Things blur together, I recall sitting in a coffee house in Tokyo hearing ‘Two of Us’ by The Beatles and not being able to recall it was actually a Beatles tune.  For weeks the song has been cached in my head finally to find a home on some musings about two buddies making the patronage to Bosnia.

Talking to people who say they travel is often humorous.  To paraphrase a buddy:

I’ve been all around Europe, and I ain’t riding on a train full of shit and chickens riding out to the middle of nowhere.  This is a mess, you can’t do this, you can’t this, this is ALWAYS how it works.

The best I can gather is there are different styles of travel, 1) on one end you have people who need to travel with a satin pillow, and 2) the other end, the college kid with the dorky backpack hoppin’ from hostel to hostel, drinking booze from a plastic bottle and living off of mommy’s credit card.

I’d say I fall somewhere in the middle, I don’t make assumptions and prove many people who are ‘experts’ wrong by asking the right questions and not thinking worse case scenarios.  It’s amazing what asking the right questions will reveal.  I’ve learned that A path to success is not loading the dice, when you ask obvious question or give obvious observations, the answers are clear and there is no growth.  I’d rather be curious than to know the answers.

Looking east I see much more ‘open ended metaphor’ in philosophy and spirtuality.  Western theocracy gives us ‘the way, the truth, the light’, the farther east, less is spelled out.  If you’re certain your way is the way, more power to you, if you live in a world where ancient scriptures and modern technology don’t reconcile, the mystics prevail over monotheism.

Random things occupy the mind while travelling, I’d say its very therapeutic to be in a train, out of elements you’re used to and joining the ranks of a different reality for the plurality of the developing world.  My opinion suggests it’s definitely more exciting than most activities that are comfortable. 

I’m excited for extended dialogue with a friend from America, the two books along for the ride 1) Out of Mao’s Shadows and 2) Drive, my sandwich, crackers and liter of water.  While there the ‘bridge’ and all the intricate history around it, the mosques, the pyramids, the people, the snow….all to be eye opening….a good mind and imagination stretch before resting the bones and soul in familiar places.

Political parties and their rules, this, that or the other. Votes turn into delegates by a mathematical process based on caucuses and primaries. In the meantime, the ‘super delegates’ (also know as political insiders that have been courted for years and years by incumbents (Clintons), and they don’t follow the vote of the people because they have ‘been good to.’

Let’s take the media, it turns it into a drama, check out Seth’s blog and the checks where this is ‘true’ information, but not really relevant, and this is what is swaying the populous. CNN is making great money on this election, fair balanced and hateful fox doesn’t know what to do, NBC is something I can’t even stay with.

It’s sad that our process is so silly, and good people on all sides of the fence have to follow party platforms weather they agree or not, pander for votes because the media looks for flag pin controversies, old dude jokes, or what have you. What a trip through the mud.

Who wants to change the process? All in favor, say ‘I’!

In the meantime, like 2PAC says, its me against the world. Obama has weathered a nutjob preacher (all of them are nutjobs and like Kennedy says, don’t vote based on religious affiliation), 30+ years of Clinton ‘super delegate’ and next will be the kitchen sink, but when the email comes around asking for contributions, I throw my 25 bucks in the pot and I try to get people out to vote, because that’s what democracy is about, participation, right? Money and mouth, I follow a message of hope, not cynicism, I’m not green and I’m not bitter.

I fall in the gray area that can’t be defined by the limited political affiliations out there. I don’t understand that there are millions of websites, but 2 candidates for president. Why do humans need pyramid structures?

You see, Kurt Cobain was a hero to some, sure I love it when he sings You Know You’re Right, and I know he really means it when he repeats ‘PAIN PAIN PAIN’ at the top of his lungs. In a sad sorta way its inspiring. After all we know that the Seattle grunge rock boy landed Courtney Love and they didn’t live happily ever after, part of the party didn’t even live.

I once believed that people like this saw the world with a really bright color pallet, now I just see it as a way to head down a path of little resistance, with depression, hoes, drugs and other baggage that follows.

A real hero is gallant in life, a night in shining armor, taking on the day to day life events and making them admirable. A real hero sees the dark side but chooses to rise above, and most importantly has the courage to rise above, to reach for the unknown, doing it with grace and dignity.

I can tell you one billion reasons why Ben Folds and Neil Hannon play that role for me in an entertainment sense, but since it’s my blog and its all about me, I’ll tell you where I fall in on the ‘hero spectrum.’

I certainly have my internal axes to grind, but for the most part I like to think I take on life with a fervor, enthusiasm, and curiosity. I guess it depends on what your criteria of being a hero is, but I believe you tend to live your life in the eyes of what deem extraordinary. For me that’s controlled vigor and inch deep mile wide perspective on life, knowing you could drill down and appreciate anything life has thrown at you, and knowing you could excel at anything you desired.

My life has always been a volatile ball of emotion, and it has cost me intimacy in more ways than I’d like to remember, and I’ve finally tuned into this aspect of my inner soul. Sure I’d like to be omnipotent, but hell, what’s the use, it ain’t going to happen.

Why does intensity bring with it the good and bad, and how can I control that aspect of my inner self. Well, that’s what I’ve been asking myself lately, and as life takes me on a much needed journey of self discovery, I put the pieces together from my past, yea, messed that one up, yep, that was a doozie, yep, another bone head maneuver, yep, yep, yep. Painful recollections of things, and I’m swimming in it, much like Kirk as he’s Smellin’ like Teen Spirit.

I can easily make that transition to hero by taking the problems I already know that exists in me and use the answers I already know to these questions and put them together. Isn’t that the definition of a pragmatic hero, one who looks inside, first overcomes himself, then overcomes any obstacles that stand in the way of his dreams or destiny?

In the meantime, I feel like a redneck meddlin’ under the hood of a moving vehicle, fixing things as they break, and constantly adding mods to my Chevrolet body. I wasn’t born a Corvette, but by the end of life, I hope to have a uniquely designed Impala that will kick the corvettes butt.

I remember the barmaid pouring a glass from the tap, I remember the beer, looking at the tiny bubbles, the taste of it being ice cold. I remember going to the disco that had 80′s night, drinking two for the price of one, I recall the atmosphere, the greasy fish and chips, and all in all, the wonderful vibe of the harbor city.

This is what my steadily and significantly declining balance of 12,000 dollars on my Visa card has bought me. Memories, VIVID memories of me being in places and circumstances that are surreal to a Shiner boy.

Enter world flatten-er #11, people who like to travel AND don’t find excuses not to. Kudos to you people!

Life is strange, thanks again sis’ for putting up with me, I’m picky about it all, and I’m excited about how my life can and will change on a dime sooner than later.

Thinking about that, I’ve decided to do a SWOT analysis on my life.

Strengths – Well, talking to recruiters, many tell many that I’ve got some of the best people skills of any ‘IT Geek’ they’ve ever talked to, and I know I can read people well, I know myself, I know boundaries, and I’m confident. I have a lot of FRIENDS, not contacts. I’m genuinely interested in what people have to say. I think I’m a good listener if there’s something actually being said.

Weaknesses - How many times have I heard, ‘you’re flaky.’ I constantly have friends saying what a bad friend I am, hopefully jokingly, but there’s truth behind every sentiment like that. I have too many coals on the fire, which sometimes goes to say I don’t ever get anything done. I’m a slacker by every sense of the world (motivated yet unmotivated, defiant yet devoted, and in essence, hard to ‘manage’)

Opportunities – Wise folks say ‘go for the big bucks,’ and also ‘there’s a narrow window you have in your life to do extraordinary things’, and that time is right now, no lease, no girl, no babies, no nothin’. I could essentially get one of those sticks and a blanket, throw some jeans (or dress pants) up in there and head whereva, and that’s what my gut tells me to do, so we’ll see where that lands me.

Threats – Yea, then and there, again, my own hand holds me down. I’m STUPID in the head, and I’m extremely idealistic, and its my own worse enemy along with being a strength, so it’s hard to clump this stuff into categories. The threat is no balance in my life, the threats are stomach ulcers, going down a hill at 45 mph on my trek 1500 fallin’ and bustin my head open, and professionally, there’s nothing that a good ‘flexin’ wont’ do for me.

All of this leaves me with visions of an eccentric, eclectic, and engaged life, still being able to keep my probing ability, diggin’ and diggin’, always to find that life isn’t really all that bad.
——————-

I guess def leppa says it best….

“Pull it, pull it, cmon trigger the gun
cos the best is (a) yet to come”

Since in many ways I’m ‘Princess Robert’, I ask, ‘Bob, can you dig this hole for my mailbox?’. Bob says, sure, it’ll only take 30 minutes. So here’s Bob slavin’ away with a post hole digger while I offer moral support.

All fine and dandy until Bob hits the unmarked shit pipe, and contrary to popular movies, shit didn’t fly up everywhere, but we could smell it.

Shit happens, In the course of it all I got a nice tan on my bald head.

Later that evening, I eat with the family, drink a few beers while geeking out at Antiques, Art, Beer, and then retire on the couch watching Tango and Cash. Brother in law asks what I did the next day, I tell him, and his rebuttal is, “Damn, that’s pathetic.” —whateva

Mike D seemed to love the pigs, especially the smell. Mike D was lookin’ all uncomfortable not wanting to go on our walk, but I made him get in front of these ‘cute’ little piggies and strike a pose.

Jenny and Kristin were busy picking strawberries, and I chimed in and helped after a few dirty looks (naw, not really, yea I did help, but no dirty looks). As I’m blogging I’m reaping the benefits with a strawberry banana smoothie.

Every time I venture out to the farm, I’m reminded of Ween’s 12 Golden Country Hits, a classic album by the strange boys.

Well there’s me, the beast has a new digital camera, and he decides to take a picture of sleeping beauty, or beached whale, however you’d like to see it. OK ladies, you can breathe now, and your heart can start beating again…..hahahaha.

Funny thing about the picture, Jenny’s friend Rosie comes over and sees me in the chair like this, I’m sure she thinks I’m in my birthday suit.

———————–
“We are ashamed of everything that is real about us; ashamed of ourselves, of our relatives, of our incomes, of our accents, of our opinions, of our experience, just as we are ashamed of our naked skins” — George Bernard Shaw (RB Rebuttal — Whateva George)

“My wife was afraid of the dark… then she saw me naked and now she’s afraid of the light.” — Rodney Dangerfield

Logan’s, a nice neutral place to go to have fun with an eclectic mix of friends. Yasu and Aya came out for the evening. These two are fun to hang out with, smiling all the time, and what can you say about the jello shot, whoever invented them should be killed.

A very eclectic group on the evening, Ashley, Eric, beast, Kristen, Queen Bee, Mike D. Lots of different perspectives in this mix made for a great night of banter, just gotta watch out for the beast, who has a tendency to hit on every chick in the house. hahaha

I wouldn’t consider either of these girly girls, but just enough. These two are great people.

The sis’s and I chipped in a bought Ronster a Fonzie leather jacket that he’s sportin’ in the picture.

The master party planner / scrap booking queen plastered the house full of old school Ronnie pictures, sentimental times, I love that dude –

The battle raged on with the nieces and nephews outside, as the computer geeks won the dog pile session. Take a gander at Grant’s face, looks like he’s in pain, second to the bottom. I mean, wouldn’t you be in pain too if Kamala the wrestler was on top of you?

The entire immediate family came for the occasion, we are getting older but more beautiful —- hahaha. Even Jr. has a smile on his face, don’t know how we were able to pull that one off.

The nieces and nephews lookin’ all niece and nephew like. Corey is getting so strong, he’s going to be able to kick my butt before it’s all over.