's perception
only your own
only your own

lets all get together
thats what i really want

i would give all my money for everyone to be happy

i feel so good right now

life is more good than it is bad.
i am convinced

this of course, is my opinion
and like i said earlier
what the fuck do i know?
not more than you
as far as I'm concerned

I apologize for the crass speech
but this is my blog and if you are offended you can simply navigate away by clicking the "back" button in your upper left corner of the window of this page.
nothing against you if you do choose to navigate away. cheers and good luck
i do think that what i say is worth reading,
otherwise i wouldn't post it on this page.
that may be egotistical
but i think everyone is responsible for something worth reading (public reading)

the cold, the dark and the silence

music leads me
it pushes me
i love it.

is love forever?
who knows?
if you know, i want to hear about it. email me
NOW!!!!!

let's be honest i am dying to get to PERU and Bolivia
I am absolutely dying to get there
absolutely freaking dying to get there

an opportunity just opened and i may be able to learn some art
from a person i really respect.
i don't really think this is a position i should pass up. i think this is invaluable. are you kidding? if you were sitting next to me i may be able to explain it better ( i do wish you were sitting next to me whom ever you may be).

and so it goes...

Nothing is smooth

At this point, nothing is going how i expected it to go
My travel plans have been tossed around so much i don't even know what to think.
I am really hoping to be in Rwanda in 3 weeks or so. Until i have a plane ticket, i cant say i'm going for sure.
It's all very frustrating for me.
When i say I'm going to do something, i am going to do it.
and i hate it when it doesn't work.
or something gets in the way.
I am learning patience.
everyday i am learning patience.

I'm reading Dharma Bums right now. so far i like it.

antsy

Well my friend John is now in Brooklyn
i am very happy for him.
He will be missed in MPLS
but i will no doubt see him soon enough.

As for myself i am listening to Buena Vista Social Club
and it is driving me nuts,
i need to get out of MPLS.
Don't get me wrong,
i do love it here.
But i have seen here,
I have seen this coffee shop
I have seen these people
what they eat and what they say
I need to see other life
new life to me
new experiences.
Right now i am thinking...
why not go to the airport,
buy a ticket
and go
Why should i not do that?
Why should i not do that?
give me one...just one....good reason
there is no such
it doesn't even matter where.

I am vibrating in this chair with excitement as i sit here.
This is a good example of how my head may implode.
i really dont know if i would be able to stay here the whole month of March...thats along time for me.
damn.

I'm going to have to change the song so i don't bust out of here and head to the airport
It's a good thing i don't have wings

John leaves for NY

Well tonight i just got back from hanging with John.

he is going to spend his next few days with his family, and then moving to New York City. I am going to miss him very much as he is my good friend.
i am not in a state to write about this and will write about it later
i love you my friend john

Nerd Alert - Bike Tricks

Ok, so here are a bunch of photos of me on my old bike, (the Blue Bull) if you remember the blue Peugeot that i built a few years ago. I sold it to Nick when we were in Alaska and then he brought it to L.A. and i flew around that city on it. They mostly are me doing bike tricks. I will try to explain what is going on in the photo so as to impress you. If you don't ride a bike a lot or know how fixies work you will think that it just looks like me sitting funny on a bike. So pay attention to the details and hopefully you will enjoy.

Travel

Someone who is long dead once wrote
the world is a book
Those who don't travel read only one page
what no one tells you is that the book is no easy read
There's one thing that i can say
what ever it is that you are looking for
beauty, salvation, enlightenment, danger or just to disappear
this will only be a fraction of what you find
I'm just trying to read the whole book.

L.A.

I wanted to put up this photo of L.A. and the smog over the top of it. Its kinda hard to see because the photo is smaller and this site wont let me make it bigger but notice the brown below the blue in the first one.
This is disgusting, this city has so many deep problems, i wouldn't know where to begin.








I'll be home in a few days.

This trip has been really cool, with a lot of unexpected stuff happening. Some good some bad, but experiences are what you make them, and generally i am not one to sit around and not make something happen.

I really think that i learned more and gained more than i expected.
Before i came i was just thinking, I'm just going to California. But there are some crazy things and people here.
way to go whooooo.

see the mpls folk in a few.

peace, love, and bicycles

The guinness mustache is a special one

to live is to be free
we are human beings not human doings
we need to focus on being and not doing
This, of course, is sense sensitive

Rain Rain Rain
Raindrops keep falling on my head

The past few days it has been raining and kinda chilly. It wouldn't bother me but i don't have very many (none) clothes with me to swap out when i get wet. hmmm.
I just got back to Oakland and am leaving to go back to L.A. tomorrow morn.

by the way

When i took the BART to downtown Oakland to pick up my bus to Santa Cruz i checked in and got my tickets and went to find a cup of coffee. That proved much harder than expected. I quickly realized that there was not going to be a nice artsy cafe to sit down and read for the hour that i had to kill. This is Oakland remember. Well i figured i would be able to find something. A cup to go. Well i walked for probably 10 blocks and saw social service agencies, very trashy motels, those empty furniture stores that somehow stay in business that look so bad.

Here is a map of my walk. I had quite a few different turns to avoid riff-raff on the streets but this is an outline.
I just have to say that you should never go to this area. NOT EVEN IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!!! over 50% of the houses were missing multiple window and boarded up. People are yelling and screaming on the streets and there are broken windows and clothes lying every where. No joke! Even if you want a coffee really bad.


View Larger Map

The coffee that i finally found was terrible, the cup a lady gave me was one of those wax covered cups for cold soft drinks, and i didn't realize it and poured coffee in it. Well the hot coffee melted the wax and then went doowwwnn meee Trrroooaaat. This gave me a stomach ache. Anyone else ever pull that one? Do i have wax in my stomach? Do we humans have the enzymes and stomach acid to break apart wax? I expect it to be still in liquid form if it is still in my stomach because of how hot our bodies our. Mines extra hot, by the way (he he). I mean i don't get cold , thats all. So maybe i will pass wax? who knows

enough about that

Santa Cruz was really cool and i wish i could have spent more time there. I made some friends that i will probably see again. Also the potluck went well, the salad i made was tasty and a lot of people really liked it. I met some good people here too.

Umm..
I am going out for a beer with Tim a friend that i originally met in MPLS but has just moved out to San Fran. It is good to see familiar faces sometimes too.
He's a great guy, i think we have a lot in common, at least more than expected.
Off to a Guinness or a Beamish. Or maybe both... he he

Santa Cruz

I'm in Santa Cruz
i think this is going to be the end of the long line of connections that i have made.
From minneapolis to L.A. to San Francisco to Oakland to Santa Cruz leaving some of my stuff in each place. And taking multiple buses, trains, planes in between all of those is exhausting.

I am staying at a co-op/commune house right now with some people that i got in contact with through a person i met back on redondo beach. It's an interesting place with about 12 people living in a 3 bedroom house. I have alot to say about it but no time to write at the moment.

It's a safe place so no need to worry. Tonight they are having a potluck and i plan to make a kale salad with a garlic tahini dressing. Recipe from Claire (thank you very much).

Santa Cruz is really cool. I went to the farmers market yesterday and they have a very strong tight-knit community here. I think it has been one of the better framers markets i have been to. I am actually very impressed with this smaller city of 55,000. They have quite a bit to work with here being in CA the super power of produce. I haven't been taking very many photos, its raining today and actually only like 40 degrees. Not that i can complain.

Also i did go to the SFMOMA a few days ago and saw some very cool stuff. I walked through one of the exhibits twice because i liked it so much. The name of the artist is Olafur Eliasson. He is awsome, i was very very impressed.


I wish i had my bike.

I am writing a ton and enjoying it.

all for now -

Dont worry, i wouldn't do anything i wouldn't normally do

Well, I am here in Oakland, CA staying with Alison’s Parents for a few evenings. They are wonderful and made an amazing dinner. San Francisco so far has been really cool. I visited the museum in Golden Gate Park. I walked a lot today and met a few people. Walked through Haight Ashbury, which was really cool, Some amazing houses and shops in that area. It was a bit chilly in the shade but when walking I was plenty warm. It’s funny to see people around here wearing winter parkas and hats and scarves.

I have seen a lot of bikers. A few people riding some really nice fixies. Most with no brakes, some of the hills here would be just foolish riding suicide. I don’t know how they do it.

But they do…

Most everyone has been really nice

About a week ago I was in a random pub outside of L.A., Manhattan Beach to be exact, and I was talking to a guy at the bar, he had just gotten into town from Chicago. We talked for a bit and went our separate ways.
Last night I was in a Rogue pub, the only one in California, drinking some wonderful Rogue beer and talking to another guy at the pub, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I look over and the same guy that I met in L.A. is at the end of the bar.
Crazy coincidence, two big cities.
We chatted some more, he was good stuff, smart kid.

The guy from Halifax ended up picking up my whole tab (food and everything) because he was in San Fran for work and could charge it to the company. He was really cool. Hearing about Halifax makes me want to visit. From what he said Halifax seems like a really nice smaller city with good people, pubs and local music.

After that some drunken Irishman started talking to me, He was very drunk and got 86-ed in no time, but was quite funny. Kept telling me I was bullocks and asking to buy me a drink. He opened his wallet about 8 times, looked for cash and then put it back when he didn’t see any. I told him he could buy me a drink if he told me what city in Ireland he was from but he was too drunk.
He kept yelling to the bartender
“are we fixed, are we fixed,” of course the bartender was like what the hell are you saying.
“are we fixed for a drink”?
he he
then he started pointing at the bar and calling me a hippy.
We all had a good laugh.

The public transit is crazy here. They have city buses, streetcars, cable cars (which are $5 per ticket), BART and Muni. The last two are subway systems. Compared to L.A., which has about 5 train lines for the whole city.
5? Really? That’s shameful for how big and populated that city is. They do have a lot of buses but in my opinion, they’re just not as reliable.

I have come to the conclusion that I do not like L.A. I didn’t think that I would like it before I went but wanted to go in with a positive attitude and give it a chance. Well I gave it that chance. It’s so spread out, a huge suburban sprawl, the people suck and the smog is disgusting. I did feel some effects of the smog and had times that it was harder to breathe. I took some photos when I was at the Getty Museum a few days ago of L.A. and I could clearly see the brown blanket that covered L.A. I haven’t reviewed the photos yet so I don’t know how they turned out and how clearly you will be able to see the smog. It was really surprising to see.

After the Getty, I was riding through Bel Air and West Hollywood, through thick traffic, and a guy opened his door to try to hit me with it. It’s actually illegal to open your doors on the road in CA because motorcycles can legally ride between traffic.
Anyways – I swerved so hard the stem bent to the side. They are in gridlocked traffic. So I stopped turned around and knocked on the S.O.B.s window. He opened it a crack and said quickly “sorry I thought I was going to throw up” and quickly closed his window. But he starred at me after that like he didn’t care that I knew he was lying. It was blatant. If I wasn’t a peaceful man, I would have stood on the hood of that new Volvo (with temporary plates) and jumped up and down.
I’m not that nice. But that day I was, I just rode off.
He purposefully put me in danger and the second he had to answer to someone; he was scared, lying and prideful.
Who breeds these people?
When will natural selection and evolution kill them off?
Hopefully before my lifetime is over.

San Fran.

I just arrived in San Fran and found a hostel for the evening. I bought my ticket at like 2 am and had to be at the airport in like 8 hours, and i still needed to sleep and pack.
Anyways - so far it seems really cool.
beautiful character to the city.
Everything is really easy to find and get around on.
The hostel seems better than most i've stayed in.
I'll post more later.

I've never flown southwest before today...its really wierd. They took one of my bike wrenches which i of course forgot to take out of my bag. Damn, i always forget to take that stuff out.

more photo's

These photo's are from Sequoia National Park.
The tree that i am hugging (you can barely see me) is General Sherman. The only reason i was able to go hug him is there was snow on the ground, otherwise you can't go in there and step on the vegetation. We were at 6,700 feet above sea level. I think that's the highest i have ever been. THere was over 50" of snow up there.






He He He

A few days ago i spent the afternoon and evening riding around about 1/3 of L.A. It is absolutly huge and spread out. The urban sprawl is rediculous. I rode from Redondo Beach where Nick and Claire live to Venice beach and then on past Santa Monica and around Santa Monica for a while, then got lost (i had no map) and found my way home in the dark. I had my compass and the ocean so it wasn't too bad. My first stop was Venice Beach, which is known for its wierd sidewalk shows and shops. I stopped for an Eggplant sandwhich and a few Kona Longboard beers (brewed in HI). I also saw this crazy guy jump in a pile of glass he had collected for a show. He stomped around in it for a little while. I could not stop laughing it was so stupid. From there i rode north to Santa Monica and stoped in a bike shop for a bit. It was a beautiful 78 degree day.

Check out the map. I got lost for a bit in the Marina Del Ray area...but estimate my trip at minimum 50 miles. (1 gear)

View Larger Map


I have finally got some good writing time and reading time in, which was a goal for me for this trip.

I have a pretty good story to tell once i get some more time to write about my first experience in downtown L.A. and the terrible areas of South Central.

Now i am staying with my aunt Kyran and 2 cousins Jeremy and Elliott. It is really nice to spend time with them, i hardly ever get to see them. They have a really nice house in Laguna Nigel south of L.A. a bit. This morning Kyran made us the best breakfast ever. Huevos Rancheros...yumm. I am so lucky to have wonderful family.

After this i PLAN on getting to San Fran and possibly Santa Cruz which i hear is really cool.

Then more camping and surfing.

I'll post more photo's soon

All for now

Some other favorite stuff i forgot about was my hike through the sand dunes in death valley. I have wanted to really know what it is like to hike through a total desert with only sand dunes. We had seen plenty of desert both the Mojave desert and the colorado desert but they all have brush and some smaller trees (joshua trees). So in a few places out here there are spots with primarily sand dunes. We found one and i took about an hour hike to the tallest peak out there. I thought it was really cool. I saw scorpion tracks, desert rat tracks and a lot of very fine sand. You really have to be careful when you get out there, with no land marks and only sand they say to have topo maps. Of course i didn't have those but i did have my compass which was plenty for my quick hike. When i got to the highest peak there were a bunch of kids that brought boogie boards and snow boards out there to take down the steep sand slopes. it was pretty cool watching them. It was really cool to see nothing but sand dunes all around you. I liked that alot.

What was i thinking publishing a post before it actually happened...

Claire and I went onward with the trip that I previously posted. Not exactly in that order but we got it all in there. It was amazing. We saw some really cool stuff.


Some of my favorite stuff included Sequoia National Park, and seeing the giant Sequoia trees. It was like walking through a magical world with trees bigger than you can imagine. Also, we were at 6500 feet above sea level so there was 55" of snow. Sequoia National Park is in the Sierra Nevada and is very beautiful. We saw some mule deer that seemed very tame. At our camp site there were tons of "extreme bear warnings" that i think were total bullshit. The park ranger was telling us at the elevation of our camp site the bear were still active but i am pretty sure they exaggerate for all of the people from L.A. that don't know shit about bears and camping. I told one of the park rangers we were from Alaska so she would stop lecturing us about it.

Death Valley was really cool. That was the one place i didn't do any reading on prior to our visit. We camped at 190 feet below sea level and went down to badwater basin which is the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. The night before we camped in Joshua Tree National Park and we were at 4,000 feet above sea level ( it hit 32 F) and then drove north and camped at 192 feet below and of course it was way warmer, Kind of cool how that works. Wikipedia reports badwater basin as the second lowest point in the world, but there were maps that we saw at badwater basin that showed different statistics. I don't know who to trust. hmm.

We went on quite a few hikes in death valley and one was to a natural rock bridge. This thing was really cool, very high and very big despite how photos look. But what good is a bridge if you cant use it and walk on top of it. So of course i had to climb it. It was a decent little free climb. Claire wouldn't watch me do it because there were some scary parts.
Another hike we went on took us on the west mountains of death valley and to a peak where we could see tons of other rock mountains (thats the best way i can describe them). Some of them look like piles of sand but were as hard as a solid rock and as rough as sand paper. I think at that peak we were at about 4000 feet above sea level and not far away is bad water basin. Thats quite the change in elevation.

After Death Valley we drove to a ghost town called Ballarat. It was pretty cool. We didn't exactly know what to expect, there wasn't a ton there. There is one guy and his dog that lives there full time and kind of keeps the place up. I didn't know this at the time but i guess Charles Manson and his family of followers use to stay there pretty frequently. kinda crazy.

We camped in Joshua Tree National Park at 4000 elevation - got a bit chilly, but i didn't think it was too bad. We saw a bunch of Joshua trees which are on their way to death with in the next couple hundred years. I did a little rock climbing there too and we did a few hikes there as well.

So i haven't had time to explore L.A. at all but will soon.

This is badwater basin, lowest point in the U.S. - it looks like frost on the ground but its actually salt - its a salt flat


This was on a hike in death valley - its strait out of the indiana jones movies




This is a joshua tree

Now i have time to write

Umm.. well our plans are really getting tossed around out here. Originally we were going to pick up and go right when i got our here. Then Nick, being the successful photographer that he is, got a bunch of jobs and we are going to have to postpone it to the last week of Jan. But one of his jobs canceled for wed and the minute we heard that we started packing and an hour later we were out the door with camping gear, tons of food and everything else we would need. We went and picked up a rental car and were off to Sequoia National Park to see the biggest tree in the world - General Sherman. He is not the tallest but the biggest by volume.

General Sherman is over 2,200 years old and is as big as 10 blue whales. I want to give him a hug. This tree is taller than the statue of liberty.

The plan was to camp there for a night and then go on to Death Valley and then on to Joshua Tree national park and camp for another 2 or 3 days.

The bad news is that Nick's grandmother passed away. We got the call a few hours out of L.A. I feel so terrible for him. He seems to be doing okay but is really removed with his whole family being so far away.

We turned around and headed home.

Nick and Claire are headed to the east coast tomorrow to be with Nicks family for a few days and then will be back by the end of the weekend. Its really very unfortunate for everyone.

In the mean time i get to explore L.A. and all it has to offer. From what i've seen it will no doubt be interesting, but i am really wondering if i will be able to find a young down to earth community to chill in for a while. I have my doubts with all of the fashion bull shit/ hollywood stuff here. But L.A. is huge so i think i will find plenty.
I just have to make sure i down ride through Compton on accident.

I think i am going to go downtown and tear it apart on my bicycle for an afternoon. Show them how MPLS does it!!
By the way the Peugeot that i use to own, that i sold in alaska, i sold to Nick and it is here in L.A. so i am free to ride it. If you don't remember scroll down and there are photo's of it on this blog when i was in Seattle and Juneau.
I also want to visit the hollywood area and track down paris hilton, scare the shit out of her and her kind.

I am looking forward to a few days alone that i can relax, explore, read and write. We have been on the run since i got here.

When they get back Claire and I are probably going to do the same trip so i will be able to see all that good stuff. It just sucks because Nick wont be there with us.

I'm a bit bummed, its just very unfortunate.

we will make the best of life here and it will work out. It always does. - no matter what - it always works out - never forget that

Well i'm here in Redondo Beach California.

It's about 60 degrees here

i dont have much time to write at this point but will soon

I have been meaning to post Nick's photo website so here it is

we just hung a bunch of his photo's today

His website isn't updated but still worth checking out

Reinhardtphoto

tomorrow we will hula hoop. and not eat anything but juice.

well I'm here with a Beamish Irish stout

It's really funny because when i leave MPLS it seems no one ever seems to think about what's going on in my head
no one even attempts to think about what i am thinking about
this sounds so selfish but i really think i am constantly thinking about what other people are experiencing and thinking about.
I think about that stuff to help me understand other people and their ways of life.
I cant really conceptualize being in California in tomorrow but i know its going to happen
interesting...

1st

i found my phone

i was quick to blame the cars

i tried on a pair of pants that i got for christmas and must have slipped my phone in my pocket.
of course i didn't really remember trying a pair of pants on.
so a few days later i put the pair on to wear them and i'm like, what the hell is in my pocket
and out it comes.

I'm listening to the new blonde redhead album and eating this MN wild rice cake and both are very good. check it out.

I am leaving in a few days.
I always get like this when i am close to leaving
I cant focus on reading,
my head is just flying around having its way with whatever it wants.
no control
I'm too excited.

Oh today's the first of 2008!!

time flies by so fast,
it really makes me realize that you have to be choosey with your life. Mine has already started to fly by too fast
i have so many things that i need to get done.


Last night i worked and it was a very good night. I think the best night i have ever had at the LPB. I was determined to sell a bottle of Dom Perignon. Well that didn't happen, but i did sell a bottle of Veu Telegraff that we sell for $75. And it wasn't even that he just ordered it; I SOLD HIM.

It really is a very nice bottle especially for the price, usually it goes for over $100.

umm...what else
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A SEPARATE ENTITY:

my head is loving this
it thrives on the fact that it doesn't know what to expect
there could be so much and will be so much that happens that is so unexpected
i cannot hold back the smiles or the tears in this state
its explosive
its preparing itself for the element of surprise that it has planned.
good job head
way to think it out
is that some sort of game
if it is i don't care because it's great
i don't know where that comes from but its done
i want more though
I'll plan more
I'll go more
I'll be more

keep going head
never quit

tell me where you've seen my life

clashing lies and clashing thighs

one of those must be adjusted
i'll give you a hint
not the clashing thighs

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Do people totally never get what i write about?
i can't tell