Life: The Journey

Unemployment Blues

2010-06-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

This economy sucks!! Now I will be the first to admit that I have not been trying as hard as I possibly can, but I think if I tried any harder I would literally go insane. I am already getting extremely distressed at the amount of non replies and rejections I have faced, how many more can I take. This makes me start to think seriously again about just taking off. It would have to be on foot of course since I don't have the money for a car. I think about leaving with a backpack tent and sleeping bag. I would try at first to make it to Redding I think. I have some family there that would probably be enthused about the journey and happy to see me. From there I could continue north into Oregon to visit more family. After that I guess I would head east and see where life took me.....

In reality though, I will probably just bide my time day after day until something positive happens. I got the blues!

Start An American Revolution

2010-05-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

[It is late (technically early) so I am just putting this up as a "place holder". Will expand to and actual post in a day or two.]

... Alright, time to expand on this. I have been slowly getting more and more informed on the state of things in this great country of America. The more and more I learn the idea of this country being so great gets weaker. I know there are still many places that are far worse to live in but I must say I think the USA is on decline and it needs to be stopped. We as citizens are sacrificing our rights and often times we don't even realize it.

Now I want to say that I don't endorse a militant revolution although I am sure the government would push it to that if we ever stood up collectively and proclaimed we will no longer bend over for them. The problem is that the government is no longer of the people or for the people. They are puppets of the special interest groups which are nothing but the large corporations. I am still learning what I can do on an individual level but ultimately it revolution needs to occur on a collective level.

What I am trying to do personally is actually an act of not doing something. I am trying to not support the large corporations that are destroying our rights and the world we live in. Most recently I have been looking into our food. Our food is controlled by an elite select few companies that are only concerned with the bottom line and not our health. As a result we are seeing more and more cases of terminal diseases and birth defects. Even such commodities as water are being privatized and regulated. We are becoming slaves to the elite and we don't even realize it.

People need to wake up and begin to make a change. This is something that can only be done by the masses, but it starts with personal choices. Start buying produce that is grown locally. Don't support the fast food chains who are putting thousands of farmers out of business simply because they care more about healthy food rather than mass produced food. Don't vote for politicians without researching what they are about and where their money comes from, many of them are in bed with the large corporations. Get out in the world and let your voice be heard, we will not stand for this corruption any longer.

Be Good For Goodness Sake

2010-04-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

What ever happened to this? No one is ever good just for the sake of being good anymore. Everyone is always looking to work an angle of their own. I personally believe altruistic behavior is possible but becoming exponentially more rare. What if everyone in the world quit worrying about themselves and simply cared for others around them? All of your needs would still be met, only by a neighbor or a friend and at no cost to yourself. In turn you could help out your neighbor and friends so they would not have to worry about themselves. I know this is a somewhat unrealistic concept but why not strive for the unrealistic? I think it would give everyone a great deal of joy and satisfaction if they were to embrace even a fraction of this concept once again. It's not just for the sake of Santa, be good for goodness sake.

Casey, Eliminate My Debt

2010-04-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

So I deleted my Facebook and therefor don't get my daily dose of Casey shenanigans. In lieu of that I figured I could bring some of the shenanigans here to my blog.

Anyway, Casey is now working on mortgage elimination and "strawman" stuff, which in theory will give him the power to cancel mortgages just like that. I don't fully understand the concept but it has to do with the bank not being able to validate the loan, and that the loan was never there in the first place. Something about your "John Hancock" having the magical power of creating money from thin air. Casey seems very convinced that this is all well and good, but I obviously have my reservations. What I will say though is this; If this ever actually works out, I will be buying a house tomorrow and never paying a dime for it.... wait, when you put it that way it sounds a bit dishonest and greedy, it's all good right Casey?

False Sympathy Strengthens Delusions

2010-03-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

There is a point when being nice is actually only hurting the person. Sure we want to be a good friend and a cordial person to all but at what cost? When a friend or another comes to you and has a complaint that is not justified why should we sympathize with them? Sure you may be able to strengthen your relationship with that person but would it not be strengthened under false pretenses? Furthermore you are strengthening the individuals belief that they are justified in their position. So the next time someone rightfully takes a parking spot they were going to try and occupy they are strengthened in their belief that the spot should belong to them instead, all because you agreed with them the last time a similar situation ensued. To quote a phrase from my generation "keep it real". It may be a little harder to do at the time but in the long run it would be far more beneficial to everyone involved.

Strawberry Surprise

2010-03-11T11:23:00.001-08:00

So it is about the time of year to get the garden in the ground. I had been noticing periodically through the winter that my strawberry's had not died off completely, but they were looking fairly sad. So when I went out this morning to begin some prep work on my space I was surprised to see that they were coming back to life quite vibrantly. After some weeding I discovered that they have actually transplanted themselves even further than I had last seen. Then came the real shocker... They are already flowering! I haven't even done any work yet and my garden is already growing! So I guess I know one crop that will be in my garden, now to decide what else to grow.

The World Is So Impersonal

2010-01-11T20:05:00.000-08:00

It seems somewhat contradictory to write a blog about this subject but I am going to anyway. This is something that has been getting kicked around inside my head for a while. The world and the way our social mediums are developing are creating a less and less personal experience. You see it everywhere. With the obvious advocates like Facebook and Myspace, but it started even before then with e-mail and even the telephone. There was a time where you would have to go and see a person face to face, or in the very least pen a note in order to pass along any correspondence. I believe that required not only more time but more thought. Heavens knows there was no spam mail to worry about back in those days, who had the energy? In this modern day with the internet and the anonymity it provides people are careless and quite frankly reckless in their social communication. The real problems arise when people translate this from the interwebs to the "real world". I think it would do this world a lot of good to slow down and think before typing. Rather than talk on the phone or via e-mail with someone why not go and visit them? It is so much more rewarding to speak face to face with someone, rousing so much more emotion, than to sit and stare at a computer screen. As with most of my topics this is something I feel like I need to personally work on and I hope to do just that, will you?

Hemp Jewelry

2009-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

I have found a new hobby to help fight back the boredom demons. I was looking for fun and easy ways to make a few extra bucks. One of the things I found was the production of jewelry. Then the other day a friend of mine told me about an encounter with a young lady downtown that walked around peddling hemp jewelry. While I will most certainly not take to the streets to peddle any product, I figured this would at least be something I can do when I find myself bored and plopping down in front of the television. Plus after a little practice and some investment in more materials one day I may try to sell some of this stuff. Anyway, here is a picture of my first bracelet. I used two of the most common knots, one to get a flat pattern on either end and the other to get the twist in the middle.

Fight Walmart

2009-11-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

Going right in line with my last post I want to take a second to talk about our great American family that is the Walton's. Oh how they have pulled the wool over our eyes. This company has to be one of the most corrupt money mongering giants to date. They employ people from impoverished countries paying hourly wages that don't even break the twenty five cent mark. These products are then imported to the United States and sold at astronomical profit margins. This is great news... if you are a large stock holder. This evil walmart corporation gets all kinds of government subsidies to come in and build a store that will collapse any local economy that is preexisting. They even go as far as spying on their own employees in an effort to squash any "union talk" that might be brewing. This company is only concerned with one thing, the bottom line. Their profits are priority one, everything else has to take a back seat. I would encourage everyone to watch the documentary "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" plus follow this link walmartmovie.com and join the fight.

Corporate Cancer

2009-11-09T19:50:00.001-08:00

This is something I am becoming more and more aware of as the days fall away. The world and the United States in particular has cancer, in the form of large corporations. I actually just watched the documentary The Corporation and it only served to reaffirm many ideas that I already had. These large corporations are swallowing up everything in sight in an effort to make money. They have no concern for their fellow man other than how we view them. They dance around and play "tom green thumb" but only so far as to convince the consumer that they are a caring and concerned company. The truth is, the only thing these corporations care about is the bottom line... that is making money. They put the bottom line above everything else including their fellow man. Most of these companies could care less about their carbon footprint, or the working conditions of their factories in China or South America. They don't care if they have to lay off thousands of honest hard working people in order to have a slightly higher profit margin. They certainly are not going to take pay cuts themselves, or should I say itself. By law corporations are considered a single individual, even though they are made up of several chairmen. This in effect takes away the personal responsibility that a business owner would have to face up to. Essentially this "person" who is corporation is a sociopath and we should not stand for it any longer. I know I am going to make changes, however small, to remove my support of these destructive cancerous cells of the worlds economy, will you?

Selling My Motorcycle, Buying a Westfalia

2009-10-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

Well that travel bug is biting hard once again. I think this time I am going to make it stick. I haven't been really engaged in school this semester and my grades, although passing, are not where I would like them to be. No one to blame there but myself. It is one more thing now not in the way of me taking off on a cross country road trip in a van. So, I am selling my GSX-R 750 and using the money to first pay off some debt and second finance part of this dream. I am hoping that I will be able to pick up odd jobs here and there throughout the journey in order to extend my voyage. It is now closer to happening than it ever has been before, and that is exciting and a little scary at the same time. Having to sell some of my beloved materials (the motorcycle and contemplating selling my 74 Chevy Nova) is pretty scary to me. Although a big part of this trip is escaping all the material excess and consumerism which is so rampant in America. There are so many more important things in life to focus on. I need to start a list of all the amazing things I want to go and see.

The Liquid Fast Concluded

2009-10-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

So the fast is over. I ate lunch and dinner yesterday, and have already had a small breakfast this morning. All in all it was again a very good experience. I think I went into it with too many ideas of how it was going to be rather than just letting it be. I think they are always a good thing to do though. Food is a big part of everybody's life and when you eliminate that it causes you to give more attention to other aspects of your life. I am sure I will do one again some time in the future.

Liquid Diet: Day 6 and 7

2009-10-22T12:19:00.001-07:00

Well yesterday really sucked but not because of the fast. I finally caught whatever the kinder gardeners have been passing around for the last week or two. In my half asleep/half sick stupor yesterday morning I woke up in a panic thinking I was late to work, to end up getting there forty five minutes early. Not realizing how sick I was I went back to work on time and only lasted maybe an hour before I was calling to find someone to fill in. Turns out there wasn't anybody available so I had to stick it out, with the assurance that today would be covered. So here I sit on day seven, taking a sick day from work. Since becoming sick I have even less appetite which has made these last couple of days of the fast a little easier. I can't lie though, I am looking forward to lunch tomorrow!

Liquid Fast: Day 4 and 5

2009-10-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday (day 4) was the toughest one yet. I was very close to eating something. I was able to drink a smoothie and contain my desire but it was rough. Luckily today was much easier. I didn't really feel hungry today. I am feeling like I have a little less energy than normal but that is to be expected considering the calorie cut back. I didn't weigh myself before the fast this time but I can pretty much guarantee I have lost at least four to five pounds since the start, a nice little bonus if you ask me. I am already looking forward to the lunch me and my brother in law are planning on having on Friday. We decided sushi would be a good way to introduce our body's back to solid food, and I love sushi!

Liquid Fast: Day 3

2009-10-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

So there is not much of an update today. Still going strong, despite today being a family day which included my sister cooking... Man I love her cooking. Made some good drinks today but drank less than I had the first two days. Today I think was the hardest day, hopefully tomorrow it will start getting easier.

Liquid Fast: Day 2

2009-10-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Alright so I decided I am only doing a liquid diet. I have decided to drink soy milk in order to get some protein in my diet. Anyway, today went very well. The hunger pangs were not quite as bad. I made a really good smoothie out of two apples, two pears, and two bananas. I have only been juicing about three to four paper cups of fresh juice. At other times I will have a glass of the soy milk or just some water. I didn't do to much today but am planning on going for a nice little hike tomorrow early afternoon. Hopefully I will have the energy, I have felt a little drained today but all I did was sit around and do laundry. I know when I sit around for too long it just makes me more tired, so I could just be falsely correlating it to the fast. I guess I will find out tomorrow.

Seven Day Fast: Day One

2009-10-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

So unfortunately I started the day off bad. I was at work, which is a kindergarten class, and they were having a snack. The kid I work with is a little particular about foods and to get him to try now stuff we often "model" to the kid that the food is good. Well they were having frosted animal crackers and I had never seen him eat those so I grabbed some myself and started eating with him. A few crackers in, and mid bite, I realized what I was doing. After that little setback the day went very well though. A few hunger pangs around lunch time and dinner time but they only last a short while. I went for a walk and can already feel that "light" feeling people often describe when doing a fast like this. From what i remember from my first fast the first couple of days are by far the hardest, while your stomach gets used to not having much of anything in it. So far so good.

Seven Day Fast

2009-10-16T01:00:00.001-07:00

As of about an hour ago I started a seven day juice fast. My brother in law is going to join in on it with me and our plan is to go till Friday of next week. These first few days are probably going to be a little rough but I am sure I will hold up. I am not sure exactly what I am looking to get out of it this time. I went into my first fast (the last one I did) with all kinds of expectations and although it was a profound experience it wasn't at all what I was thinking it would be. This time around I am going to try and focus more on God and meditating on the Word. My brother in law should help with that, we already discussed doing some kind of daily study. I think we are going to be reading My Utmost for His Highest . I have read it off and on for a while and it is a good little study book. Maybe I will share my thoughts on the daily passage and how I am feeling each day throughout this fast. Yeah I think that is a good idea.

My Last Post Was Premature

2009-10-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

Well when I posted a comment on Island2012 is was pending moderation for a while, but then just disappeared. I guess it was still there somewhere because after a little while, pop, there it was. I must say though, even though I am only paying (or going to pay) a dollar a month it is a little disheartening to see the blog go down for a couple days. Plus my link is still not back up. I think I will forgo this months payment. I'll buy a pack of gum or something instead.

I am Officially Under the Bus

2009-10-13T18:43:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess you can officially say that Casey has thrown me under the bus. I was the spot holder of the one dollar a month link on his website Island2012 site. When his site reappeared after being down for a few days I and the rest of the sponsors were no longer there. Casey cited "sponsorship" problems as his reason for pulling the plug initially so I commented on his latest post asking if it was me that he had the problem with. Well my comment never made it through moderation and I have not received any kind of response from Casey. It is not so much the sponsorship thing I am even wondering about, but more so why he did not contact me personally if he had some kind of problem. He has not only thrown me under the bus as a sponsor but also as a friend.

Want to Just Take Off

2009-10-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

That travel bug is biting again. Really, it never took it's teeth out. I can't stop thinking about it though. It's a daily thing. If I just had a van that was semi set up for living in, I would be gone already. Preferably I would want a six cylinder or ideally a bio diesel conversion so that I could just fill up with old grease from whatever fast food joint happens to be close by. I could pick up side jobs here and there building fences or doing garden work. Really, any kind of work I could find. i could visit churches in the towns I travel through and ask if the congregation if they have any work I could do. Only staying in one spot long enough to fill the gas tank, fill the food reserves and put a little emergency money in my pocket and just keep moving. Imagine the people you would meet. Imagine the sights you would see. Imagine how much you would learn not only about yourself but life in general. I have the utmost faith that God would provide, it is just taking that first step on my own that is the hard part. This is going to happen eventually, I don't think the desire is going to go away until I fulfill it. It is only a matter of when.

Gun Laws Don't Work

2009-10-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Gun laws for the most part do not work. It is tragic that so many people are killed every year by guns but passing more and more laws to outlaw guns is not going to change that. The sad truth is that the criminals committing these heinous crimes will get their hands on a gun no matter what. Do you really think the majority of criminals are walking into a gun store and going through the due process in the first place? Did you know you can go to gun shows and pay cash for an unregistered gun from a private party and with no paper work? When I was in high school there were several opportunities where I could have purchased a "dirty" gun. A few of my buddies at one point had an illegal gun. Illegal guns are much much easier to get a hold of then legal ones. Barring going back in time and preventing the invention of the firearms there is no way to rid the world of crime involving guns. Even if you could exterminate guns the criminals would find other tools to carry out their devious acts. The first murder in the history of man was committed by Cain and most likely carried out with a rock or his bare hands. While guns certainly make it easier and less personal to take the life of another it is human nature that is really to blame for the murder of the innocent. All gun laws do is make it harder for honest law abiding citizens to purchase guns.

My Tattoo

2009-10-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Someone was asking about my tattoo so here goes. As you can see it is a cross with symbolic American flags behind. It is actually two separate pieces done probably close to two years apart and by two different artists.

The first part was obviously the cross. Inside the cross is "Psalms 19:14" which reads "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your site, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." This is a special verse to me because it was given to me by my great grandmother who is now almost 100 years old. One day when she was visiting she handed me a piece of paper with this verse on it and the title of "Our Verse". When I finally decided to get a tattoo I put some thought into it and wanted to be sure it would be something that I would be OK with fifty years from now. I figured this was about as good as it could get. I hoped that I would always have my faith and figured if I ever lost my faith maybe this could serve as a reminder and rekindle my faith.

The flags I added at a later time and again I wanted to be sure it would be something I would be OK with for the rest of my life. I love this country, although it has it's problems and figured why not display my patriotism. From here it can have, and for me does have multiple meanings. The fact that the ends of the flags are tattered and torn symbolize first that our flag is still flying even after all it has been through. Kind of on the same line of thinking but a slightly different take, the tears symbolize that our country is falling apart and has seen better days. It can be mended though, and I hope that it will be. Regardless I wear the colors proudly. That about sums it up. Hope I have answered any questions anyone might have about my tattoo.

Tom's Shoes

2009-10-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

I just received my first pair of Tom's shoes, and I am very happy with them. I wasn't sure how I would feel once I saw them in person but I am nothing but pleased. I got the burlap ones due partly to the fact that I have lots of brown and other earthy colored clothing. Also I like the natural material, which I believe is the way they make all of their shoes. They are a bit of a hippie corporation which is right up my ally. I think this is such a good cause too. For every pair that is purchased the corporation gives a pair to a child in need. Straight up, one for one. I am definitely going to be buying some more in the future! If anyone is interested in purchasing a pair you can use the promo code "ShareTOMS" and get five dollars off of your purchase. Go to Tom's Shoes and take a look at the many styles they have to offer. I hope that some people will take advantage of this!

Number One Sponsor

2009-10-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hey hey I am the number one sponsor on Island2012. When Casey decided to abandon the banner "million dollar home page" idea and went back to the 1-100 sponsor bracket I figured... what the heck it is only a dollar a month. That is what, 1,200 dollars in a lifetime; a very long lifetime at that. Realistically my dollar a month is going to do virtually nothing to help buy an island, but hey, I will still have rights to it if it really does materialize. Besides all of that I am inevitably connected to the community through comments on the blog and the fact that I actually know Casey in real life. So I pay a minuscule "sponsorship" fee, and I get some extra traffic on my personal blog (which I actually didn't even really think about until I saw my link up on Island2012). Now I just have to get motivated to once again post on a semi regular basis.