Onward through the fog...

2009-03-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

2007-04-26T12:10:00.000-04:00

Idiotic proposal of the month

2007-03-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

This is a great example of when you should ask not, "What were they thinking?" but, "What, were they thinking?"

Texas lawmaker offers choice: Abortion or $500

Muddled socialist thinking

2007-02-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

So the majority of Americans now are against the war and believe the U.S. should pull out of Iraq...but that Prince Harry should go to war, presumably because he's wealthy and a "nobleman," and all should suffer equally regardless of social class or wealth. The inconsistency of socialist thought never ceases to amaze me. Click the pic to enlarge if necessary.

Caption this II

2007-02-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

Props go to whomever comes up with the best caption for this photo.

President Bush breaks it down at the World Beatbox Championship.

New York banning everything in sight

2007-02-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

New York must be trying hard to drive everyone away. At the rate they're banning and talking about banning things--smoking, trans fat, skinny models, and now this--pretty soon the only thing it will be legal to do there is pay taxes to the sons of bitches. I think I've taken my last trip there.

N.Y. eyes partial ban on iPod, cell use

Oldie but goodie

2007-02-05T00:11:00.000-05:00

I think I tried to post this about two years ago, but it wouldn't show up on the blog because of the stupid angelfire server I tried to store it on. So sorry if you're seeing this here for the second time. I was just looking through my My Pictures folder and saw this. It's from some Lyndon LaRouche magazine someone handed me in New York during the '04 Republican National Convention.

Responses to "How can you not hate the state..."

2007-02-02T17:26:00.000-05:00

Susan Hogarth gave my How can you not hate the state post the following plug on the LPNC Yahoo! list, and Jim Capo's response to that follows. Of course the state would put a stop to such a damning demonstration.

From: Susan Hogarth
To: LPNC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Possible demonstration-type activity

For those of you who hated break-a-stupid-law-day, here's another try.

Paul poses this as a thought experiment, but wouldn't it be cool to
get a retailer on board and actually DO it?:

http://pelledge.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-can-you-not-hate-state-after.html

From: Jim Capo
To: LPNC@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Possible demonstration-type activity

A version of Paul's idea has already been tried, and, not surprisingly, the FEDs stepped in and crushed it.

About 10 years ago, there was a manufacturer, in TN I believe it was, that wanted to educate their employees on the nature of taxes. If I remember correctly, the system was that the employees were paid in cash PRE-TAX at one window in the accounting office. They then had to go to a second window and turn over the CASH required to pay all taxes, social security, etc.

Somebody complained about the system and the employer was challenged with some Federal law that said what he was doing was illegal. The employer backed off rather than fight the uphill battle. I remember this story because my partners and I had come across the idea and had considered doing a version of it in our company.

How can you not hate the state after reading something like this?

2007-01-29T08:38:00.000-05:00

Uncle Sam spoils dream trip to space

While we're on taxes, I've come up with a way I like to illustrate just how wretched a thing the sales tax is. It's a brilliant maneuver on the part of the government because it's sort of hidden in a way. Not only does the tax become in your mind simply a part of every purchase you make, causing you to ignore it usually, but they force every supplier/seller/vendor to be a tax collector, preventing you from distinguishing the tax man, the robber, from the ones with whom you engage in peaceful, honest trade.

Imagine, however, if instead of forcing every supplier to be a tax collector, there were a tax collector standing beside the cashier at every cash register at which you ever make a purchase (being there not by permission of the store owner but by the force of the government's guns, of course). Every time the cashier at Wal-Mart rings up your bottle of shampoo and Aquafina, the tax collector beside her tells you, "For the privilege of making this purchase of $5.98, you must pay me 40 cents. Otherwise you may not purchase it." You go into Best Buy and select a couple of DVDs, and the tax collector demands that you pay him $1.62 for the privilege of making a purchase of $23.98.

Wouldn't you feel seriously violated if that were the case? Well, that is what's going on. It's just that the government has found a nifty way to make you ignore or forget that it's happening.

Let's put a stop to it, shall we?

The real election results...

2007-01-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

at least for the races for which the government deigned to allow you to vote for any constitutionally eligible person.

Write-in count, Election '06

I tied for fifth for Board of Education at-large. Woo hoo!

A peaceful, rainy, winter Sunday afternoon

2007-01-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

Goodness Gracious

Socialist Principle #3: All must suffer equally

2007-01-03T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a great example of the socialist doctrine that if one must suffer in some way, all must suffer along with him...on top of other idiocy as well. Under socialist doctrine, you can't even give away something unless everyone wants it. At least the court got it right though.

French court rules pork soup kitchen not racist

I can't complain too much

2007-01-01T03:34:00.000-05:00

I really can't complain too much about 2006. I accomplished a few things of note. I got out of debt (even though that's mostly a result of my work in '05), I got the freak out on my own again, and I saw a bit more of the country and found out where I really want to be as a result. Some things turned out differently than I'd hoped, but WTF? Onward!

Thoughts on Saddam's execution

2006-12-30T04:18:00.000-05:00

I felt kind of sick for a moment when I saw this after watching It's a Wonderful Life for the first time. I don't doubt Saddam did many horrible things, but killing a human being when he's no longer a threat to anyone just isn't right. Had he killed someone I loved, I may very well feel different. Emotion, however, should not be the decider in matters such as this. The heart is a deceiver. Reason should always overrule passion in matters of such weight. Of course I realize that emotion, when it flares, is far more powerful than reason, but if we truly desire to become more moral, civilized beings, we must endeavor to let our reason check our passion.

Revenge is truly sweet. Psychologists believe they have proven that by conducting studies in which the pleasure center of the brain is activated when a test subject "gets revenge" on someone in role-playing scenarios. As Seth once said, however, the desire for revenge is a characteristic mankind would be better off without. If it is indeed a pleasure, it is a savage pleasure. To seek revenge is to feed such emotions as anger, hate, and bitterness. These are emotions which man should seek to eliminate, not feed. We must be better than those who wrong us. I don't know if I go so far as Christ in saying to love your enemy, but I believe it is proper to pity your enemy (and I wonder if that's what Christ really meant), and I agree with him that we should strive to forgive those who trespass against us.

Revenge is all Saddam's execution represented, not justice. Justice, I believe, consists in making a victim whole again. If I steal $1,000 from someone, justice occurs when I'm forced to return the $1,000, perhaps with a little interest. While pure justice cannot be achieved in the case of murder since the victim cannot be brought back to life, it is the case that some degree of justice can be achieved. For instance, the murderer can be made to work and pay restitution to the family of the victim in return for the lost wages the victim will no longer be providing his family. That's not full justice, but at least it's something. It won't heal the family's broken hearts, but it will provide them some measure of financial security and well-being.
If the murderer is killed, however, the family gains nothing and loses a great deal.

Let us therefore strive for justice in such cases, not revenge. Let us seek, if not to love those who trespass against us, to at least pity them and show them mercy and forgive them rather than letting hate consume us.

Peace be unto us all.

Human species 'may split in two'

2006-12-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

"'Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells,' an expert has said."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6057734.stm

Or less:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16299656/wid/11915773?GT1=8816

Man Lets Loose in Face of Tyranny

2006-12-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

When this judge said, "You're not going to disrupt my decision," I felt like reacting the same way the defendant did. The judge and that security guard were the criminals in this case, at least with regard to the apparent charge of owning a non-locked-up firearm. It's cases like this for which I hope to get on a jury.

http://www.break.com/index/dude_flips_out_in_court.html

From New and Selected Poems by Thomas Lux

2006-12-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

REFRIGERATOR, 1957

More like a vault--you pull the handle out
and on the shelves: not a lot,
and what there is (a boiled potato
in a bag, a chicken carcass
under foil) looking dispirited,
drained, mugged. This is not
a place to go in hope or hunger.
But, just to the right of the middle
of the middle door shelf, on fire, a lit-from-within red,
heart red, sexual red, wet neon red,
shining red in their liquid, exotic,
aloof, slumming
in such company: a jar
of maraschino cherries. Three-quarters
full, fiery globes, like strippers
at a church social. Maraschino cherries, maraschino,
the only foreign word I knew. Not once
did I see these cherries employed: not
in a drink, nor on top
of a glob of ice cream,
or just pop one in your mouth. Not once.
The same jar there through an entire
childhood of dull dinners--bald meat,
pocked peas and, see above,
boiled potatoes. Maybe
they came over from the old country,
family heirlooms, or were status symbols
bought with a piece of the first paycheck
from a sweatshop,
which beat the pig farm in Bohemia,
handed down from my grandparents
to my parents
to be someday mine,
then my child's?
They were beautiful
and, if I never ate one,
it was because I knew it might be missed
or because I knew it would not be replaced
and because you do not eat
that which rips your heart with joy.

End of the road for traffic lights

2006-12-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

Road users take more care in Drachten as signs have been removed.

"Most traffic lights should be torn up as they make roads less safe,
one of Europe's leading road engineers said yesterday."

Is this the end of the road for traffic lights?

Global Orgasm for Peace

2006-11-25T01:22:00.000-05:00

I find this to be a beautiful idea on many levels. I mean, imagine if, on the winter solstice--the shortest, darkest, most death-representative day of the year--the people of the world literally came together in the most life-representative act conceivable, repudiating violence and embracing love.

So please, fellow hominids, give yourselves to one another on December 22 while reflecting on peace. Come one, come all!

Caption this

2006-11-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

Props go to whomever can come up with the best caption to this photo. This photo's pretty old, but I just saw it for the first time.

Vote Paul Elledge for Guilford Co. school board at large

2006-11-01T18:22:00.000-05:00

I hereby announce my desire to be elected to the at-large seat on the Guilford school board. Note that I did not say that I'm a candidate. While I'm not a candidate, I am eligible for election by the people to this office according to the NC Constitution, Article VI, Section 6:

"Every qualified voter in North Carolina who is 21 years of age, except as in this Constitution disqualified, shall be eligible for election by the people to office."

I am a qualified voter. I'm over 21 years of age. I'm not otherwise disqualified according to Article VI, Section 8 because I don't deny the existence of Almighty God, I'm not a felon, and I am qualified to vote for the office for which I'm running.

Write in "Paul Elledge, voter #000009932870" to cast your vote for me.

My platform is simple. As a member of the school board, I will vote against any resolution which would increase spending, seek new revenue from the taxpayers, or otherwise diminish individual freedom. I will vote for any resolution which would do the opposite. If you have any questions or would like for me to elaborate, I'll be happy to answer them. You can e-mail me at paulelledge2@hotmail.com.

Certain fiction should be off limits, say too many Americans

2006-09-12T21:55:00.000-04:00

Wow. So about 43% of Americans (I know it's an unscientific poll, but still) think that certain subjects should be off limits to filmmakers.

This poll is apparently in regard to the film Death of a President. This, coupled with the fact that the next generation believes the First Amendment goes too far, spells eventual doom for Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Oedipus Rex, and whatnot, I suppose.

Relative size of Earth

2006-09-06T17:35:00.000-04:00

Antares is the fifteenth brightest star in the sky. It is more than 1,000 light-years away.

Home

2006-08-26T01:54:00.000-04:00

After arriving back in Greensboro late at night on Tuesday the 15th, I'm still not completely settled in (I'm still putting things away, and I need a new couch), but it feels good to be back. Going to Tucson achieved its purpose. I know where I want to be now, and that's right here. I don't need to be anywhere else. Like Charlie Robison said:

"So I'm leaving for the last time, honey
I'm never more to roam
Gonna pack my bags a little heavy this time
Gonna head my ass back home"

That song, however, doesn't reflect my current mood, which prompted me finally to post again, so much as these do:

Midnight Radio
In Your Arms Tonight

I just kind of feel the way these songs sound right now. Both songs are from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Quote of the day

2006-08-08T19:38:00.000-04:00

"The government is good at one thing. It knows how to break your legs and then hand you a crutch and say, 'See, if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be able to walk.'"

--Harry Browne

Fairweather Tucson

2006-07-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

After returning from three days in North Carolina with temperatures in the 90s and humidity in the 80s and 90s, I've arrived back in Tucson to find the temperature at a cool 83 degrees with 50% humidity. I was expecting better weather in Tucson than I experienced in NC, but I thought I would be escaping only the humidity, not the heat. It turns out I got away from both.

I might as well turn off my ac.

Sinister-looking wildlife in my apartment complex

2006-07-16T07:55:00.000-04:00

While strolling around my apartment complex around 4:00 a.m., I suddenly saw something scurry across the sidewalk before me. I thought I knew what it was and rushed forward to see. I was proven correct when I saw this tarantula.

Just as with the bullfrog in the previous posts, it was really hard to get a good shot of him because it was so dark outside and because I didn't dare get too close to him out of fear of him lunging and biting me like this:

Tarantula vs. Mouse

If he had bitten me though, it probably wouldn't have been that big a deal according to Wikipedia. This was news to me. I'd always thought their poison could kill a human rather handily.

Persuasion vs. Force

2006-07-08T04:26:00.000-04:00

This isn't a perfect article, but he makes some excellent points, namely:

"The triumph of persuasion over force is the sign of a civilized society."

"Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, 'Taxation is the price we pay for civilization.' But isn't the opposite really the case? Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society."

Persuasion vs. Force

American appetite

2006-07-05T20:02:00.000-04:00

I thought that the new trend was for fast-food chains to offer healthier fare, but apparently it's going both ways. I went to Burger King today and saw their latest offering--the BK stackers, offered in double, triple, and quadruple sizes. Just a couple of weeks ago I mentioned to someone that many years ago I never thought I'd see the day that triple cheeseburgers were offered. When they were, I thought surely that's as far as people would be willing to go. But the BK quad is here now. Get a load of the nutrition info:

I wonder what this kid will look like after he starts eating these puppies.

I also wonder when Burger King will offer a double quadruple stacker.

"A strange species we are. We can stand anything God and nature can throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much, and I would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy, sick." --John Steinbeck (1902-1968), Letter in The Washington Post, 28 Jan 1960

'80s commercials

2006-06-29T19:34:00.000-04:00

Who's the pervert who designed the first few seconds of this commercial? Don't try to say that was an accident.

Remember these? I loved this series when I was little.

More commercials are at X Entertainment's 1980s Commercials.

2006-06-29T06:29:00.000-04:00

The way we are living,
timorous or bold,
will have been our life.
-- Seamus Heaney, "Elegy"

This is pretty good

2006-06-26T19:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.break.com/index/japaneseprank9.html

Watch it all the way through. It gets better as it goes.

Wildlife in my apartment complex

2006-06-23T06:45:00.000-04:00

Tonight on the way to the grocery store around midnight, I saw this fellow on the column which holds up the stairwell leading to my apartment. This is about the fourth species of lizard I've seen in a month in Arizona. In case scale is lost on you, he's about as long as a credit card.

2006-06-23T06:43:00.000-04:00

At about 2 a.m., after watching a movie, I took a short stroll around my apartment complex and stumbled upon this large frog, which was about the size of an apple. I had trouble getting a good shot of him since it was so dark. Although I cut his back off in this shot, I included it because you can see his eyes a little better than in the next shot.

2006-06-23T06:42:00.000-04:00

I finally got a full-body shot after about six tries.

2006-06-23T06:41:00.000-04:00

A few more pics from Mt. Wrightson

2006-06-22T22:44:00.000-04:00

Jason from the hike at Mt. Wrightson last Saturday sent me a few of the pics he snapped, and I thought I'd share a few of them.

We take our first break at Josephine Saddle, where there is a memorial to some boy scouts who died on Mt. Wrightson in 1957 when caught in a blizzard.

2006-06-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

2006-06-22T22:36:00.000-04:00

While we took a short break at Bellows Spring, this fellow paid us a visit.

2006-06-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

Another lizard. The sharpness of this pic and something else about it reminds me of The Thin Red Line.

2006-06-22T22:33:00.000-04:00

2006-06-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

2006-06-22T22:31:00.000-04:00

Another view of Wrightson and a rusty old trail sign from our lunch stop.

2006-06-22T22:30:00.000-04:00

Adam and I take in our surroundings. I like this angle with the sign between us.

2006-06-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

Adam and I rest at the top.

A little rain

2006-06-22T03:34:00.000-04:00

This afternoon (yesterday afternoon actually, since it's now after midnight) I stepped out of my apartment and was struck by an uncommon smell around here--the smell of rain. I couldn't believe how strong it was and how pleasant. There was only a brief shower, but the residual clouds made for a nice sky at sunset.

I really need to get a new camera with a panoramic-view feature so I can capture such things better.

Mount Wrightson

2006-06-18T01:27:00.000-04:00

My second hike with Ramblers was a great one. This time we went to Mount Wrightson, the highest peak in the Santa Rita Mountains, about 30 miles south of Tucson, in Coronado National Forest.

The Old Baldy Trail took us to the top. When I got out of bed this morning, I was feeling a bit apprehensive about doing this hike because of the 4,000 feet I'd have to climb. Last week at Mt. Lemmon, I only had to climb about 2,000 feet, and I struggled mightily to do so.

The first four miles of the trail at Mt. Lemmon were relatively flat. The Old Baldy Trail, however, made no pretense of what lay in store for me, as it began its steady climb right from the beginning. I think maybe that gave me a psychological advantage today. Adam, Jason, and I took off at a slow but steady pace. My breath quickened immediately, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had quite a bit of stamina. We didn't even stop until we'd climbed over 1,000 feet. We ended up doing the entire 5.4-mile, 4,003-foot ascent in about 3.5 hours, including breaks. I was well pleased with myself.

The scenery was all I'd hoped for as well. Check it out below. Unfortunately, however, we didn't encounter the black bear met by a couple who were descending the trail as we made our way up. They told us the bear was on the trail and that they stared one another down for a few moments until the lady tapped two rocks together, at which point the bear took his/her business elsewhere.
I did see some of the bear's droppings though a bit further up. So in case you ever wondered, yes, a bear does shit in the woods.

Stats:

Length of hike (round-trip): 10.8 miles.
Elevation at trailhead: 5,450 feet
Elevation at peak: 9,453 feet
Total elevation gain: 4,003 feet
Elevation in Tucson: 2,584 feet

2006-06-18T01:23:00.000-04:00

Our first look at Mt. Wrightson from perhaps 5,500 feet above sea level.

2006-06-18T01:20:00.000-04:00

I took this somewhere along the first mile, I think. Notice how foresty it is here compared with the rockier terrain later.

2006-06-18T01:18:00.000-04:00

Adam and Jason round one of the many switchbacks we were to encounter.

2006-06-18T01:11:00.000-04:00

We take a break for lunch under this lovely shade tree at Baldy Saddle. Elevation: 8,780 feet. I found the yellow and green hues here to be very beautiful, possibly the prettiest spot on the hike.

2006-06-18T01:09:00.000-04:00

View of Mt. Wrightson from our shady lunch spot.

2006-06-18T01:07:00.000-04:00

A charred section of forest.

2006-06-18T01:03:00.000-04:00

Nearing the peak. I loved this part of the trail because it was narrow and rocky, with a slope to one side and a rock wall on the other. I'm still lagging a bit behind, as you can see, partly out of enjoyment and partly out of weariness.

2006-06-18T00:53:00.000-04:00

From right to left, Adam, Jason, and I at the peak, 9,453 feet above sea level. This was a new record elevation for me. No, I'm not grabbing my crotch. I was just...getting into position or something since this was a timed shot and I had to hurry. That's also partly to blame for that wretched face I'm making, along with the fact that I took off my hat and was squinting.

2006-06-18T00:51:00.000-04:00

Looking North.

2006-06-18T00:43:00.000-04:00

Looking West. If you look closely at the peak of that mountain, you'll see an observatory. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it's Kitt Peak National Observatory, home of the largest solar telescope in the world.

2006-06-18T00:42:00.000-04:00

Looking Southeast.

2006-06-18T00:35:00.000-04:00

Saw a few lizards on this hike. This was the only one of which I got a decent shot.

I wish I were just half as cool as a lizard.

2006-06-18T00:32:00.000-04:00

The spot where we ate lunch as seen from the peak. See that trail? Follow it downward. See that bald spot? That's it.

Check out the red-tinted rock at the top of that peak.

2006-06-18T00:27:00.000-04:00

No room for error here.

A good ol' gospel song

2006-06-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

Tonight while transcribing a show called "American Roots Music," featuring the innovators of country, folk, and bluegrass, I was reminded of this good ol' gospel song I first heard a few months back. It really tells it like it is.

Click to listen

Mount Lemmon Adventure

2006-06-11T03:44:00.000-04:00

After three weeks in Tucson, I finally went on my first hike with Ramblers, the hiking club at the University of Arizona, at Mount Lemmon, about 40 miles Northeast of Tucson, in Coronado National Forest.

When I first got here, I naively believed that all I would ever see on hikes around here were dirt, cacti, and occasionally a rattlesnake. I was wrong.

It turns out that these hills are pretty darn high, and usually they're covered with trees on top. Had I not known better while hiking up there, I could have just as easily supposed myself to be back East in the Smokies or in Shenandoah National Forest in certain spots. I was very pleased with this.
It turns out they call the tree-topped mountains with desert at their bases sky islands.

A few stats from the hike:
Length: 11.9 miles.
Elevation at trailhead: 6,980 feet.
Elevation at top of trail: 9,020 feet.
Elevation in Tucson: 2,584 feet.

I was excited about this because I had never been at an elevation this high, especially not while hiking. I think my previous overall high was about 7,000 feet near Donner Pass in a car on I-80. The highest elevation to which I'd hiked was the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire at 6,288 feet, 4,300 feet of which I actually climbed, which is still the most elevation gain I've hiked in one day.
I learned from Steve during today's hike that the highest point in Arizona is Mount Humphries at 12,643 feet, which threw me for another loop. I was surprised to learn that there were 9,000-foot peaks in Arizona, much less one over 12,000 feet. I thought only the Rockies had peaks that high. I hope I take the opportunity to climb this one before leaving Arizona.

Check out the pictures from today's hike below, which should enlarge when clicked.

2006-06-11T03:30:00.000-04:00

We bunch up before taking off. If I recall correctly (and I probably don't), from left to right, these people are: Tim, Jenny, Jens, Kyle, Steve, Patricia, Trina, Lenny, me, John.

2006-06-11T03:18:00.000-04:00

We're off.

2006-06-11T03:14:00.000-04:00

Not precisely the shot I wanted, but it's still beautiful. What adjective would you use to describe how blue the sky is?

2006-06-11T03:09:00.000-04:00

Lenny suggested we scramble up these rocks in order to get a nice view of the surrounding area. We did.

2006-06-11T03:00:00.000-04:00

The view we were rewarded with for climbing.

2006-06-11T02:57:00.000-04:00

This isn't a great picture as there's no definitive subject, but I like it for some reason.

2006-06-11T02:48:00.000-04:00

This particular area is inexplicably known as Wilderness of the Rocks.

2006-06-11T02:44:00.000-04:00

A Lemmonade pool, as my fellow hikers called it. We had lunch here, and some of them took a dip in what turned out to be really cold water. If you look closely, you'll see the source of the pool--the tiny, thin waterfall.

This little spot was off the trail a bit, down in a deep crevice. Climbing down into it was decidedly easier than making our way back out.

2006-06-11T02:40:00.000-04:00

2006-06-11T02:15:00.000-04:00

Saw this little guy while taking a break on the long ascent. At first I looked at him only cursorily and thought he was a toad, and I pointed him out to Steve, who said, "A toad? This high up?" (We were probably at about 8,000 feet here). Then we looked at him closer and realized he was actually a lizard of some kind. I've no idea what this guy's called. Anyone? Until I get an answer, I'll call him a toad-lizard.

Sorry for the poor focus. I snapped this one in a hurry for fear of him running away, and I was using zoom.

2006-06-11T02:11:00.000-04:00

The ascent continues. My heart-rate is at least 120.

2006-06-11T02:02:00.000-04:00

On the way down.

2006-06-11T01:59:00.000-04:00

I know this is gross, but I thought it was cool. Yes, I know I'm probably the only one who thinks so. When I got home and took off my pants, something really bizarre caught my eye. I noticed that my legs were utterly filthy above the sock-line and remembered all of the black dirt that we hikers kicked up along the trail.

WTF?

2006-06-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

Cops: Couple ordered hit on grandkids

This is just wrong on so many levels for so many reasons. It's mostly just outrageous, but then there's a bit of weird humor involved when you read that the dog was to be included in the hit. I just couldn't help laughing at that.

Again I ask: WTF?

Ma and Pa Kettle math

2006-06-02T01:24:00.000-04:00

http://www.angelfire.com/pe2/throughthefog/kettle.wmv

What Paul sees

2006-05-29T19:20:00.000-04:00

I never got to do my meme, which became popular several months ago, before a great many others beat me to it. So I've done a modified version of one using the verb "sees." This is a poor use of my time, but it makes me laugh.

1. Paul sees injury as blessing in disguise.
2. Paul sees some hope for deal on native fishery.
3. Paul sees the light.
4. Paul sees a $20 bill left behind by them and instinctively takes it.
5. Paul sees Kiki and Horst at a table and calls out to them, but they don’t see or hear him through the loud music and crowd.
6. Paul sees dozens of wanted posters of him on every street corner and begins tearing them off realizing that Julie has set him up to get back at him for walking out on her.
7. Paul sees PhotosByNet as an example of a "simple idea which works on the Internet."
8. Paul sees a river and pits of fire with people submerged in them.
9. Paul sees what the Lord had brought into being in them, and so the Lord himself, utterly denied.
10. Paul sees a container full of machetes in the warehouse.

Needles aren't cool

2006-05-28T04:25:00.000-04:00

I guess I've been officially introduced to the West now that I've received my first brush needles in my hand.

Tonight while riding to a party in Phoenix, I reached down and brushed my pantleg for some reason, only to feel a prickly sensation in my hand. Upon examination, I found numerous needles all over my fingers and palm. I looked at my pantleg and saw a brown mass of them clinging there. I remembered accidentally brushing up against some bush which was innocent-looking enough earlier.

I hope I don't get further acquainted with the West by stepping on a rattlesnake.

2006-05-26T20:21:00.000-04:00

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/allan_gary/artist.jhtml#

These hills are no joke

2006-05-26T18:16:00.000-04:00

Today I decided it's time to start exercising now that I've pretty much settled into my apartment. Since arriving last week, I've been wanting to bike up Swan Road, which you see in this first picture. (Click on each of the pictures, and they should enlarge.) I snapped this from the middle of Swan just in front of my apartment complex.

I thought on my first day I would try making it only as far down this road as the farthest point which the eye can see. If you look closely at the enlarged picture, you should see the road extend all the way to the foot of the mountain. I didn't know whether the road turned once it reached the mountain or whether it dead-ended. I figured it was probably about five miles or so. I didn't want to plan on going any further than that point because this is the desert, it's hot and dry, I'm out of shape, and I didn't know how I would hold up.

It turns out it was only about two miles; however, this was one serious uphill ride. I couldn't tell that from back here at my apartment. Granted, I know it is approaching a mountain for God's sake, but I thought at worst it was a gentle upward slope. I was already getting tired in the first mile. Even being out of shape, I wouldn't have gotten tired that quickly had I been riding on relatively flat ground. I actually had to walk the last quarter-mile or so. It was impossible to pedal it. I don't know how much altitude I gained over those two miles, but here's the view from the top. I apologize for the crudity of the shot; had I gotten in front of that sign and that bush, the view would have been better, but you can get the idea.

Actually, this is misleading. I didn't go as high as this picture suggests. My apartment, the point at which I started, is already pretty far uphill from the city proper. Still though, I came up as high as that first hill just beyond the speed-limit sign and then some. You can get some idea of how high that hill is by looking at the car on the road in the distance. When I find an outdoor-equipment store, I'm going to buy an altimeter so I can measure these things.

The ride down was pretty easy, naturally. Negotiating these hills and this heat on the way up will take some serious training though.

What I'll be eating a lot more of from now on...hopefully

2006-05-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know what caused it, but something gave me a strong urge to eat some oven-roasted vegetables tonight and have a little Clos du Bois to wash it down. Maybe it's the 180 pounds I now carry around, which is unacceptable. Anyhow, isn't that a beautiful spread? It tasted as good as it looks. Allison should be proud. Here's how to put it together:

Oven Roasted Vegetables

source: http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/r/blv307.htm

Roasting carmelizes and brings out the flavor of zucchini, squash, bell peppers, asparagus, and onion. You don't have to be on the famous South Beach Diet to enjoy this one.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 red onion, chopped
* 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the zucchini, squash, bell peppers, asparagus, and red onion in a large roasting pan, and toss with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Spread in a single layer.

Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

Yield: 4 servings

Per Serving: 170 cal, 5 g pro, 15 g carb, 11 g fat, 2 g sat. fat, 0 mg chol, 5 g fiber, 586 mg sodium

My new environment

2006-05-22T23:54:00.000-04:00

This is what it looks like right beside my parking lot. Going to new places is cool.

Newness

2006-05-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

After arriving in a new town, I felt like getting some new clothes today, as I've been wearing rags for about two years. While in the mall, I also decided it was time for a new cut.

2006-05-20T23:36:00.000-04:00

The long hair just wasn't working the way I'd hoped. It's too coarse, I think, to lay right.

I'm also now taking applications for a new woman.

I guess this post officially makes this blog a haircut blog.

Great table display

2006-05-19T22:43:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the Pima County Libertarian Party at Cody's Beef and Beans Restaurant in Tucson. David Euchner, soon after we introduced ourselves, told me to get a load of the back of the dessert menu, which he handed to me. When I read it, my first thought was that one of the guys at the meeting must own the restaurant. I asked them if that was the case, and they said no. Apparently the owner just happens to lean libertarian. Cody's has been the permanent meeting place of Pima LP ever since they first read this little gem.

By the way, I sat beside David Nolan, who has been a Pima County resident for the last year.

Tucson wins

2006-05-10T22:56:00.000-04:00

Of the places listed on the map above, which I first posted back in January, I've chosen Tucson to make my new home, at least until November. I leave Monday.

Patriots

2006-04-28T00:11:00.000-04:00

The first major hearing of the NC Libertarian Party's lawsuit against the state took place today in Raleigh Superior Court. Afterwards, we happy few recessed to the Wade Avenue Tripps for lunch.

Every man deserves to see this

2006-04-26T05:12:00.000-04:00

I post this not for the content of the dialogue but because of that winning smile when she first appears, the whiteness of her teeth, the way she barely opens her mouth to speak, that "click" sound she makes, the grit in her voice when she delivers the "punchline," and the embarrassed smile thereafter. Impossibly beautiful and sexy.

A wise man named Seamus MacArthur commented awhile back that this woman is so beautiful that she's seemingly supernatural. After seeing this, I have to agree. I feel a need to share this.

The frivolity of this post embarrasses me a little, but I hope I can get away with that every once in a while.

Portman on Inside the Actor's Studio

Newborn kittens are cool...

2006-04-20T16:48:00.000-04:00

...especially when there are four of them in a window box against the side of your house. Click the pictures to enlarge them.

2006-04-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

The origin of man

2006-04-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

I learned something very interesting today. Apparently mankind was created by the IRS.

Today Guilford LP protested income tax at the post office as everyone drove through to mail their taxes. I was standing right beside the mailbox handing people an "End Tax Slavery" flier as they dropped their mail in. Suddenly a man drove up and said, very angrily, "What
the fuck are you doing?"
I just handed him a flier and said, "Abolish the IRS."
He replied, even more angrily, "Shut the fuck up! You wouldn't even be standing there if it weren't for the goddamn IRS! Shut the fuck up and pay your goddamn taxes!" Then he drove away.

This leaves me with more questions than answers. I mean, obviously no one existed before the IRS. Who, then, created the IRS?

Mushrooming

2006-04-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of helping my friend Eric Smith with his project of growing mushrooms on logs. I've been interested in this for about a year, and I finally got a chance to see how it's done firsthand.

There's a fair amount of work involved when you're getting started, but it's simple. You get some hardwood logs, not pine, four to five feet long and about five inches in diameter. The bark must be present. You drill holes along the length of each log and one on either end. Inoculate the logs by pressing spawn into each hole with a plunger. Cover each hole with wax. Then stack the logs in a shady spot, and about five months later, you should get a healthy crop of 'shrooms which should fetch a decent profit.

I found the work to be easy and relaxing on a warm, sunny, breezy Saturday. Eric had the classic rock station going on the radio, and I got to meet his friend Frank, who was a pretty cool guy. Midway through, Eric's wife Kelly prepared us a fine meal of chicken fettuccine, spicy cornbread, and pinto beans.

Thanks to Eric and Kelly both for a fine Saturday and for the pictures. If I ever get my own place, I may very well take up mushrooming myself.

Frank inoculates a log

2006-04-07T21:48:00.001-04:00

Frank and Eric set a completed log into place

2006-04-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

Frank with the hot wax

2006-04-07T21:46:00.000-04:00

I take a short break to pose

2006-04-07T21:45:00.001-04:00

A stack of completed logs

2006-04-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

Kelly spawning the plunger

2006-04-07T21:42:00.000-04:00