LoTo Mojo

Honorable Mention Overlook

2012-01-30T16:10:00.000-06:00

Here are 3 more bands that should have gone in my honorable mention. I've never seen any of them live so I glossed over them in my initial estimations, but they are terrific bands who will stand the test of time:

Arcade Fire
LCD Soundsystem
Radiohead

Best Bands of All Time - #1 Guided By Voices

2012-01-29T19:49:00.000-06:00

#1 - Guided By Voices

The decision between #1 and #2 came down to longevity and live show. Guided By Voices has been kicking ass since the late '80s and are still going strong today, currently touring with the "classic" lineup from the mid '90s. Essentially, GBV is Robert Pollard and His Band of Fools, a rotating collection of rockers out of Dayton, Ohio.

The Club is Open

Charismatic frontman Pollard is a semi-famously former school teach who is among the most prolific songwriters of all time. His stream of consciousness lyrics paired with the brilliant rock guitar shreddings of Mitch Mitchell and Doug Gillard carved out a unique niche of songwriting unequaled for both the unfinished feeling brevity of some songs and the entrancing rock hooks of others.

As an example, here's a recent version of grey-haired Pollard rocking harder than almost every popular or semi-popular twentysomething band of today:

I actually think its quite sad that today's youth aren't inspired by current events to pen the kind of anthems that my distraught generation came up with. But that rant is for another post.

From 1992-1997 GBV put out 7 albums, at least 5 of them brilliant. The albums stood out because they'd contain 20-30 songs, many clocking in at under 2 minutes (or even under 1 minute). These short songs lent a terrific textural quality to the album that made it so much more than just a collection 10 pop songs (and that's important to someone like me who believes an album should be considered a piece of art like a painting, sculpture or novel).

Pollard wears his Who influence on his sleeve and oftentimes channels Roger Daltrey when on stage, what with the microphone windmilling and high kicks. The live shows are Springsteen-like in their energy and duration and I have found them well worth traveling for.

Unique songwriting, many amazing albums, kickass live show, longevity. These are the things of which Greatest Bands of All Time are made.

The Deets

Best lyric: I never asked for the truth / but you owe that to me "Game of Pricks" from Alien Lanes

Best lyrics (entire song): Disarm the settlers / the new drunk drivers / have hoisted the flag / we are with you in your anger / proud brothers / we do not fret / the bus will get you there yet / to carry us to the lake / the club is open "A Salty Salute" from Alien Lanes
If you had to buy just one album: Alien Lanes (though you couldn't go wrong with Bee Thousand or Mag Earwhig, either)
If you could buy just one song from iTunes: "Exit Flagger" off of Propeller.

Best Bands of All Time - #2 Uncle Tupelo

2012-01-23T15:39:00.000-06:00

#2 - Uncle Tupelo

Uncle Tupelo was the first of these great bands that I really got into on the ground floor, just after their first album No Depression was released. I have a pretty vivid (though potentially wholly inaccurate) memory of Mikko bringing his vinyl copy over to my parents house one summer during college. I remember replaying the track "Whiskey Bottle" a few times on my bedroom turntable.

I think we'd already been introduced to the burgeoning alt-country scene via local college faves The Jayhawks and The Gear Daddies, but Uncle Tupelo took it to another level. The title track on their first record was a cover of an old Carter Family standard and they were the kind of band that best bridged that gap from 1930s Americana to 1990s indie rock.

Perhaps the most memorable Uncle Tupelo show I attended was July 25, 1992 at the Mower County Fairgrounds in Austin, MN. Also on that bill were Run Westy Run, The Jayhawks, The Gear Daddies and maybe Soul Asylum. It was a who's who of my favorite bands at the time, so the rain and mud didn't deter from my enjoyment of the show.

Here's a sample of some Uncle Tupelo where you can get a sense of their roots as well as their rock influences -- "The Long Cut" from their 4th and final album Anodyne, with Jeff Tweedy on vocals:

Uncle Tupelo had two terrific songwriters in Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, and their breakup after only 4 albums was due mostly to the personality conflict between the two. Of course the good thing of only making 4 records is that they are all brilliant, not a weak spot to be found. They haven't reunited and both went on to form successful bands on their own -- Son Volt and Wilco, respectively. Son Volt's Trace is timeless and is still one of my favorite albums of all time.

Here's "Whiskey Bottle" the song I was drawn to right away. It's off of their first album, No Depression, and features Jay Farrar on vocals singing one of my favorite lyrics of all time:

I can't forget the sound / cuz it's here to stay / the sound of people chasing money / and money getting away

Their lyrics are awfully mature for a couple guys in their low 20s.

If Uncle Tupelo never gets back together, I think it'll be for the best. Their legend remains untarnished and I'd love to see it stay that way.

The Deets
If you could buy just one album: Start with their first one, No Depression, but get 'em all, there's only 4 of 'em.
Album that I listen to the most 15 years later: March 16-20, 1992.
Best lyric: "I can't forget the sound / cuz it's here to stay / the sound of people chasing money / and money getting away" from "Whiskey Bottle"
Best song that rocks to buy right now on iTunes: "Chickamauga" off of Anodyne
Best country song to buy right now on iTunes: "Moonshiner" off of March 16-20, 1992.

Best Bands of All Time - #3 Arcwelder

2012-01-19T21:10:00.002-06:00

#3 - Arcwelder

Ahh, Arcwelder! A melodic, bombastic, wall of sound.

I think I first saw Arcwelder opening up for Soul Asylum in about 1991 at First Ave. and they've consistently been a favorite of mine ever since. I say "consistently" because they're still playing a couple shows a year and I just saw them over Christmas at the Turf Club in St. Paul.

Arcwelder was always the band that I wanted to become because they managed their terrific rock band while still holding down normal jobs. When I started playing in a band at age 29 I had a good job and wasn't prepared to sacrifice everything for the incessant touring required to make it professionally. Brothers Bill and Rob Graber (lead and bass guitar) always had a decent career and were still able to create phenomenal rock music, whilst only touring occasionally.

Here's an example, the instrumental "Cranberry Sauce":

Arcwelder grew up in that time before ubiquitous movie cameras and simple film software. Their early lo-fi videos are definitely of that time when indie rock bands had low budgets and homemade videos. This is "All Mixed Together" off of their 4th album, Xerxes:

A couple years ago a buddy and I flew from Minneapolis to Portland just to see Arcwelder. They're that kind of band that those now rare shows are essential.

The Deets
If you could buy just one album: Pull
Best lyric: Sing a little pop song / and everybody loves you (from "Remember to Forget")
Best iTunes track featuring singing drummer Scott Macdonald to sample: "What Did You Call It That For"
Best quote from 1990 press release announcing changing of band's name from "tiltawhirl": "It is the chance of the public associating 'tiltawhirl', the band, with 'Tilt-a-Whirl', the ride, that Sellner wishes to avoid. That is why the band's suggestions for new names such as 'Tilt', 'Tilted World', and 'Tiltagirl' were nixed by Sellner".

Long live Arcwelder!

Best Bands of All Time - #4 Run Westy Run

2012-01-06T22:36:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in the previous post, this is going to be a Top Four list because no one other act really stands out for me as much as these.

#4 - Run Westy Run

I first got introduced to the Westies through my college roommate, Mikko. It was junior year of college ('90-'91) and Mikko had picked up a copy of Green Cat Island, the only RWR release still available aside from eBay and used record bins. I think Mikko saw them open up for Soul Asylum and that album (on compact disc!) was played regularly at high volume in our dorm room, much to the chagrin of roommate Kevin. I probably didn't entirely get it at first, either, but boy did it grow on me.

In the early '90s Soul Asylum ruled the roost in Minneapolis and the Westies were every bit their live show equal, if not superior. Alas, this type of guitar rock seems to be on hiatus.

Here's an example of their live show, this clip from First Ave. in Mpls. circa 1990:

Starlight

Goddamn. I'm not sure what words I can add to that video. Here's a Rule of Rock: if your singer isn't going to play a guitar, he better have some serious moves. Kirk Johnson was one of the best.

Mikko and I went and saw them as many times as possible until their demise around 1996. They'd graduated from the 7th St. Entry by the time I got into them, but I saw them a number of times at First Ave, The Uptown and maybe the 400 Bar, plus a few outdoor festival shows. As I sit here and listen to their albums while writing this, I'm asking myself why they aren't #1 on the list. And they could be. These top four are pretty interchangeable in order. Scouring the available YouTube videos transports me back to those days of flannel when Block E downtown Mpls was a parking lot where we'd leave our coats in the car and walk across the street in frigid winter temps to see the rock shows.

Alas, the Westies only put out three formal albums, one EP and a few singles. They were a little into the drugs at the time and that shortened the band's career. I'm fortunate enough to have the albums on vinyl and they're not easy to find in any other medium. The first two albums, Hardly Not Even (1986) and Run Westy Run (1988) and the EP Cockroach Park (1992) aren't even available for download.

Guitarist Kraig Johnson went on to play with Golden Smog and the Jayhawks, and some of the guys re-formed a few years later as the groovy, funky Iffy, a fantastic band in their own right.

The Deets
If you could only buy just one album: Cockroach Park
Best iTunes track to sample: "Johnny John"
Best lyric: And if I could have it / any way I'd surely take it / the bad guy way (from "Bad Guys" off of Run Westy Run)
Best song nobody knows: "Marcel" off the Squealer Presents...Shuffle This compilation. 88 seconds of absolute beauty.
Best quote about them from press kit accompanying Cockroach Park vinyl: "some sort of sick psycho-killer machine fueled by hard rock fast times and a smoke screen of stories where fact is inseparable from rumor" -- CREEM, September 1988

Here's to hoping there's a reunion somewhere down the line. I'd do whatever it takes to be there.

Favorite Bands of All Time - Honorable Mention

2012-01-06T19:58:00.002-06:00

A few years ago I documented on here my Top 5 Albums of all time and now I'm going to do the same with bands (or musical acts, let's say, as I'm not discriminating against solo performers). What does it mean to be a favorite of all time? What does it take to stretch into the upper echelon of LoToMojo's admiration?

First, it needs to be a band that I was able to experience during their heyday, both live and on record. I could say the Ramones or Husker Du were my favorite band of all time, but I never saw them live and wasn't able to experience the true magic of their existence in their times. Each of the top bands I've identified I have seen live at least several times at different venues (mostly intimate, small rock clubs). We gain a far greater appreciation when we can relate to an artist in the context of their times, as well as when they prove they have staying power by producing music that also transcends their times.

So second is staying power. For 20 years I've been diligently digging and digging to find good music, for quality music is not delivered through commercial radio (they care about making money, not supporting quality artists). I'm not interested in flashes in the pan or bands who put out only one great album or a couple hit songs. The bands I've selected were both cutting edge in their time and carried a lasting artistry.

Third, they had to bring the rock and deliver those moments of pure listening elation, both live and on record. One thing all my top bands have in common is that I was introduced to them in my 20s, a time when I was most impressionable to music and art. They hit me where it counts, and because they have staying power they still elicit those same feelings in me. I recently realized that the combination of a little alcohol and some great music brings me some of my greatest joys. It just takes me to another level emotionally that I rarely reach.

Honorable Mention
The phenomenal bands that didn't quite make the cut

Alejandro Escovedo - brilliant musician but I've only seen him a couple times (including a Top 5 show of all time, that for another post) and his albums aren't quite as consistently deep as I'd like.
Buffalo Tom - kickass indie rock band, but I think I was a couple years behind the curve on them and I only saw them live once.
Calexico - very close to making the cut, but I've only seen them live once and that was at an outdoor festival so it doesn't really count. Still need to travel to Tucson and see them in their element.
Cows - groundbreaking noise rock band with amazing live show, but I don't really listen to their albums much anymore.
Golden Smog - Mpls supergroup that provided many phenomenal live moments, but it's not really a serious effort so hard to bestow the golden ring upon them.
Husker Du - extremely influential band but I never saw 'em live. I wasn't hip enough in high school.
Johnny Cash - saw him live once and he's obviously a legend, but fails in the "fitting into my era" rule.
Joy Division - I came to Joy Division very late when my band was asked to play a tribute show. I gained an appreciation for their genius but they'd broken up before I knew they existed.
Neil Young - perhaps my #1 guitar hero of all time (another post) and a man with unequaled staying power.
Old 97s - they turned too poppy for me but their early alt-country stuff is still terrific.
Pavement - I was a little behind the curve and missed their sweet spot, though they hold up very well over the years.
The Replacements - again, I wasn't hip enough in high school to get into the local legends.
Soul Asylum - if I was a few years older or cooler in high school they'd have made the cut. But let's quit all this dwelling on dorky high school LoToMojo.
Superchunk - the very definition of "indie rock".
Supersuckers - a little too schticky, but I've now seen them live in 6 different cities (and not because I was following them, but because they're always on the road) and they're the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band.
The Pogues - brilliant Celtic punk, but I think the only time I saw them live it may have been Shane MacGowan and the Popes.
Whiskeytown - great, early alt-country act and another candidate for Top 5 show of all time
Wilco - I pretty much gave up on seeing them live after they graduated from 1st Ave to theaters, but they continue to crank out great songs, if not consistently deep albums.
Yo La Tengo - hey Tad: remember that awesome late night down-and-back road trip to see Yo La in Ames?

That's it for the honorable mention.

Next postings to count down the best of the best and, as you'll see, there are actually 4 that distinguish themselves by standing out from the rest. The fifth never clearly emerged from the above list so that's why at one time or another you could have heard me say any of the above bands were "a top 5 band of all time".

Albums of the Year 2011

2011-12-30T11:00:00.003-06:00

As most years, 2011 was a great year for new music if you know where to look. For me it was a year in which I discovered more new music than I had in previous years, as I kept expanding my horizon beyond my indie guitar rock roots. Below is a list of my top 5 favorite albums that were released in 2011.

Best Albums of 2011

1. Wild Flag Wild Flag - Carrie Brownstein had a helluva 2011 with her new rock band and the popularity of her TV show Portlandia. After too many years of female vocalists trying to channel 1920s jazz singers, it's great to hear a group of women who want to rock. Of course they come from the prior generation of music, but nowadays rock musicians don't need to burn out by 30 to prove themselves. Thank God for that.

2. The Roots Undun - You may know them as the house band on Jimmy Fallon's TV show, but they've been around for almost 20 years and are kickin' out the jams better than ever. This is the way albums are supposed to be made, a true piece of art that also includes a bunch of kickass tunes.

3. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi Rome - A modern day spaghetti western soundtrack featuring vocalists Norah Jones and Jack White in the best work they've ever done. Great for road trips across the American West or for a mellow evening on the couch (not that I'd know anything about either of those).

4. Glenn Campbell Ghost on the Canvas - With a little help from Paul Westerberg and Bob Pollard on songwriting duties, Glenn Campbell records what feels like his farewell album. It's a beautiful, sad chronicle that makes one reflect on all the great music from the his era.

5. The Antlers Burst Apart - This is the one album on my list that best typifies the quality music being made in 2011 -- lush, beautiful, dense with falsetto vocals, keyboards and only a light touch of drums and guitar. It's what the kids are into and I appreciate it in doses. Here's a sample...

Honorable Mention

Broken Systems: Exhibit A

2011-12-16T23:10:00.000-06:00

I'm seeing these signs next to road construction all over the great state of Montana:

The ratio of the 3 levels of government contributing is always basically the same:

90% paid by the federal government
10% paid by the state
0% paid "locally"

Of course, it really makes one think about the definition of "local". For if the federal government is paying for 90% of the project, that means that this particular piece of road construction is being paid for by people from outside the state of Montana, people from Alabama, Texas, California, New Jersey, et al.

This sounds awesome if you're an 8-year old.

But for those of us who completed grade school, we are left wondering who is paying for the similar 90% of road construction costs in Alabama, Texas, California and New Jersey. Surely it isn't us!

As I reflect back on my life in Minnesota, I can't help but remember the absolutely horrible condition of many of the roads in the Twin Cities. Highly traveled asphalt roads in the northern climes face extra challenges due to the extreme temperatures and freezing of water in cracks, the expansion of which exaggerates weaknesses and forms potholes. Quickly. In particular, the 5th street off-ramp from I-94 westbound in Mpls looks like Dresden circa 1945, and has for 2+ years. Despite the fact that it saw massive traffic every day there just weren't the funds to repair it. (See Strong Towns if you're interested in more elegant detail of how we're building our cities and why cities are going broke).

So who is really paying for the maintenance to our infrastructure? The feds? But wait a minute...aren't "the feds" simply American citizens just like me (but who don't live in my city/state) who are clearly charging me for the exact same things in their cities?

And why does our system work in such a way that we use "other people's money" to pay for our infrastructure? There's no way 90% of the people traveling on the above photographed road live and pay taxes outside the state of Montana.

For more perspective, read this Strong Towns story about the financial dealings of the newly proposed Stillwater bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Bike Hack - Wine Bottle Water Bottle

2011-12-09T19:22:00.000-06:00

There's been so much talk recently about the long-term side effects of plastics that every cyclist is looking for a better water bottle. Metal bottles are becoming popular, but many of them are lined with dangerous BPA and they cost $20 +$5 for the suckable lid adapter. So what's a healthy, thrifty cyclist to do?

It turns out that bottles of all sorts are actually already quite prevalent in our society, and that we don't necessarily need a unique bottle design for every different type of liquid we consume.

Glass recycling is limited in Bozeman -- you actually have to take bottles inside the local Target store where they collect and recycle them. With bottles piling up in my kitchen, I realized that perhaps there was an alternate use for them. After all, "reduce" and "reuse" come before "recycle", right?

I'll share with you my secrets of...

How To Make A Bicycle-Ready Water Bottle From A Wine Bottle

What you'll need:

* bottle of wine

* corkscrew

* receptacle in which to place the wine

* fingernails

* water

First, buy a cheap bottle of wine. This one cost me $3.99 at the co-op.

Next, we need to empty the wine from the bottle so it can be replaced with water. Take the corkscrew and remove the cork from the bottle. I choose to pour the wine into a wine glass and drink it, but you can do with it whatever you please.

It'll actually take 3-4 glasses of wine to empty your bottle. Invite a friend, if you like, but sometimes I just like to keep it all to myself.

When the bottle is empty, rinse it out and remove the label. To do this, run warm (not too hot!) water over the outside of the bottle and use your fingernails to scrape off the label as if you were scraping them on a chalkboard.

Now you have an empty bottle, into which can be placed virtually any liquid, including water! How exciting!

Fill the bottle with water.

Finally, insert the full bottle into your water bottle holder. Notice how the neck extension naturally prevents spillage.

Voila! Enjoy your new BPA-free water bottle and watch the ladies' heads turn when you ride by in style.

Welcome, Winter

2011-12-05T22:11:00.001-06:00

Winter has come to Bozeman (in the MT) so I decided it was time to seasonally update the blog background and title image. Whaddya think? Alas, I don't have a lot of great BZN winter images yet, so I'll have to get on top of that.

These ones are from a few weeks ago, though. I've been doing lots of winter bike riding and really liking it. Riding on the snow, especially at night, is so quiet and peaceful. I put studded tires on the bike and have been testing them out in different conditions, still not exactly sure how much to trust them. The helmet goes on my head 100% of rides in these conditions (I'd gotten away from using it during casual summertime rides around town). And a balaclava underneath is a must to keep the windchill out.

I love the sound of snow, too -- that quiet squeak when you roll over it. The balaclava also covers my ears so it slightly muffles the sound, adding to the mellow pleasure of the experience.

This pic is from a ride around town about a month ago after our first snow...

These next 3 are from a trip to a nature preserve near Great Falls 2 weeks ago. I had the place to myself, riding along the 7-mile snow covered gravel road loop. I'd never seen a group (flock?) of 15+ pheasants at one time until that day.

Just me and the critters...rollin'.

Self-portrait.

A Bicycle Reborn

2011-09-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of fun recently (and learned a thing or two) re-painting my Gary Fisher Mendota commuter bike. It was a pretty decent looking bike, grey in color and understated. But the graphics on it were kind of ugly and I've never been a fan of displaying logos. Plus, I'm curious about what it takes to paint a bike and if it was something I could handle or not.

BEFORE

First step was to take it all apart. This was a little daunting because I knew that it meant I'd have to put it all back together, too. I've done a fair amount of maintenance on this bike, but that was mostly making adjustments to the brakes and derailleurs. I'd never replaced cables or removed the crankset. Dismantling went smoothly, though I did need help from the Bozeman Bike Kitchen because I did not have all the necessary tools. There's a special tool for virtually everything, ya know.

Once it was taken all apart, the next step is to sand down the frame to remove all the paint, right down to the bare aluminum frame. In this photo, you can see where I'd been sanding off the paint to get it down to the aluminum.

To sand it I purchased some metal brush-like attachments for my drill so I didn't have to use sandpaper and do it by hand. It still took a little while, though.

Completely sanded and ready for primer

After sanding it's time for primer. I hung the frame up in the garage and taped as necessary. Here it is with primer applied.

Those old moving boxes that have been sitting in my garage for 3 months came in handy as a spray barrier.

I applied about 4 thin coats of primer, each 20 minutes apart, and then let it sit 24 hours before painting. The next day I repeated with white spray paint -- 4 or 5 thin coats.

It wasn't until I figured out a design that I liked for the frame that I took this plunge into painting. If I was going to paint it myself then I had to put a little of my personality into it. I am a simple man and would want my bicycle to reflect that. In fact, I really really hate now new bikes have such fancy paint jobs on them -- they really turn me off, trying to look all sleek and special. So I decided to keep it simple with what I consider a bit of an anti-logo: Bicycle.

So I messed around on Powerpoint, found a good font, Rockford, and took it to Kinko's to print out in navy blue on clear sticker paper. I'd thought about making a stencil and spray painting on the design text, but figured I'd probably struggle with drips and would have trouble getting the letters to look crisp. So I opted for the sticker route.

I think I maybe should have used a hairdryer or flambé blowtorch on the sticker after application to remove any air bubbles from underneath it, but didn't think of that until I'd already applied the first layer of clear coat finish. Next time maybe I'll give that a shot because if you look closely you can see the outline of the clear sticker paper on the frame. Not a big deal, but something I could maybe do better next time.

After painting I let it sit one full week to allow the paint and clear coat to fully set up before putting it back onto the rack to be reassembled.

Reassembly went better than I thought it would. I made another trip to the Bike Kitchen for tools to put the chain back together, and had to make a couple trips to the local bike shop for some parts that somehow disappeared since disassembly.

But look at her comin' together...

Ta daaaaa...!

AFTER

Note that I also removed the rear rack for panniers and added a fender in its place. The fenders are needed for wet travel because that rack, despite what it looks like, provided no protection from water splattering on my back during wet rides. Since this is my daily commuter bike for going to the grocery store (co-op), the library, and general errand running, I need wet weather protection. But I also need a place to carry groceries and library books.

So that's where I turned to Trash Bags to make me a custom designed messenger bag.

Now I've got a newly painted bike with fenders (still need to add on front) and a way to carry stuff. Looks like I'm set.

SoDak, NoDak

2011-09-01T22:18:00.004-05:00

My buddy Jay got married last weekend at Custer State Park in South Dakota. It was a beautiful place for an outdoor wedding and a fun excuse for a roadtrip into the Dakotas. I'd been thinking about exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota for years so this was just the right opportunity.

Friday morning I left Bozeman and stopped at Little Bighorn National Monument, which is just off of I-90 in southeast Montana.

That was a sobering visit.

It is the famous site of Custer's Last Stand, where General Custer was overrun by a vastly superior number of Indians led by Sitting Bull. When I drove from St. Paul to Bozeman a couple months ago, multiple people of my parents generation asked me if I'd been to Little Bighorn or was planning on it. To children of the '50s and '60s, I think this was a touchstone historical event that they learned about through Western TV shows, cowboys & Indians, and action figures. I recall an older cousin of mine had a General Custer doll/action figure.

This first picture shows white markers where a couple American soldiers fell while trying to defend the hill in the background that has the larger memorial on it.

But what really got me was this -- the marker of a Cheyenne who died "while defending the Cheyenne way of life". I got a little teary-eyed, I must say.

The Indians had won and may have thought they still had a chance. Later on I'd read on another memorial quotes from the likes of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse 30 years later. The quotes said, effectively, that even though the Indians had lost the war, that at least now they were friends with the American government. This really struck me as sad, because I don't believe that the American government has ever shown friendship to the Native Americans. 120 years later it sure doesn't look like the American government had anyone's interest in mind other than the advancement of their own agenda.

So then it was slightly uplifting, at least, to go to the Crazy Horse Memorial on Saturday.

I last visited this site in about 1982 on the classic Midwest family road trip to the Black Hills. At that time I remember being awed by the vision and determination of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski who, at that time, had already removed something like 100 times as much rock as was removed to create Mount Rushmore (he started in 1948). Today you can see Crazy Horse's face in the mountain, but in 1982 all you could see was that hold underneath his arm. I spent $10 of my own lawn mowing money to purchase a small plaster replica of the monument and remember being proud to support such an endeavor.

Ziolkowski's family is doing this work entirely on their own and twice has turned down $10 million from the U.S. government. So the $10 kicked in by little kids really does matter.

Mount Rushmore still looks the same as 1982. Mike, George, Sandy and I went there on Sunday and though the park is small (I was hoping for some legitimate hiking), it is nicely put together and an enjoyable 0.6 mile walk gets you fairly close to the base where this photo was taken.

Jay & Bridgette's wedding was a lot of fun on Sunday evening, but I wasn't snapping photos. I really enjoyed it because they didn't do everything exactly by the book like people do when they get married in their 20s. It was a relaxed affair in a gorgeous setting with friend Dan presiding and no rehearsal or walk through prior to the ceremony. A bunch of old college friends were there and it's always fun to see the Dales, Holstines & Brandts.

Monday I drove up to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. I'd always been intrigued about this park since first hearing about it around 10 years ago. A national park in ND!? Who knew?

There aren't any bad national parks and this one gets relatively low traffic. It features a combination of badlands and grasslands elements, with bison and prairie dogs the most common wildlife.

I brought my mountain bike along and took these shots behind bars on the Buffalo Gap trail which is within the National Grasslands just outside of TRNP. It was a fantastic bike ride on singletrack through rolling hills on a windy trail.

Parts of it were a little hairier than others...

And at times there were some ornery customers blocking my path. Here the trail actually fords this little stream and continues up the hill on the other side of those fierce looking guardians.

After a long standoff and a punishing battle, they turned out to be no match for my mad kung-fu skillz and I survived to bring you this tale. Thanks for reading.

I Pick Huckleberries

2011-08-21T18:40:00.002-05:00

A question that I hear from people in most conversations when I tell them I recently moved to Bozeman is: "What do you do there?" or "What are you doing?".

I know what they're getting at. They want to know what I'm doing for work. But I hate that phrasing of the question because it's supporting that American cultural norm of being defined by one's career. I am a Systems Analyst or I am a Marketing Manager. I don't particularly care for that use of language so I like to mess with 'em a bit.

So when people ask me "What do you do in Bozeman?" I always respond by saying "Hiking, biking, enjoying the mountains. I can't wait for ski season." It's my way of trying to expand their horizons.

Saturday morning I went out on a hike picking huckleberries. Huckleberries are the popular local berry around here and one I'd never interacted with. They look like small blueberries but are more tart.

So the next time someone asks me what I do I'll be able to respond: "I pick huckleberries".

Recycle Cycle

2011-08-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Bozeman does not have curbside recycling pickup and its a little sad for me to see how reliant I'd become on that convenience. There's no glass recycling to speak of (though I think there is a place you can take it where it'll be hauled to a different county or something) and everything else needs to be completely separated -- plastics from cans and paper from cardboard.

There are two levels to this inconvenience. First, I now need a whole bunch of separate bins at home where I've gotten used to only having two. Second, I need to transport these items myself to one of the several recycling centers around town, mostly located in the parking lots of big box stores.

Today I made my first recycling run. Since I've cut back on soda in the past year I've been drinking lots of La Croix sparkling water in cans -- two or three per day. So I had 6 weeks of crushed cans to recycle and, as you may know, I'm not a fan of driving my car. That means that I'd take the cans by bike.

Fortunately I recently purchased a kickass handmade messenger bag from Andy at Trash Messenger Bags and it was up to the task. First I crushed all the cans down small so I could fit 'em all in the bag. Here's a picture of my bike and my custom designed Trash messenger bag filled with recyclables.

And here's the same photo but with the can bag out of the messenger bag. The messenger bag has a great volume.

I only had to bike about a mile to get to the recycling bins, so that's not too bad. The bigger challenge for me is that I need to set up more recycling receptacles in my house. I don't exactly have a convenient space for them so these multiple inconveniences are causing me some delay in getting a new system setup. But I'm making progress and should get it all together soon enough.

This massive pile of cardboard boxes left over from my move might require more than a bicycle, however. Or at least I'll have to borrow a trailer.

My Career (Chutes &) Ladder

2011-08-04T19:16:00.002-05:00

Sometimes your life leads you down a path that you didn't entirely plan, but that, in retrospect, was leading you to the place you wanted to be all along. This is a story about a career path not towards more money and more prestige, but toward more freedom.

When I graduated from college, like many young bucks I wanted to climb some corporate ladder and make a name for myself in the business world. Work downtown in a skyscraper. Carry a briefcase. Make a lot of money. Own a cabin and a boat. Because that's what the generations before us wanted, right? That's what we were brought up to believe was "success".

Times were tough after college so I was happy to get a job at Lutheran Brotherhood, due, in part, to a friendly family connection with the Chairman of the Board. I made $18,000 and immediately bought a new car for $12,000 because that's what rising young businessmen did. The new car is often the first big status symbol Americans purchase to let their friends and family know that they're making it. I worked my tail off those first 3 years, getting promoted up 3 more rungs and displaying my talents for all to see.

But then something changed. I was 26.

Truthfully, what I remember most about the shift in my focus are two things. The first is this John Denver lyric from "Rocky Mountain High":

He was born in the summer of his 27th year

coming home to a place he'd never been before

I used to come home from work and play that record on the turntable with my roommate Steve and we'd talk about how we should just up and move to the mountains and ski. The foundation had been set by my mom and aunt & uncle who all nourished the skier in me, and it would soon be the summer of my 27th year. Yet here I was, sitting in tan-colored cubicles in some office building downtown Minneapolis.

The second thing I vividly recall is the picture of the obese women in the Claims Department who did the same job day after day, year after year, sitting in their lifeless cubicles and never experiencing the full wonders of the world. The vision still makes me shiver.

So I moved to Utah with buddy Steve and skied my heart out for two years. And when I had had enough, I found myself back in Minneapolis working for the same company, which was terrific. I got a nice signing bonus because it was 1998 and I had a math degree. Remember 1998 and Y2K hysteria? It paid to be thought of as someone who might be able to learn how to program computers to try to fend off the pending doom.

I spent 5 or 6 years programming computers and then was struck by the realization that the daily tasks of all the IT leadership I saw really turned me off. If I was going to keep climbing the corporate ladder I'd need to do it in a different part of the organization. So for the first time in my career I made a thoughtful and strategic lateral move to a job that would let me work with management from all over the company. This would give me a better chance to really understand the organization and find a place where I felt I would fit.

After 2 years in the audit shop I'd worked with enough V.P.s to know that I did not want to become one of them. We were simply cut from a different cloth and though I respect them I knew I had no interest in doing their job.

Strategic move #2: An opportunity opened up in a cool new department that was on the cutting edge, trying to develop new social businesses to make life better financially for the mass market of average Americans out there. I took a pay grade cut for this move, but it was getting closer to the sort of job that I now knew was best for me. The V.P. of this area was really open-minded and much more flexible on corporate structure than other places I'd worked.

I've been working in that area for that V.P. for about 5 years now and the tone that he sets in the workplace helped me be able to move to Bozeman and continue my same job.

My career path has not been one of moving up, but of moving out. I don't make as much money or wield as much power as I could if I had kept moving up, but I'm in a position of relatively low stress and I'm experiencing a new part of the world at the same time.

It's a different way to think of a career ladder. What's at the top of yours?

There Are No Words

2011-08-02T18:07:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to a lot of instrumental music lately. Perhaps its a new habit reflecting the fact that I'm working from home and lyrics tend to distract me a bit. But even before that I discovered a couple newish instrumental acts that I've been enjoying for some months now. Have any good instrumental recommendations to share?

Maserati - "Pyramid of the Sun" came out late in 2010 and I must've heard about it through a critic's Best of 2010 list. Electronic-y, but with galloping beats that make for better driving music than dance music.
Fuck Buttons - It's a horrible band name, but this was a big step for me into dancey, electronic mash music. And I like it a lot. I've been listening to the album "Tarot Sport".
The Alps -A little more mellow and neither danceable nor driving, but beautiful music nonetheless.
Glenn Kotche - The Wilco drummer is quite the talented percussionist. I don't normally go for pure percussion, but his album "Mobile" pushes the boundaries quite a bit and gets pretty creative.
Explosions in the Sky - These guys are a guitar rock band who make brilliant soundscape rock songs that sound as their name suggests (as long as you include the beginning of the explosion and also that lingering effect). The album I have is "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place".

Behind Bars in Montana

2011-07-25T18:31:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was spent exploring the 2 closest scenic Montana drives in a scenic byways book I recently bought. I brought my bicycle along to further explore and I'm officially in love with the Montana landscape.

There's something that just puts a smile on my face being out in the vast open spaces of this land. The green and yellow and gold colors of the grasses are ever changing and fairly new to me, so that helps make it fresh and exciting. There's virtually no automobile (read: pick-'em-up truck) traffic so its terrific for biking.

Saturday I drove less than an hour west of Bozeman and drove a 110-mile loop along the Madison River (some of the world's best fly fishing) and the Tobacco Root mountains. This picture is on the 6-mile spur road from Harrison, MT to Pony, MT after an early lunch at a little diner that was just what you'd hope for out here(note to self: they stop serving breakfast at 11). The bike ride was gradually uphill the entire way to Pony, which made for a super fun 6-mile downhill coming back.

On a short, lunch time ride last Friday just on the outskirts of Bozeman. Those are the Bridger mountains.

Sunday I drove the amazing Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge, MT down toward Yellowstone Nat'l Park (but didn't go all the way to the park). The Beartooth is one of those that's been called the most beautiful drive in America. It's full of switchbacks with dramatic views and southern tourists ogling at the still visible roadside snow pack. The bike ride I took was a hilly little number strewn with wildflowers between cattle pastures. If you expand this picture you should be able to see the cows hanging out in the grass straight ahead of me on the inside of the road's loop.

I hadn't been through Red Lodge since high school when we took a ski trip out there with the church youth group. I didn't go check out the mountain on Sunday, perhaps turned off by the overly touristy main drag through town.

But I did have a fun dirt road drive through Luther and Roscoe on the way home and ended up having a very nice filet mignon at the Grizzly Bar in Roscoe. My spontaneous detour was driven by seeing a sign for a town named Luther just down the road a piece. I had to check it out. The town turned out to be a zero, but the drive at sunset for 15 miles on dirt roads through Luther to Roscoe was amazingly beautiful, especially how the sun shimmering off the grasses causes about a hundred different shades of green and yellow beneath the backdrop of snowy mountain peaks.

It was my first weekend of exploration via car and bike. In the next couple days my new used touring bike should show up and then hopefully soon an upcoming dispatch like this will be an overnight on bicycle.

Vote 'em Out

2011-07-21T13:05:00.001-05:00

The Minnesota legislature just ended a 20-day state government shutdown by agreeing to a collection of bills that none of the participating politicians like -- and they all admit it.

The people cannot stand for this and our (er...you're) only recourse is to vote 'em out of office. All of 'em. How else will politicians get the message that it's not acceptable for them to not work together?

The problem is that, though an historically high percentage of Minnesotans may be out of work, most of the other 91% are too content with their big screen TV, their pets and their video games to get angry. It was certainly interesting to see the surprising effects of the shutdown, like beer shortages and vandalizing of state parks. But in the end, I'm not sure people care enough yet to take action.

One of the challenges of a democracy is that, to work as its supposed to, it requires the voting public to have a really good understanding of whats going on in their government. And as we know with all the political spin and personal facts out there these days, its nigh impossible for the people to achieve that. Instead we rely on politicians who have a personal conflict of interest because they're trying to get re-elected.

That's why I propose one-term limits everywhere. We can lengthen the term a bit, like maybe 6 years for a President and Governor. But you only get one term. There are plenty of qualified people to be in government so I won't buy the argument that "Strom Thurmond is doing such a fantastic job for the great state of South Carolina that nobody else could possibly replace his leadership", for instance.

/rant

Song of the Day by Built to Spill

2011-07-19T17:46:00.000-05:00

This album, There Is No Enemy, came out a couple years ago and I purchased half of it and have tended to forget about it. But every time I listen to it I end up putting those 5 songs on repeat over and over again. Built to Spill has been around since the early '90s and has a great blend of indie rock and spacey psychadelia.

Built to Spill doesn't write radio-ready hit songs, but I think they're a tough band to not appreciate.

So check out Good ol' Boredom...

I just realized it's been 2 years since I've done one of these Song of the Day posts, which makes me also realize that this blog has been going for 4 years. Crazy.

Previously (and still) recommended songs:

Dinosaur Jr. - Over It
Damien Jurado - Go First
The Beta Band - Dry the Rain
Weezer - Pork and Beans
Mission of Burma - Academy Fight Song
The Hold Steady - Slapped Actress
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (album)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - We Call Upon the Author
Pavement - Shady Lane plus more
New Pornographers - The Slow Descent into Alcoholism
Afghan Whigs - Debonair
Okkervil River - Okkervil River Song
Elf Power - Spiral Stairs
Sons and Daughters - Johnny Cash
Tom Waits - Ol' 55
Uncle Tupelo - Moonshiner
Spoon - The Underdog
Alpha Consumer - Unicorn Uniform
Replacements - I Will Dare

House Tour

2011-07-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Three weeks after picking my stuff up in St. Paul, the moving truck showed up in Bozeman on Sunday morning. The whole moving truck experience probably merits an entire blog post on its own, but lets just say that my clairvoyant (some might say pessimistic) anticipation of challenges and zen-like ability to face them made it not nearly as bad as it could have been. Moving is a stressful enough experience without being slapped with hidden costs, long (yet small print contractually legal) delays and a truck driver on the back end who insisted on playing for me his cliched solo acoustic guitar songs of despair.

The truck just unloaded yesterday morning and I'm about 90% organized, so that feels pretty good. Here's a video tour:

New Bikes

2011-07-16T17:08:00.002-05:00

From prior posts such as this one, you may recall that I'm in need of new bicycles. When I say "new", of course I mean "new to me" because I've discovered that I really don't appreciate shiny, fancy, brand new bicycles with their high-modulus aero carbon frames and flashy color schemes that may or may not match the rider's display of spandex.

Yesterday I went for a mtn bike ride on my new (to me) Rocky Mountain along the shores of lovely Bozeman Creek. Here's a picture to prove it if you don't believe me:

And here's the new (to me) touring road bike I just purchased on eBay. It's a Trek 720 circa 1982 and appears to be in fantastic shape.

The great thing about a touring bike is that you can cruise around town on it like normal and also load it up with front and rear panniers for lengthy multi-day rides. The frame dimensions are a little elongated to make it more comfortable on long rides and it's built to allow for front and rear racks. I've never done an overnight bike trip before, but am looking forward to the experience. Not sure I need to be one of those folks who bikes across the nation or anything, but I think it'd be great to take some week-long treks around the great American West.

I did a lot of research over the past few months before making this purchase. It's very important that a bike's frame is the right size and I've found that here. The frame is steel which, while not as light as aluminum, makes for a softer ride on the road and is far cheaper than newfangled carbon fiber. The frame is the most important part because the component parts can be swapped out piecemeal if they are no longer up to snuff. It's the timeless, vintage steel frame that really attracted me.

It should be here in a week and I can't wait to give it a go.

Next Chapter

2011-07-07T17:08:00.001-05:00

I've now been an official resident of Montana for less than 48 hours. The drive out went pretty smoothly, except for the massive thunderstorm just east of Moorhead that caused traffic to pull over to the side of the interstate for about 20 minutes. It was raining and blowing as hard as you ever see, dropping visibility to dangerously low levels. It also allowed me to be witness to one of the greatest and most prolonged displays of lightning I can recall. For a good 30 minutes (and while driving 30 miles westbound into a presumably eastbound storm) the sky was aflutter with constant flashes, both within the clouds and classic strikes.

On the way out I also stopped in Medora, ND, the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a park I've been fascinated by ever since I learned that North Dakota actually had a national park. Later this summer after friend Jay's wedding I hope to mountain bike the Maah Daah Hey trail for a few days near there, so I was looking into that.

My first impressions of Bozeman are every bit as good as I'd remembered -- my house is a little more spacious than I recall and the mountains are even more beautiful when not hidden by springtime clouds and rain. The local food co-op doesn't have quite the selection I was used to at Mississippi Market, but it is within walking distance so it'll be a lot easier to make frequent healthy trips for fresh food.

Here's the house I'm renting. It's a three-bedroom with a small front porch and a two-car garage.

I'll do a little video tour and post it on here, too. The only bummer about the video tour is that the moving truck with all my furniture might not show up for another week, so it's empty for now.

Yesterday I went on two great hikes, one of them being up Sypes Canyon in the Bridger mountains on the north side of town. In this picture you can make out Bozeman in the background if you know what you're looking at.

I also drove up to Bridger Bowl ski area to check it out in summertime. I think it looks pretty imposing with the huge wall of granite staring down at you. And yes, all that terrain is skiable. Ski the cold smoke, as they say.

So yesterday I became a member of the co-op and today I got my library card -- I'm feeling like a true BozeMan. I've officially turned the page on the next chapter and so far it feels pretty damn good.

Changing Channels

2011-06-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

This morning I dropped my cable box off at Comcast so I'll be cable-free my last week in St. Paul. Next week in Bozeman I've scheduled an internet hookup but decided to see if I can continue to live sans cable TV for awhile. After all, I'm moving to Montana to experience Montana, not to sit on the couch and watch TV just like I do in Minnesota.

I want this move to help spark lifestyle changes so unloading the cable TV will be the first. Being more healthy is also high on the list and I'm hoping it will be easier to eat well when I'm working from home. At the grocery store I'm pretty good about controlling my cravings, so if I have plenty of fresh fruit around for snacking then I'm hoping I won't be tempted like I am now. In my final week working downtown Mpls I will be seduced daily by the endless supply of fast food options within a 10-minute walk and the burger & fries grill in my very own building.

Hockey season is when push will come to shove regarding my television viewing. I'm hoping that nhl.com and gophersports.com have ways to watch games online, but I haven't looked into it yet. In the era of Netflix I can see pretty much whatever movies and shows I want, anyways, so cable is becoming less necessary. Plus, its ridiculously expensive.

I've never been one to make new year's resolutions, but there's definitely some of that going on with my move to Bozeman -- new surroundings, new potential, new experiences, new habits.

So the test begins now of living without cable TV. Here's to hoping that I'll fill that time in new ways and won't even notice the loss.

Farewell, Old Friends

2011-06-14T21:14:00.002-05:00

It's often been said that some purging is easier than other purging. And they're right. For instance: getting rid of that redundant set of silverware that I hadn't used in the 7 years I've lived in my current abode. That was easy.

But this is harder.

These t-shirts have been very good to me and will carry a little piece of me with them when they go (and I don't just mean underarm sweat stains).

Oh, Supersuckers. I love this silhouette shirt, but haven't worn it in years. I just don't really wear shirts with anything on them (save for a pocket) anymore. Not sure what that says about me, but it definitely says I'm not one of those Ed Hardy guys.

Bought this Nirvana shirt at the First Ave. show in 1991. Good times. Mikko will never let me forget how I didn't fully appreciate the musical genius of opening act Urge Overkill, and he's right. It's cuz they were dressed up and I have a thing against bands in costume. Great band, though, as was Nirvana obviously.

Ahh, Soul Asylum. Another kickass band from the '80s and '90s. I must say I'm more than a little sad to see how indie guitar rock has pretty much disappeared from the scene, only to be replaced by bands with too many computers or not enough bassists.

Got this one during one of my trips down to SXSW in Austin in about 2003, maybe? I dropped by the Broken Spoke just a couple months ago when I was back there for business and was quite disappointed that it was closed for the night when I showed up a hair after 11:00. But I guess that's what makes it a country roadhouse not a rock joint, which is why we love it.

My tribute to local rock scribe Chris Reimenschneider that I wore on stage a few times back in the Gone Out Gone days. I'm certain he never saw it and not sure how many people got the joke, but it pleased me, at least. I can't wear it anymore, though, since I no longer rock. Hopefully someone else will appreciate my homemade iron-on handiwork.

Farewell, old friends. May you warm the heart of another. Literally.

Thumbs Up for Rock & Roll

2011-06-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

An argument, I suppose, for having children (Via).

Bicycles Bicycles

2011-06-13T21:09:00.006-05:00

From high school through about 5 years ago I barely rode a bike at all. But my decision to do a triathlon was the impetus that sent me to a local bike shop to purchase a road bike. Unfortunately, I knew absolutely nothing about bikes.

Ater I picked myself up from the floor, writhing from the sticker shock, I just bought whatever they had on the lower price end -- a Specialized Allez Sport (and I took enough Francais to know that allez means "go", and that's what I wanted to do). I didn't really know what I wanted, but knew I didn't want one of those sleek, fancy Tour de France time trial style bikes because I could never afford the properly fashioned spandex to accompany it.

Road bike I sold

It was a good bike, but I never really felt any love for it. I took it on some beautiful, scenic road rides in WI and rails to trails rides in MN, but it just didn't have much character.

Around that same time 5 years ago I also dipped my toe into bike commuting to work. The old mountain bike I rode wasn't the most efficient transport, but it got the job done until it was stolen from right behind my place of business 3 years ago. That's when I bought the Gary Fisher Mendota for commuting, but, again, I didn't really know what I was buying.

The trusty steed -- my commuter

This is a terrific bike and has served me well, but has disc brakes, which I didn't really understand at the time. Disc brakes are mostly used on mountain bikes because normal brakes on a mtn bike will get all muddied up from the dirt & muck on the tires. Disc brakes are also renowned for their superior stopping power, which is nice in a brake. The downside of disc brakes is that they require constant maintenance. Every few days I'm adjusting one part of it or tweaking another. There are 4 or 5 different ways to tweak the fit. It's also kind of a beast, what with its oversized frame tubes, but I do like the fact that I've never seen anyone else riding one.

For the past few years I've been doing my own maintenance and getting a bit more into the bike culture, both of which have led to my knowing more about bikes and understanding better what I'm really looking for. The problem is that I now understand why people own 3 or more bikes. I feel like I need:

one mountain bike for exploring the wilds of Montana (definitely, thanks Steve),
one touring bike for loading up with front and back panniers and getting out on multi-day, overnight bike tours (pretty sure...but maybe not quite yet), and
one low maintenance simpleton for getting around town (definitely if my only other bike is mtn bike).

Neither the Gary Fisher Mendota nor the Specialized Allez Sport fit any of these needs.

So I sold the Specialized several weeks ago but don't want to unload the Gary Fisher until I have its replacement for tooling around town. Bozeman is really flat in the city limits, so I'm considering a single speed or fixed gear. The friends I have with fixies rave about them, but there's also the hipster factor which I'd need to avoid. It's a delicate balance. Ideally, I'd find a city bike like that that could be adapted for winter riding, too, meaning I could add wider tires and fenders which not every frame can accommodate.

I'm now set with a sweet mountain bike thanks to buddy Steve moving to Chicago and unloading his. Now I need to just keep my eyes out for the next right one to come along. I'm not sure if I'll have better luck finding the right used bike in Mpls (#1 biking city in the nation) or if I can pick something up in Bozeman (pretty good bike culture of its own), but I guess I'll find out.

My new (used) mtn bike

Just another of the major dilemmas in my life.

Purging

2011-06-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

It's been feeling really good to purge in preparation for the move to Bozeman. I like to think I act relatively efficiently in a lot of ways, like when carrying lots of stuff from one location to another I'll always choose to carry more and heavier stuff each trip in order to minimize the trips. And I'm a quick-tear-the-band-aid-off guy, too. So ridding myself of lots of extraneous stuff that I don't really need is like delegating responsibility to other people for things at work, lightening the load both literally and figuratively.

The other part I like about cleaning house is that I always donate the used items to Goodwill. This weekend I made two trips and I'm happy to make the dropoff myself because it delays their trip to the landfill and allows others to appreciate them at a bargain price. Goodwill has done a tremendous job of making it easy to drive-thru donate with hours seven days a week that put the public library and neighborhood bank to shame. I always have a Goodwill pile that is slowly accumulating and make regular donations once or twice a year.

Here's a partial list of the things I'll be fine without:

Keyboard, musical (early '90s vintage that I got for free somewhere)
Thin screen computer monitor (maybe 13")
Vintage suitcase
Full set of silverware
Miscellaneous pots & pans
Voice recorder
Throw pillows
Books
CDs & vinyl that Cheapo wouldn't buy
Picture frames
Jarts, the sharp original from the '70s
Christmas tree stand, skirt, lights

Billie Holiday They Are Not

2011-04-27T18:08:00.001-05:00

How come so many indie songstresses these days sound like Billie Holiday? They all have that little quiver in their voice like they're a jazz singer from 1930.

The bottom 3 are Mpls bands that seem to be fairly popular locally. Am I the only person hearing this connection? Does nobody else care? Am I daft?

Click the links to listen for yourself.

Bozeman Bound

2011-04-23T11:09:00.004-05:00

It's been 15 years since I packed up my corporate job in cubicle nation and lit out for the mountains of Utah. At the time I clearly remember thinking: "I do not want to be one of those corporate America lifers I see around the office who sit in their cubes all day and seem to be satisfied with repetition and the status quo".

The skiing in Utah was phenomenal and Alta will always have a special place in my heart, but it wasn't a well-rounded fit for me. Summers were 100 degrees every day and Salt Lake City was, to be blunt, culturally vacant. The Mpls music scene was a big part of my life then, as were MN sports teams. And there was virtually no internet so it wasn't easy to keep up with things.

So two years in Utah was enough for me and I moved back to St. Paul. Its hard to believe I've been back here for 13 years now.

Its been a good 13 years, though, filled with a good income from a good job, lots of global travel, summer weekends at the cabin with friends and 6 years playing bass in a local rock band. Good times, all.

But good isn't good enough. I don't want to live a good life. I want to live a phenomenal life filled with consistently amazing experiences. I want to deeply explore different regions, cultures and geographies. I want it all and I want it now because, really, why should we allow ourselves to settle for anything less than amazing? We only go around this crazy world once, after all.

So I'm moving to Bozeman in July. It's been a long time coming and is a decision I did not make lightly. Many cities were researched and Bozeman's rise to the top was cemented by a visit there three weeks ago. It's a town of about 35,000 people plus Montana State University. It's only 15 miles to Bridger Bowl ski area, a family-run kinda joint without expensive spas and condos that reminds me of Alta in attitude and ethos. Bozeman has a healthy bicycle community, an excellent co-op, a local brewery, and x-c skiing and mtn biking trails easily accessible from downtown.

Stock photo. Not me, but it will be.

At this stage in my life that's the lifestyle I'm looking for. I still haven't figured out exactly what I'm going to do for work, but it looks like I'll be able to transition some semblance of my current job to this remote office, which could work out great.

Stock photo. Not me, but it will be.

I'm excited for the move and have started purging superfluous belongings, which always feels good. Thanks to everyone who's helped me talk through it over the past months. Now I can only hope that there's at least one nice single woman in Bozeman who can appreciate a simple gentleman from St. Paul, sans scruffy goatee, ponytail and duct-taped Patagonia pants.

Get on yer bikes and ride!

2011-03-11T17:47:00.001-06:00

This is awesome. I think it's in Chile.

I was hipped to it by the nice young men over at Bike Jerks.

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

What I'm Podcasting

2011-02-27T17:12:00.007-06:00

My podcast tastes have been evolving and these are my top three at the moment:

On the Media -- Consistently excellent look at current events and how they're portrayed in the media (both new school and old school media). Highly recommended for those looking for greater insight into the changing landscape of media.
Planet Money -- They bring light to complicated financial current events by bathing them in context, history, and speaking in layman terms.
Freakonomics

This next list is ones I enjoy, but they fall into my second tier priority (where second tier = not getting listened to on the bus Monday or Tuesday, but Wednesday at the earliest as I tend to update podcasts over the weekend).

Radiolab -- This show is tough to beat when they spend an hour going in depth on topics like silence, deception or unintended consequences.
Sound Opinions -- This has been a fave of mine for years, but I'm beginning to tire of it a bit. Still, they regularly have sweet interviews like this week with Gang of Four.
The Dinner Party Download -- Clever, funny, witty, and boozy.
Studio 360
Dirtbag Diaries -- Personal stories from adventurous outdoorsy people who climb, bike, paddle, etc.
This American Life -- Format may be growing slightly tired, but I love it when they focus on current events like when they partnered with the Planet Money folks to delve deep, deep into the origins of the recession or when they explained the myriad inefficiencies that have evolved in our health care system, each over multiple hour-long episodes.
The Moth -- Best of live, spoken word, all true storytelling from NYC.
The Writer's Almanac -- At 5 minutes each, great for listening to 10 episodes in a row including positively plenty pretty good poetry.

My routine is normally to listen to these on my 40-minute walk and bus ride to and from work each day, during the non-bicycle commuting season, of course. And that may be the only downside to my bike commuting -- it makes it harder to keep up on the podcasts.

Just like the books I read, this list definitely skews strongly to non-fiction. I guess something I've learned about myself is that I yearn to learn, even if most of the time I forget what I learned after a few days. Oh, to have a better memory. But here's to life's little pleasures.

Darning Socks: A Lost Art?

2011-02-04T20:02:00.001-06:00

I tend to wear out my socks by tearing a hole in the back of the heel when I pull them on. This makes them uncomfortable to wear and I've always felt guilty just throwing one sock away. Sometimes I have other socks that are identical so if I throw one away then I'll have a spare in case another one gets torn or lost. But sometimes there aren't any other matching socks so if I throw away one I might as well throw away its pair, too. And that seems ridiculous to me.

Growing up, my family was selectively very frugal.

In the olden days, the woman of the house would mend torn socks with a technique called darning. You don't hear that word much anymore so last year I figured I'd give it a try. After all, I have a needle and thread and can find 20 minutes for a little mending. Plus, I have a shade of misplaced confidence because replacing buttons is a skill I've acquired over the years.

So I did a little research. Turns out darning is a little harder than I thought. To do it right you don't simply knit the hole closed by sewing the sides of the hole together like if you had just a slit in the knee of your trousers. You actually need to completely fill in the hole with new thread in order to keep the integrity of the shape of the sock for lasting comfort. Like this:

So I decided I'd pay someone to do it for me. That way I still don't feel so guilty about throwing away socks that are still 90% good because, well, where is "away", anyways?

I waited until I had 4 socks that needed to be darned and took them to the downtown Mpls skyway tailor I often use. They told me that they don't darn socks. Hmmm. Maybe it is a lost art.

Disappointed but not discouraged, I biked up to Tom's Tailors on Grand Ave a couple weeks ago and asked him to do them. He said he could do it, but that I most likely wouldn't like the outcome because people have complained to him that the socks are not comfortable anymore after being darned -- something about the threads not matching up well or the seams or whatever.

But I had nothing to lose and was now on a quest, so I gave him one of my socks as a test.

A week later I picked it up and when I wore it the next day it felt good as new! So I dropped off the rest in all different styles -- old school wool, cotton, fancy outdoorsy hiking types -- and they became good as new, too, each filled in with the proper type of thread. I guess our grandmothers were on to something.

The only slight hangup is the price. I think I paid $6 per sock which is more than most of them cost originally, but I was completely willing to pay it because I felt better not contributing to a landfill and didn't have to make a trip to the store to buy new socks (I'd much rather bike to the tailor than enter any sort of store that sells socks).

I'm happy to report that darning socks is not a lost art...yet. It may be endangered but only needs to be rekindled by a new generation to regain its rightful place in society.

That's What She Said

2011-01-31T22:25:00.006-06:00

Hey Tea Partiers,

At one time all these things were not clearly Constitutional:

Practicing your own religion
Owning a gun
African-Americans receiving equal rights
Drinking booze
Women voting

That's why we regularly amend it:

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press. Ratified 12/15/1791
Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791
Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished. Ratified 12/6/1865
Amendment 18 - Liquor Abolished. Ratified 1/16/1919
Amendment 19 - Women's Suffrage. Ratified 8/18/1920

It ain't perfect.
Get over yourself.

New New Style

2011-01-29T10:20:00.002-06:00

Okay. I think I like this new color scheme now.

New Style

2011-01-28T17:30:00.000-06:00

Whaddya think of the new style of lotomojo.blogspot.com?

I'm not sure I'm a huge fan. To tell you the truth I was screwing around with potential changes to the style template and realized too late that the one I had been using previously is no longer available or not easily findable in the selection list. I thought I'd be able to just switch back, but now I can't find the old one.

This new one feels kinda clunky when scrolling and is slower to load. I'll have to keep on searchin'.

WARNING: Driving a Car is Addictive

2011-01-22T17:12:00.001-06:00

My navy blue 1995 Saturn SL crossed 180,000 miles today while driving home from the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis.

180,000 miles. Not many people drive, or are able to drive, their car for 16 years and 180,000 miles. That level of durability and consistency fits well with my frugal nature when it comes to cars. I'm not a car guy and there are many things on which I'd rather spend my money.

Last summer I made this warning sticker and affixed it to the back of my car and I believe it to be true. It's my way of reminding myself how easy it is to think that I have to drive somewhere, when really there are a number of different ways to travel. 9/11 forced us all to become conscious of America's addiction to oil and I decided I'd try to lessen my personal use.

However, I certainly don't abstain 100%. I bike or walk when I can and ride the bus a lot, but sometimes its just easier to drive. Also, I really enjoy road trips around the country, especially on the small highways. It's a great way to see America. In fact, this car has been through every southern Canadian province including Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It's also been across all the northern states from Maine to Washington, down to California and through the Rocky Mountain states over to Missouri. It lived in the Utah mountains for 2 winters and never required 4-wheel drive to get through massive blizzards in mountain passes (though I did have to pull out the chains on occasion).

Here's the proof of mileage. I do not condone taking photos while driving.

This car has been really good to me and I haven't had a car payment in over 10 years. Each of the last few years I've had to drop $500 to get something fixed, but lots of people spend that every month on a car. I'd much rather drive this baby into the ground, tuck the savings into my retirement fund and check out of corporate America a year or two earlier than everyone else.

Dinner & Drinks for Two

2011-01-22T11:20:00.000-06:00

Whoa, that added up fast. This is why I love walkable bars and public transit.

Removal of the Travel Beard

2010-12-31T13:04:00.002-06:00

1. Grizzled Traveler

2. Suburban Carhartt

3. Badass Sea Bass

4. Euro Trash

5. Baby Face

Final Indonesia Pics

2010-12-28T21:38:00.004-06:00

These uploaded about 100 times faster at home than from any internet cafe...

The Last Supper

2010-12-27T21:03:00.000-06:00

I had about 28 hours back on Bali before a 1am flight to Seoul then Chicago then MSP and a few options on how to spend them: (1) hidden beaches, great surf and iconic cliff perched temples on southern peninsula; (2) excellent hiking and biking in mountainous interior near Munduk; (3) spa back in Ubud where I was 3+ weeks ago. I'd hoped for a spa near a hidden beach and I'm sure they exist, but Ubud is easy to get to and Lonely Planet didn't have much on hidden beach spas. So I happily came back to Ubud, but this time in significantly upgraded accommodations.

My last night and day was spent at one of those idyllic, picturesque Bali spa retreats with the Raiders of the Lost Ark stonework amidst a lush jungle complete with waterfall. I gladly dropped $120 for a room and day of massage that would have cost $500 back home. Ahhh...this is livin'.

Soon it'll be back to the daily grind, but not if I can help it. The thing I've contemplated the most over the past month is how I don't want to settle for the daily grind. Nobody should have to. Its so easy to get stuck in that familiar rut where the days keep going by with no marked improvement or new experiences in ones life.

I'd like to strive for one of these every day:

1. Learn something that I truly value
2. Experience something really fun or cool or mind-expanding
3. Become more healthy by doing something active outdoors

I don't like stringing together days when none of those occur. It makes the time feel lost to me and I hope I can be more intentional about seeking them out, but I'm also hesitant to make some grand life statement here. It's only been a month after all. Of course
that's already one more month of pure traveling, learning and cool experience finding than virtually everyone I know has ever taken, so I feel like I'm on a good path.

If nothing else, having this quality time to think and write has certainly been beneficial. I see now why journaling is considered healthy. Putting thoughts and feelings into words and sentences really helps you think them through and better define what they really mean. Try it sometime.

And I'm sure I'll need a little help along the way so feel free to remind me about this stuff down the road.

Happy trails.

What Backpackers Talk About

2010-12-23T19:48:00.002-06:00

Backpackers like to brag about the great deals they found on lodging and the cost of things is common conversation. Other common topics include:

Where you're from
How long you're traveling
Where you've been
Where you plan to go

I'm spending $20/night for 3 nights at Lake Toba and almost feel slighted when I relate my accommodations to some German guy who's traveling for 6 months. He'll naturally share with me the awesome (read: clean) room he got for $4 and how there's no way one can properly experience Sumatra in only the 2 months that he's spending here before moving on to Thailand.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Selecting a $5 Room
1. Does it appear to be clean? If so, you have found a suitable $5 room.
2. How many nights will you be here? The mattress is concave, but that doesn't really matter if you'll only be here for one night.
3. Did you bring along your own sheet or sleeping bag liner? You won't need it to keep warm because the fan doesn't actually stir the air very well, but there's most likely only a bottom sheet provided on the bed.
4. Cold shower is okay, right? Good. There's a good chance it's hot where you're traveling so you can use the cold water to try to lower your body temperature a couple degrees before you start sweating again.
5. Are you one of those paranoid people who wipes down a toilet seat before sitting on it? If you are, then at least you probably brought your own toilet paper (or something similar), which is good, because this room does not come with toilet paper. Feel fortunate, though, because at least it's a western-style sitting toilet and not just the squat hole that you'll encounter in public places.
6. Are you an early riser? Perfect! Then you'll love the built in 4:45am alarm clock of either (a) crowing roosters or (b) call to prayer from the mosque down the street.

If you're willing to spend a few more bucks, consider:

$7-$10 -- as above plus breakfast and a nice garden
$11-$15 -- as above plus toilet paper. May also have hot water and air-conditioning
>$15 -- as above plus wi-fi and a good location

There you have it. Now go forth and travel thrifty!

Journal Jottings

2010-12-23T19:11:00.000-06:00

Some more jottings from the past week or so...

Had my first gin & tonic in a month the other day. It cost $6, more than I've paid for most nights lodging... Not sure if there is some psychological reason behind this, but I really really enjoyed the 3 books I read on this trip: (1) A House in Bali by Colin McPhee, (2) Coming into the Country by John McPhee, (3) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway... Jakarta airport has a beautiful setting with open air concourses strung with massive chandeliers and air-conditioned gate areas overlooking flowering tree filled courtyards... Magic mushrooms are openly sold both on Gili Trawangan and at Lake Toba. I have not tried...

Little Germany, Little Netherlands

2010-12-23T18:58:00.000-06:00

Nationalities of travelers met in Indonesia, in order of number met:

1. German
2. Dutch
(these are by far the 2 most popular)
3. Australian
4. Swiss
5. Austrian
t6. American
t6. Irish
t6. French
t6. Canadian
t6. Finn
t6. Swede

Photo Catch-up

2010-12-22T22:23:00.002-06:00

Social Kirk

2010-12-22T22:11:00.000-06:00

Funny to think that I was worried I wouldn't meet anyone and would travel like a monk and only speaking to others out of necessity. Due, in part, to the Lonely Planet guidebook which is ubiquitous among backpackers, solo budget travelers like myself tend to converge on the same collection of hostels, sites, and connecting transit routes.

I've actually been quite social, spending hours or days talking and traveling with folks from Germany, Ireland, Finland & Switzerland. Unfortunately, it's a bit disconcerting to be making some terrific new friends and knowing that there's a good chance I will never see them again.

The past few days have actually been a little too filled with conversation for me and I'm looking forward to more time alone to just relax in peace & quiet. That's why I opted to spring for the expensive lodging at Lake Toba, dropping almost $20/night while Thomas and Simona are staying at a more budget savvy place for only $5 per night. They are traveling for 3 months and 12 months, respectively, and need to watch their wallets more closely than I. Also, Thomas' company quickly grew tiresome so I'm happy to part ways with him.

Lake Toba is 60 miles long by 20 miles wide and is actually the crater of the volcano that produced the greatest eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years.

On Christmas day I will leave Lake Toba for Medan, the largest city on Sumatra and home to the airport that will carry me on the 26th back to Bali. Then I'll have one last night and day on Bali before getting on the plane at 1am Tuesday morning.

Volcano Hike

2010-12-22T21:53:00.000-06:00

Tuesday I hiked a volcano outside the town of Berastagi with Simona, Marc & Thomas. This was the reason for coming to Berastagi and we had been concerned that bad weather would cause poor trail conditions and poor visibility as it rained for most of the prior 18 hours. But the clouds lifted and we made our way to the top, about two hours travel time via local bus and hiking.

At the top was a beautiful crater with fumaroles spewing steam, some extremely loudly. About 10 locals were down in the crater bathing or having a picnic lunch so we hiked down into it to join them. A couple of them wanted their photo taken with us, too, but by now we were old hands at dealing with our adoring fans.

We hung around for a bit, took some photos of our own, and then hiked an hour down to the hot springs. In the hot springs we were again welcomed warmly by the locals and more photos were snapped. Some nice ladies in the hot sulfur pool shared their snacks with us - sliced cucumber dipped in a very spicy brown sauce. Yummy.

Star Treatment

2010-12-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, 12/21
6:34 pm

I felt like a celebrity today. It started this morning when Thomas (Deutsch), Simona (Suisse) and I went for a walk up a nearby hill that affords a great view of the two neighboring volcanoes. We were accosted by a group of 20 Indonesian tourists from northern Sumatra who wanted their picture taken with the funny looking white people. We smiled and played along as they exchanged places and cameras so almost everyong got their turn with us. That was kind of weird.

Minutes later we stopped for coffee & water at the top of the hill and sat down at a table and chairs made entirely from old tires. Very cool and far more comfortable than the 90-degree angled bamboo chairs we'd been used to. When the owner of the cafe heard I was from America he first pointed out the U.S. Air Force hat on his head, and then minutes later pulled up in his tricked out 40-year old U.S. Army issue Jeep (in which he was kind enough to give us a ride back down into town).

Orangutans

2010-12-20T04:31:00.002-06:00

We rounded a bend in the jungle trail and there she was, just hangin' around practically right over the trail with a baby on board. It was a pretty sweet way to see my first orangutan in the wild. The next 2 days would only get better with the sighting of 9 more including one big ol' fella who was practically as large as a gorilla.

Six of us were on this trek with our guide Indrah and we got an amazing introduction to our local cousins. We hiked 3 or 4 very hilly miles through a rubber plantation and into Gunung Leuser National Park, ending at a beautiful campsite tucked inside a near horseshoe bend in the river that we would raft back into town the next day. Our guides were terrific and made us some of the more tasty meals I've had here. It was another awesome wildlife experience similar to the manta ray.

When I arrived in Sumatra last Thursday night I met a couple other solo travelers at the hostel -- Mark from Ireland and Simona from Switzerland. They were going on the same orangutan trek and we've continued traveling together to the city of Berstagi where tomorrow we will hike a volcano. Also on the orangutan trek was Antti from Finland and I think we'll see him again later this week at Lake Toba for Christmas.

I've been writing this post amongst a dozen 8-year old boys who are playing video games immediately next to me in the internet cafe. One of them is sitting beside me practicing his English by reading along, so I tried not to use too many curse words this time.

That's all I got right now. See you next week when I'm back stateside.

Black Manta

2010-12-15T06:01:00.000-06:00

It was only the other day that I fully understood the difference between a stingray and a manta ray. A stingray is about 20" in diameter and a manta ray 20'. Today all my scuba lessons culminated in an epic dive amongst manta rays. It was amazing! We sat on the ocean floor and they flew around us for 20 minutes. I had no idea they were so huge and they're gloriously graceful, too. One of the highlights of the trip so far and I'm guessing it's spoiled diving for me on my first official licensed dive ever. The half-dozen turtles and colorful coral we saw on the next dive were like squirrels grazing on a park lawn. Ho-hum. Boring. I'm so over turtles now. Mantas!! I think the only things that can top mantas are whales and whale sharks.

Manta Ray

Black Manta (second from left)

Tomorrow morning I leave for Sumatra and jungle trekking with the orangutans & elephants. Sumatra is the size of California and is the northernmost island in Indonesia. I'll be on the northern half of it and am unsure of the internet connectivity so there may be a break in the posts.

Gotta go urban jungle trek to the ATM, grab some dinner and pack. Goodnite.

Halfway Point

2010-12-13T21:25:00.000-06:00

Perhaps some more jottings as I finish the first half of the trip...

The beard isn't looking so bad after all. It's not the fullest and I'd prefer a little more pepper and less salt, but it's not too shabby... I'm getting sick and tired of reggae music (as if I didn't already not like it). There's more Bob Marley being played around here than on Cheney's spring break mix tape... I feel priveleged to be traveling for a month but virtually every westerner I meet is traveling longer... That sunset over Lumbuanbajo harbor last night with the sunlight sparkling on the ocean and the myriad islands fading into the distant clouds was one you could watch a million times, good Lord willin'... Boring banana pancakes the last few mornings tell me the ones I had on Gili T. last week were truly exceptional... Uploading photos from camera is painfully slow so I'll try tojust get a few up... What seemd like a great idea to share additional camera fee at Komodo National Park with Oliver and Roman isn't looking so good now that Roman and his camera have disappeared before we shared contact info... Doing all my laundry today via my hotel... It's been comfortably cool the past week with island breezes blowing, but I think I'm leaving that for hot & humid as I enter the Sumatra jungle in the next few days. Destinations are Bukit Lawang and Gunung Leuser National Park for orangutans, elephants & jungle trekking and Pulau Weh for diving.

Dragon Sighting

2010-12-13T20:37:00.001-06:00

Monday, 12/13
2:31 pm
Day 3 of 3 on the boat

Day three on the boat has been an absolute pleasure. We awoke this morning to smooth seas and scores of islands punching through the horizon. Beautiful!

For two hours we hiked on Komodo island in search of dragons and we found 'em. Komodo dragons live a solitary life and once a week (or is it once a month...different guides said different things) they eat a deer or pig, but the rest of the time they are faily lazy so the ones we saw were just lounging around. They're impressive - ' long weighing 200 pounds and with claws and teeth you wouldn't want to mess with. It was a nice guided hike with a little bushwhacking that made it feel more adventurous. The dragons are all wild so it was kind of like going whale watching in that there were no guarantees that we'd see some. But with over 1,000 dragons on the island the odds were pretty good.

After that we snorkeled and swam including off the mast of the boat 15' into the ocean below. I think it was Roman the Austrian extreme sports guy who started the diving, but nearly everyone jumped from at least 10', a testament to the sort of people (young & old) who seek out these sort of travels.

Today really made this 3-day boat journey worth it and the sunset from the veranda of my hotel room in Labuanbajo is the honey on the banana pancake.

Sunset over harbor & archipelago

Feeding the Fishes

2010-12-13T20:27:00.001-06:00

Sunday, 12/12
4:43pm
Day 2 of 3 on the boat

The boat is moving again! Last night the seas were a little rough and this morning the boat was experiencing electrical problems with the battery.

It's been six hours since we could tell something was wrong and we got a creepingly slow tow from a rather sickly looking local boat. Fourteen of our twenty-two passengers had gone ashore to swim and snorkel in an island lake and eight of us were left on the boat as we pulled anchor and drifted into rougher waters. Another woman and myself joined the sea legs club by feeding the fishes, as they say, before our tow got us back into calmer waters two hours later.

Our boat as seen from our dinghy

The battery appears to be fully charged now and we will be on Komodo island in sixteen hours, hopefully about the time we all wake up Monday morning.

Last night, our first on the boat, I didn't sleep well due to the constant rolling of the boat and my steamy hot cabin, but at least the dramamine worked. Others who paid $60 less than me and slept on the deck weren't as lucky -- they got a little wet from the rain and waves washing through the mostly sealed outer doors and windows. All survived, though, and at no time was there any actual danger.

I've met some more great people on this boat - Oliver's German friends Christian, Leonard & Business; an Austrian outdoor adventure guide named Roman; and Troels, a Dane whose been in D.C. and Haiti the past 3 years working for an NGO and is now off to the Congo to work for the U.N.

Island bonfire night 1 of boat trip

The cabin I paid an extra $60 for is just a hair over 4'x6' and I share it with a sixysomething Londoner named Ian. Ian is the sort who awoke this morning and proclaimed it the best sleep of his life! after everyone else complained of how bad it was. He seems to fancy himself quite the intrepid British explorer like those of yore.

How am I feeling? A tad green from the motion, but otherwise well. Mostly I'm just ready to be on Komodo and then Flores islands to put this boat adventure behind me. 22 people plus 8 crew on a 60' boat is a little more cozy than I would prefer. When dinner is served tonight I will likely supplement it with some comfort food like Diet Coke & Ritz crackers which are both available on board.

I Saw a Turtle!

2010-12-10T01:58:00.000-06:00

Today is my last day on Gili Trawangan and tomorrow I set sail for 3 days to the islands of Komodo and Flores where I'm guessing the internet access will be limited. Joining me on this 3-day trip are Oliver and a friend of his from Germany who was surfing with him in Bali the past couple weeks. There are over 20 people on the trip and I'm really really hoping I don't get seasick.

I wanted to throw up a picture of me and Enny, my hostess, though. She normally smiles all the time but chose the serious look for the photo. When I asked her for the photo she immediately moved the breakfast table to proudly display it in the picture. Very cute.

Kirk & Enny

Gesa, Oliver & I went snorkeling today and I finally saw a turtle! Very exciting. It was probably 4 feet long and was hanging out near the bottom in about 12 feet of water. Then it started slowly swimming up to the surface where it grabbed a breath and then wandered off. Hopefully next up are whales, sharks, dolphins & manta rays. These next two photos were taken at lunch on the island Gili Air, the smallest of the 3 Gili islands.

Gesa & Oliver

Lunch. Spicy bbq chicken. So good.

Bought shampoo today and that'll feel good on the hair tonight. I traveled here with only 1 carry-on bag and my quart-sized baggie for liquids filled up with other stuff, hence no shampoo.

Today

2010-12-09T03:21:00.001-06:00

12:21 pm

Got out of bed around 9:30 after a late night at the Irish bar (alas, no Irish music, only Euro dance tracks). No shower this a.m. because there's really no need, but I do wish to use some proper shampoo because my hair has gotten a little ratty after only being cleansed with bar soap for 10 days. But everyone around here has beach hair anyways so its no big deal.

I feel a little more self-conscious about my paltry beard, though. Its getting a little itchy and I'm certain it looks like crap, but how often can a fella go a month without shaving? I'm curious to see if it'll actually fill in beyond the sideburns or not. Curiosity is why I haven't shaved.

Breakfast was served by my always cheerful hostess and I'm not yet sick of the repetitive selection - pineapple pancake with honey, fresh watermelon, banana, pineapple and mango that she neatly slices into cubes on the rind for easy eating. So nice. I think she loves it when I beam with a smile each morning upon eating her breakfast and tell her how much I like it.

I'm staying at a homestay which consists of 4 basic, clean, simple rooms attached to a family's compound. I say compound because a family here lives in a collection of small buildings around a central courtyard. Her abode is quite small compared to those I saw in Bali and it feels great to be helping her with a little income, $10/night. The one bare compact fluorescent bulb in the ceiling is a little dim and there is no hot water, but who needs hot water when its 85 degrees every day. At breakfast I first go for the watermelon because its the coldest and most refreshing.

Which brings me to something I've been wondering about since I got here: Why do people in a hot climate drink so many hot beverages? Tradition? They have refrigeration. Even though I'm not a fan of hot beverages I completely understand why people enjoy them in the cold of a Minnesota winter. And I understand the addiction to coffee, too. But give me a cold anything on a hot day.

The last two days after breakfast I walked 3 minutes down the strip to the dive shop where I completed two dives each day to achieve my PADI Open Water Diving certification. I'm not officially a SCUBA diver, though divers have apparently dropped the SCUBA part from the lexicon and speak only of diving. Around here nobody confuses it with non-existent springboard diving.

After breakfast I checked in on email at the internet cafe and am now taking a leisurely 5-mile stroll around the island with journal and book in tow.

Tonight, at 7pm as has become our custom, I will meet Oliver & Gesa for dinner at the market. Oliver will show up late and Gesa and I will choose from the selection of fresh fish, rice & vegetables. BYOB.

3:54 pm

My island stroll is going swimmingly (sorry). I sit now in a thatch roofed hut on stilts over looking the ocean and listening to only the waves wafting on shore, the clatter and bells of the islands horse buggy transports (no motor vehicles allowed), and the faint strains of the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication" bleeding out from the kitchen of the restaurant that made me my coal fired pizza lunch. Paradise!

More Photos - Gili Trawangan

2010-12-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some more photos, mostly from Gili Trawangan.

Jottings...

2010-12-07T21:39:00.001-06:00

Lots of people here smoke cigarettes, both the locals and the western travelers...It took 3 islands and 1 week but I finally stumbled onto the ubiquitous Irish bar here on tiny Gili Trawangan. Everywhere in the world you will find 2 things - Australians and an Irish bar...Scuba diving is good and I will be certified after 1 more dive this afternoon, but still haven't seen any of the big stuff like turtles, sharks, manta rays, or dolphins...My minimalist REI wristwatch that looks like a Livestrong bracelet was a great $6 buy and the locals here love it...I notice the perspiration on my forearms the most, and my glasses aren't falling down my nose at all...The second book I'm enjoying immensely is "Coming into the Country" by John McPhee about the history and people of Alaska...Local residents seem to be constantly sweeping small leaves and natural debris off of the dirt roads. It seems more ritualistic or meditational than practical...Last bicycle ride I had a choice of 2 bikes, one with no brakes and one whose rear gear didn't shift. An entrepreneur could make a killing with a simple Allen wrench. I chose the one with brakes but had to work awfully hard to get up some steep hills...

Looks like 2 more days on this little island and then I will grab a boat with Oliver the German over to Komodo and Flores. There's snorkeling, sightseeing, and Komodo dragon tours along the way but I'm not sure if I'll be able to dive there or not without making a weeklong commitment on a liveaboard boat where you're out at sea the entire time.

Thanks for posting comments. It's fun to hear from you.

One Week In

2010-12-06T20:52:00.000-06:00

One week down, three to go. I'm not exactly re-examining my life quite yet, but am reinforcing how important this sort of experience is for me. I'm feeling realy good, eating well (all natural), walking a lot and biking some. It also feels good to have a whole month to lessen the stress of travel because I don't have to be in a hurry and am completely free to go with the flow and select from any number of excellent options.

I have tended to travel under the notion of one country at a time, as opposed to, say, trying to cram in that once-in-a-lifetime trip to London, Paris & Rome in 2 weeks. No matter where I'v been, the guidebook research always reveals far more travel treasures than I ever expected and the planned duration is never long enough to do it all. But a month feels great and I'm lucky to work for an employer that allows its vital human resources more latitude than most in America. If a corporation with thousands of employees can't find a way to allow one to leave for a month, then I believe it has a flawed structure.

gotta fly. scuba calls.

Island Hopping

2010-12-06T20:44:00.000-06:00

I don't have much time this morning before my first ever scuba dive, but I'll give a quick update. Yesterday (Monday) was a travel day from Bali to a small island just to the east called Gili Trawangan (it's the largest of the 3 little islands in the pic in the prior posting). There's a little strip here about 1km long filled with dive shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, & lodging. It rained much of the day yesterday but I was on a 4-hour ferry ride and multiple buses so that didn't matter much. It's beautiful today, though.

I met a couple Germans on the bus yesterday morning, Oliver & Gesa. They are not traveling together, but we hit it off yesterday and had fun last night talking politics and learning more about each others homeland. I will likely do my 4 final certification scuba dives here today and tomorrow and then leave with Oliver for the islands to the east of here, Komodo & Flores.

On Sunday I went for a bicycle ride in the countryside and ended up going for a guided hike along the Ayung river. Saw the following growing in the wild: pineapple, banana, tapioca, vanilla, cacao, mimosa, ginger.

Bike Ride, Jazz Cafe, Moving On...

2010-12-04T20:14:00.006-06:00

Bike Ride
It's Sunday morning and it's been a great few days in Ubud, but I'll be moving on after a river rafting trip tomorrow morning. Yesterday I went for a fun & educational bike ride tour where they drove us up to a volcano with a crater lake, we had breakfast, and then biked downhill back to town stopping for cultural educational experiences along the way -- coffee plantation, rice fields, and a family compound where 3 generations live in different houses within a walled 1/4 acre or so. 3 of us (me and 2 Belgians) also got a little extra real bike riding in when we chose to ride the hilly gravel roads the final 10 miles after the downhill portion ended for most folks. This, of course, turned out to be the best part of the ride. Zero traffic down a narrow road, beautiful rice fields and more shades of green than I could comprehend. Plus it was a nice workout.

Most surprising of all, however, was that there were not people trying to sell us stuff at each of the designated stops. That's one thing that has impressed me with Indonesia compared to other developing nations I've visited -- it's much less harassing of tourists. It's been quite a pleasure.

Jazz Cafe
It's the low season for tourism so Ubud is rather quiet, which is great except when a fellow is looking to have a couple beers and feels a little weird being the only person in a drinking establishment. So Thursday night I ended up at the Lonely Planet recommended Jazz Cafe. Here's the transcript from my journal as I sat at the bar that night...

Hangin' at the Jazz Cafe and listening to a horrible recorded rendition of "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic". I never thought I'd be longing for the likes of Sting.

This is actually my first night out on the town, if you can believe that. Jet lag combined with excessive sun the first couple days had me napping in the early evening and then not really recovering enough to want to go out. It's definitely the off-season here in Ubud with empty tables outnumbering occupied by easily 3:1. Even the joint pumpin' Marley reggae tunes is slow.

I tried to go see a music and dance performance tonight to hear the gamelan music I've been reading about, but all are canceled due to a town-wide ceremony tonight. Bummer. At least yesterday I had the fortune of stumbling upon some children practicing and listened for a few minutes. It's like an orchestra of gongs & bamboo xylophones.

Earlier tonight at a little tapas joint I had my first taste of arak, the local palm wine booze. I wouldn't classify it as wine, exactly, and am glad I got it on ice as recommended. Tasted alcoholy like watered down cheap vodka.

Now the live "gospel jazz" trio is firing up at the Jazz Cafe - drums, 6-string electric bass & keyboards. Ooh, that's some smooooth jazz. But wait! I see a microphone perched next to an empty stool. Please, oh please, no vocals!

According to their in-house propagan..er..literature, the Jazz Cafe offers "Great party packages for birthdays, weddings & special occasions".

Oh shit! Here comes the vocalist! AIIIEEEE!! They're a quartet, not a trio! It's so smooooth..too smoooooth! She opens with "My Funny Valentine". Seriously. I need to find the local underground punk rock joint. But I will say this, she's got some good pipes and an excellent command of the English language.

When the singer just said "Thank you, I hope you're enjoying your holiday in Bali and I hope you like the music" it made me feel like I'm on a cruise ship. Uggh. Not quite the vibe I'm looking for, but quite humorless nonetheless. She's a real pro.

Moving On
So what's next? This question actually took me down some twists and turns in the past 36 hours. I have an invitation to visit an acquantance in Jakarta next Saturday for an all-day event put on by Ashoka to honor social entrepreneur Fellows in Indonesia. Newey is a woman from Thailand I met a couple weeks ago through work in Mpls and she works for Ashoka Thailand. It seemed like a cool opportunity to interact with the locals in a more intimate manner and I could easily combine it with other activities on the island of Java. But yesterday I learned from the Belgians in my bike tour group that the top 2 sites I wanted to visit on Java are closed because of the volcano. Borobudur is the image shown at the top of this blog and is supposed to be an amazingly beautiful temple, similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But, alas, it is covered in ash and closed. Mount Bromo is a volcano close to the one currently erupting that is a great hike affording amazing views of the other volcanoes in the region, but it is also off limits. Those two sites would have allowed me to road trip across Java to Jakarta on the west side of the island, but with them out of the picture it's not really worth it for me to fly to Jakarta just for the one event.

Many other options exist, however. I've decided to head tomorrow to the Gili islands just east of Bali, specifically the largest with a circumference of 8km, Gili Trawangan. Going to do some SCUBA diving and maybe island hop east to the island of Komodo. Yes, Komodo is home of the famous Komodo dragons, largest living species of lizard, and also very highly recommended diving to see dolphins, manta rays and sharks (not great whites, don't freak out).

Gili Islands

Raiders of the Lost Monkey Forest

2010-12-03T03:23:00.003-06:00

The sign at the entrance to the Monkey Forest reads: "If the monkey jumps on you, stand still and walk away slowly".

Beautiful morning in Ubud hanging at the Monkey Forest. Its temples and statues are right out of "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Very cool. Mmmm...those dates look mighty tasty...

Ubud is the center of all things centered in Bali - yoga, herbal remedies, organic cooking, reflexology, etc. It's also well centered geographically to be the launching point for a number of adventures - hiking, biking, river rafting, volcano climbing, temple trekking, etc. I think I'll stay for a few more days and check some of 'em out.

This morning I borrowed a bicycle from the place I'm staying and had a fun ride, maybe a 10K loop out around town. Tomorrow I'm off on a guided mountain bike ride that's more about the cultural experience than the biking. It'll be fun to get a little exercise while seeing the countryside, even though we'll be making scheduled stops along the way where I'm sure folks will be trying to sell us stuff. We'll start by being driven to the top of a volcano that has a lake inside its crater and then ride back down into town from there. The crater lake is supposed to be stunning.

A local museum had some paintings that highlighted the local rivers quite dramatically, too, so I'm scoping out a river rafting trip. It's a little on the spendy side, though, so we'll see.

Oh, and one of these days I'll remember my camera USB connector and see if I can get a couple photos up on here.

Bemo to Ubud

2010-12-02T03:37:00.000-06:00

Bemo
The bemo is public transit in the form of a minivan, usually seating 10-15, and Ubud was my destination this morning. The driver didn't speak much English and I don't speak much Baha Indonesian, though he was taking glances at my journal as I wrote this. Fear not, even a learned English scholar couldn't decipher my chicken scratch as we bounce down the roadway. When I told him the only words in Balinese I know are "maktur suksaman" (thank you) he immediately turned to the other passengers in the bemo and told them what I'd said which got a good laugh from them and a returned smile from me.

As I'm told by my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook it is normal to sit and wait for a bemo to fill up before it departs, which can sometimes be quite awhile. I was a bit surprised, then, when we left with 5 passengers after only a few minutes. The ride was smooth, especially given that those strange white lines painted on the road don't seem to be there for any apparent reason and there's nary a seatbelt to be found anywhere.

Ubud
Ubud is gorgeous! I definitely made the right call in bailing out of Kuta and coming here. So lush! It reminds me of Carmel, CA (just add Korean tour buses) how the foliage seeps onto the roads lined with little fine art and boutique clothing stores. But it one-ups Carmel with the ancient looking architecture highlighted by stone walls, carvings and statues bordering almost every home. And since we're in the tropics the stone is covered with bits of moss, giving it an even more impressive look.

Lunch today was at Warung Ibu Oka as recommended by Tony Bourdain in his Indonesia episode and it was nothing short of amazing. Fresh suckling big in four parts that I will have to ask more about when I return for lunch tomorrow and the next day. First there was the pork, so tender and moist and flavorful. Second, the skin -- about a millimeter thick, half of which was hard and crispy, the other half pure fat -- definitely interesting and pretty tasty. It's the other 2 portions that I'm not quite sure about, but were even more mind opening. One was, I think, blood sausage. It looked like what I've seen depicted on the TV but I'd never had it before to compare. Soooo tasty! I'll certainly be seeking that out in the future. The fourth different bit was dark bround and kind of crusty/chunky with maybe a tad of the crispy skin in it. I have no idea what it was but it was the highlight. Alas, it was only about 3 small bites worth. All this was served over rice with some mixture of herbs & spices on the side. Add in a bomber-sized Bitang beer and I ran up a $6 bill. That's right, one of the greatest meals of my life for a mere $6! They're only open for lunch and I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

After lunch I browsed the streets and popped into a little bar called The Laughing Buddha. As I selected a barstool I noticed a little Pink Floyd quietly wafting over the sound system. "Wish You Were Here". Indeed.

Transport, Boss?

2010-12-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

It is in the maze of narrow backstreets (gang) where all the life and commerce exist in Kuta -- hostels, bars, restaurants, surf shops, and many many sole-proprietorships selling the same touristy knockoff shirts & hats & sunglasses. These alleyways are maybe 10' wide and filled with scooters (and the occasional car) racing in both directions on the wrong side of the street. Sometimes a narrow elevated sidewalk accompanies the street, but it is often crowded with vendors minding their stores.

The most common words I hear while wandering around town are "Transport, boss?" as everyone with a scooter or car is looking to give a tourist a lift to wherever. Far too many nice looking taxis roam the streets looking for fares, too, and they give a brief tap on the horn whenever passing a potential customer (tourist). Though not nearly as pestering as the kids in Morocco who wanted to be our tour guides, the offer of a ride in Bali is far more prevalent, sometimes occurring 3-4 times in about 15 seconds. It's symptomatic of a developing society where people are looking for income and doesn't bother me in the least.

The beaches in Bali are nearly endless, encircling the island. Before lunch a bunch of newbies were out surfing so I approached a local surfing instructor and learned that early afternoon (1pmish) is high tide and better for catching waves. I'd been envisioning surfing as more of a quiet morning pursuit out of the heat of the day, but its not like that on this part of the island. So after a $5 pork & rice lunch in the neighborhood favored by low twentysomething Aussies, I put in my contact lenses and hit the beach. Surf's up, bro.

I rented a surf board ($5 for 1 hour) and hit the waves along with scores of others on Kuta beach, the Waikiki of Bali. I never fully stood up and rode one out, but I got close a few times before the beating sun and reflecting water started to get to me. Damn, it's hot. Just how hot is it? It's so hot that I'm actually considering purchasing a wide-brimmed hat. I turned in my board with 15 minutes to spare and spent some quality time in the shade watching a game of dominoes and drinking copious amounts of water.

As I write this it is Thursday morning and I've had enough of the super touristy beach scene. My expectation was always that I'd only be here for a couple days and that has proven to be accurate. I'm heading for the town of Ubud which is less than 2 hours away by bus. Ubud is the cultural and artistic center of Bali and I think it will suit me better than the beach scene in Kuta. It's also where Tony Bourdain ("No Reservations" TV show host) ate what he said was the best pork in his life -- and he's a pig guy. A book I've been reading is called "A House in Bali" and it was written in 1930 by a Canadian music composer who came here to study the local music, specifically an instrument called the gamelan. The book is fantastic and it's giving me a great sense of the culture and history of the area.

A Long First Day to Bali

2010-11-30T20:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday lasted 45 hours.

It began at 4am Monday morning as I walked to the bus in Lowertown St. Paul, MN USA. I walked past that really big guy from the Bulldog bar having a smoke on the corner of 6th & Wacouta after his closing shift Sunday night -- a rare encounter with the nocturnal.

It ended near 1am Wednesday morning after a taxi from the airport to my hotel at Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia where the Aussie tourists were just heading out to the nightclubs and discotheques.

I awoke this morning to monkey calls at 5:30 and am hopeful I can get through the day with limited jet lag. It's 6am now and it's raining as I sit in the lush green gardens of my hotel writing this. It's a serious tropical downpour, but I did choose to travel in the wet season after all.

When I arrived at Un's Hotel I had a bit of an "oh shit" moment where it hit home that I'd be spending the next month solo in a developing nation where it often feels like the job of the locals is to separate me from my money. But I quickly remembered my zen pledge to just enjoy each moment and appreciate every experience. Ahh, my first tropical downpour! It's actually generating a cool breeze through the covered lanai on which I sit that seems to have helped disperse my old Minnesota nemesis, the mosquito.

Today's plan: Take a good long walk around the Kuta beach region to scope it all out - beach, bars, restaurants, surfing, tourist infrastructure, etc. I don't plan on staying here long but hope to do some surfing.

Technical Note: Having cell phone connection troubles even though I paid for the International plan from AT&T so I may not have that easy txt msg access as previously thought. Plenty of internet cafes in this part of the country, at least.

Air Travel
Flights went well. From Chicago to Seoul we had the personal video screens so I watched 4 movies - Get Low (pretty decent); All is Faire in Love (fun mockery of Renaissance Fairs); Toy Story 3 (very nicely done again); Eat, Pray, Love (it was horrible but I figured I should be familiar with it).

Day Zero

2010-11-28T18:12:00.000-06:00

I'm all packed and ready to go, leaving on a 6am flight tomorrow to Chicago, then Seoul, then Bali. Much to my surprise, I can actually catch the 54 bus at 4:10am to get me to the airport in time for my flight. Gotta love that public transit system.

All my stuff is packed into a carry-on sized backpack, so it'll be nice to know that everything will make the trip with me and also nice to have a light load. Included is an even smaller satchel-sized pack for short day trips or carrying stuff to the beach.

Today was the last of my 3 days of SCUBA dive training, too. We got to practice the backward roll into the pool, but I was disappointed they didn't teach everyone what SCUBA stands for. I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, but its one of those bits of trivia I've been carrying around forever. Today we were in the deep end and even at only 12' deep, the whole process of descending, ascending and just hanging out takes a little getting used to. One woman in my class had lots of trouble getting comfortable with even the simplest of skills underwater. I'll still have to do 4 open water dives in Indonesia before I'm 100% certified, however.

So here we go.

Indo Countdown

2010-11-24T11:12:00.003-06:00

5 days and counting until my 6am flight leaves for Chicago on Monday morning. Then it's 14 hours to Seoul, South Korea and then another 7+ hours to Bali, Indonesia. I arrive Tuesday at midnight local time, so it effectively takes me 42 hours to get there because Bali is 14 hours ahead of us.

I've got my list together and have checked it more than twice. I'll be packing in just a carry-on sized backpack so hopefully all this stuff will fit:

1 pair pants
2 pair shorts
1 pair boardshorts (swim trunks for surfers)
4 shirts (2 wicking t-shirts, 2 button-up shortsleeve)
hiking trail shoes
flip-flops (will be weird cuz I'm not a flip-flop guy like those kids these days)
socks & underwear
rain jacket
contact lenses
re-wetting drops for contact lenses
spare glasses
sunglasses
chamois towel
hat
headlamp
mosquito repellant
malaria pills
money belt
minimalist watch
toilet paper
water bottle
minimalist clothes line (thanks Sarah)
earplugs
zip-lock freezer bags (to keep money in zipped pockets when surfing)
journal & pen
toiletries
photo copy of passport & credit cards
passport
credit cards
2 paperback books I can discard
Lonely Planet Indonesia
iPhone w/ headphones
camera
ac/dc power converters
charger cables for phone, camera

Am I missing anything?

SCUBA lessons this weekend in Mpls and I should be good to go!

My DVR

2010-11-14T16:12:00.001-06:00

It's been two years since this post when I listed what TV shows I'm recording so I thought I'd do another and see what's been constant and what's new.

Austin City Limits (still a favorite)
60 Minutes (new)
Frontline (new)
Globe Trekker (still a favorite)
This Old House (still a favorite)
Almanac (still a favorite)
mn original (new)
Independent Lens (new)
No Reservations (still a favorite)
Adventure Sports (new)
First Ascent (new)

Travel, arts & music are constants for me. A couple adventure shows have been added as those have become more prevalent, and quality documentary programs are favorites of mine, too.

End of My Cycling Season?

2010-11-14T15:41:00.002-06:00

Yesterday's dump of snow combined with my pending trip to Indonesia officially marks the end of the bicycling season for me. This was my fourth year of seasonally commuting 12 miles each way to work and I got to the point this year where the pleasure of the ride reached a new high. I'll really miss it.

Just last Tuesday morning, 11/9, was one of my most enjoyable rides of all time. It was a gorgeous morning, sunny and in the mid-40s, and the timing of my ride and the arrival of dawn just a couple days after the end of daylight savings was perfect. The combination of the practicality of the bicycle commute along with the accompanying exercise and quality time outdoors is something that just feels so right to me. I wish there were more ways for me to combine those 3 elements.

When I go out on a long weekend ride, I usually can't help but think ahead to when the ride will be over. Often I have other things on my mind and while I love the exploratory nature of many of those rides, I rarely am able to allow myself to just purely enjoy them in the moment. It's as if my goal were to be able to say that I rode 50 miles.

Commuting to work puts me in a different frame of mind, though, and I am able to appreciate and revel in the experience of the ride. Since my morning destination is the office I'm in no hurry to complete the ride so it can sometimes feel like the high point of my day. Burning calories as part of a required daily task is pretty great, too. It's like losing weight and getting fit while brushing your teeth. And as I mature I simply appreciate the sounds and smells of the seasons more and more. I also think clearly when I'm riding and often will stop to email a great idea to myself.

As winter arrives I look hard to find a similar activity which can impart all those benefits on me and I don't see much. Maybe I just need to buy some studded tires, turn on all my rear red flashers and front white lights, don the balaclava and the white helmet and the yellow jacket and find a way to bicycle commute year round.

Trickle Down? More Like Trickle Out

2010-11-08T12:36:00.001-06:00

There's political debate going on nationally and locally about repealing the Bush tax cuts from 2001 & 2003. Mostly, the debate centers around whether or not the taxes should be reinstated for those earning over $200K ($250K jointly) per year or not. Most seem to agree that they do not want to repeal the cut for folks making less than $200K.

One key argument for not taxing the rich is that rich people spend a lot of money buying things and that the manufacturers, sellers, and supply chain of those things all make money and stay employed as a result of the wealthy person's purchase. It's Reagan's trickle-down economics theory and it made sense in 1980 when most of what Americans bought was still manufactured right here in the USA.

But the manufacturing landscape has changed significantly since then. It's global now so when a wealthy person buys a new car they're not buying a Cadillac made in Detroit with American labor and American made parts. They're buying a BMW or Lexus that may or may not have been made in America. If it was made in America, the labor salary increase since 1980 has not kept up with the cost of living so the trickle down is barely a drip. And the supply chain for the car today mostly comes from Mexico or China or Malaysia so that money is really just trickling out of the American economy to others overseas.

By getting out of the manufacturing business the United States has caused a fundamental shift in the underpinnings of this economic theory.

Skeleton Found in Lowertown

2010-10-24T17:11:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: This was a fun hoax propagated by Black Dog Cafe to draw attention to their plight during the LRT construction. Got me! It did seem like that skeleton was buried a little shallow.

Check this out. During construction in Lowertown St. Paul for the light rail line the crew uncovered a skeleton outside the Black Dog Cafe right across the street from my condo.

I'm no astrologist, but it looks like a Loto Erectus to me -- a very rare find indeed!
Photo courtesy of @springboardarts.

Why Are Christians So Judgemental?

2010-10-24T08:24:00.006-05:00

These guys have demonstrated another brilliant use of Google search as cultural barometer. Verify it for yourself, too.

Taking Back the Streets

2010-10-23T10:15:00.001-05:00

Let's hear it for these kids in FLA!
(via Copenhagenize)

30 Days (Mostly) No Booze Complete

2010-10-22T17:40:00.004-05:00

The experiment has ended and it was a definite success, though not because I was completely dry for a month. My original goals of not drinking for a month were:

1. Be more healthy
2. Spend less money
3. Gauge the impact on my social life

Since I wasn't drinking I figured I might as well eat healthy, too, and I can report that I lost 8 pounds during the month. Estimated dollar savings is about $200, so both of those are significant numbers.

The downside I learned pretty quickly, however -- a hit on my social life. Good or bad, much of my social life involves hanging out at the bar with a friend or two. I love the atmosphere of dark bars and enjoy the conversation of friends. It was difficult to go through a weekend without feeling like I could go out at night and my strategy became to just be a hermit. Through limited contact with the outside world I could limit temptations.

When did I first break down? After surviving a work trip to Milwaukee (!) I broke down in Portland, OR. I didn't have to, but I was out with co-workers and it felt kind of inappropriate to be the one person not drinking. I'm sure that's psychologically a twisted reason, but it's how I felt. I did not, however, get drunk during the month. Took it pretty easy the 4 days I did drink.

So what did I learn?

I loved the healthy aspect and feel like I've gotten myself on a strong trend of eating healthier. I've found some new recipes which I think will stick with me for awhile. I also learned that drinking really is a social crutch for me and I'd like to learn how to broaden my socializing beyond the bar. Perhaps I'll join a knitting circle.

30 Days No Booze

2010-10-06T17:09:00.004-05:00

I'm at day 14 of going 30 days with no alcohol. I bet you're saying to yourself "now why would some crazy asshole go and pull a stunt like that?"

Coupla reasons.

First, I never would have even thought about it if I hadn't partaken last spring in 30 Days of Biking where the goal was for people to ride their bicycle every day for a month. It was a lot of fun and some guys made it a twitter happening labeled #30daysofbiking. I'm guessing there's a whole slew of other #30daysofwhatever going on, too.

But the alcohol one intrigued me for a couple more reasons, namely it's easier on my waistline and on my wallet to not drink so much. Plus, I'm just curious what it will be like to go a month without drinking and what affect it will have on my lifestyle.

Frankly, going out with the fellas for a few beers has become my primary mode of social interaction. Call it sad, but I really just enjoy hanging out in dimly lit bars with no more than 3 friends and enough quart...er...dollars to rock the jukebox all night long. Good times.

What's the verdict so far? I must say, it's been pretty easy except for a couple stressful days at work where I would have loved a few beers at the end of the day. And weekend nights have been kinda weird -- I've been watching a lot more movies. It's definitely been good for my waistline and my wallet, but my social life is taking a serious hit. I'll continue out the month without a whole lot of difficulty, but I'm not sure I'll need to do it again.

Follow it on twitter at #30daysnobooze

Albums I've Been Enjoying

2010-09-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

Been listening to a couple recent purchases a lot lately:

"Talkie Walkie" by Air
"One Fast Move or I'm Gone" by Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard

Air is a French band and "Talkie Walkie" came out in 2004, though I just purchased it a few months ago. Its a beautiful sound that is different from what I normally listen to. I must say I've been rewarded well the past few years by stretching my musical tastes to the likes of Air, LCD Soundsystem and Girl Talk.

"One Fast Move or I'm Gone" is the soundtrack to the movie about Jack Kerouac's time in Big Sur, CA writing his book "Big Sur". I'd heard about this soundtrack last year, but have been down on Farrar for the past decade or so. I was a huge Uncle Tupelo fan back in the early '90s and really loved his first Son Volt record "Trace", but felt he had stagnated as a songwriter (especially in comparison to former bandmate Jeff Tweedy of Wilco). And frankly he's not a whole lot different on this record, but the collaboration with Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie works extremely well here.

So I watched the Kerouac bio film several weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The soundtrack was also phenomenal so I picked it up and have been listening to it ever since.

Indonesia, Here I Come

2010-09-04T08:27:00.005-05:00

I pulled the trigger yesterday and purchased roundtrip airfare to Indonesia and will be spending the month of December there solo. It's all part of my attempt to live as intentionally as I can and to experience life to its fullest.

The inspiration behind Indonesia in December is because something I want to do is to learn to surf and Indonesia has awesome surfing and inexpensive living (though it is costing me $1,700 to get there). The plan is to start in Bali because that's where the best beginner surf is. But I hope to graduate beyond Bali's tourist center of Aussies & Eat, Pray, Love seekers to get up to the island of Sumatra. The swells (already talking like a surfer, dude) are world class there and there's an orangutan sanctuary that sounds pretty cool, as well as some amazing scuba diving and bicycling, though I'm not yet sure if I want to do the scuba diving or not, what with the certification and all.

Fortunately I have a job that allows me to get away with this -- a good company, an understanding boss, and enough ownership of my job responsibilities that I can plan for it and make it happen.

Other things I'd like to experience in a similar way in the coming years include:

trekking in the Himalayas
bicycle trip across a significant swath of someplace
meditative retreat of some sort
ski the Haute Route in Switzerland
safari in Africa
boat trip down the Mississippi
Paris deep dive
massive river cleanup campaign

Ideally I'd be able to experience these things with a close friend, preferably a girlfriend or wife. But I decided it'd be wise for me not to wait for that to happen so Indonesia, here I come. Hang loose.

My Podcasts

2010-07-08T17:47:00.002-05:00

This is what I've been consistently listening to via podcast for the past year or more. Great stuff. Obviously, all are highly recommended. I tend to gravitate to professionally produced NPR stuff. Anyone got any others to hip me to?

Superior hiking trail journal

2010-06-26T15:29:00.003-05:00

June 20-25, 2010

Day one. Silver bay to baptism river. First half had great vistas. Swam in bear lake. Struggle to find camp site in tettegouche and am covertly camping right beneath the falls. Awesome campsite. 11 miles.

Day two. Baptism river to Section 13. Cut short due to rain from 3:00 to 6:30. Great vistas incl. Fantasia and sawmill dome plus more. Saw bear pheasant deer. Awesome view after rain from atop section 13 cliffs. 9 miles.

Day three. Section 13 to east branch baptism river Wet in morning but great in afternoon. Swam at lillys island. A chorus of frogs at huge beaver dam in morning. Morning foggy but great wildflowers. 2nd night sleeping near running water. 13.5 miles.

Foggy a.m. wildflowers

Day four. East branch baptism river to west caribou river. 13 miles. Tough hilly day. Started out 0.7m in wrong direction. Doh! Great swim at cascade falls on manitou river. Rained a bit. Pheasant from prior day was maybe a grouse. Saw a couple more and heard drumming too. Sick of lowland forests and bogs. Want more vistas. Joined by an Outward Bound group of 9 at camp. Kids are diverse and are handling the rain really well. They seem to be getting along great too.

Day five. Caribou river gorge rest day. OB kids this morning were struggling with ancient water filter to fill 9 water bottles so i donated mine to Outward Bound. It'll save them 45 minutes every morning and they'll get more use out of it in the next three weeks than I would in three or more years. Felt good and they were appreciative.
Kickass waterfall massage in caribou river gorge. 70' waterfall that I could lay my back into and it felt so good.

Day six. More rain. Shuttle back to car.

Animals I saw:

4 snakes
1 bear
1 deer
3 grouse
Woodpeckers
Frogs
Red squirrels
1 hawk

Highlights:

Fantasia overlook
Hiking above bean and bear lakes
Swimming at Lilly island in lake sonju, cascade falls in manitou river, caribou river huge falls with massage
Wildflowers including that three petaled purple one and the foggy field I took a photo of
Chorus of frogs at beaver dam
Bear sighting
Swooping raven
Sawmill Dome overlook of Finland
Woodpeckers at Crosby manitou park entrance
Poaching first night of camping beneath falls
Donating my new water purifier to Outward Bound
View from Section 13 cliffs after rainstorm
The book I read: best American travel writing 2009

How to import GPS maps to iPhone

2010-06-12T10:07:00.004-05:00

Original Map Source: Cyclopath

buy MotionX for iPhone (it's just a few bucks)
go to cyclopath
map your route
go to Route Details tab
click AS GPX
save the file
go to http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert_input
upload the file into a Browse option
select GPX
click CONVERT
Save output file as *.gpx
Email to gpsimport@motionx.com
A reply email will be sent back to you
open it in iPhone and follow instructions

Original Map Source: Google Maps

buy MotionX for iPhone (it's just a few bucks)
go to google maps
map your route
click the LINK option in upper right
copy the link
go to http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert_input
paste the google maps link into the URL line
select GPX
click CONVERT
Save output file as *.gpx
Email to gpsimport@motionx.com
A reply email will be sent back to you
open it in iPhone and follow instructions

The Most Efficient Machine in History

2010-05-15T10:39:00.001-05:00

The Most Efficient Machine in History
Originally uploaded by Mikael Colville-Andersen / Zakka

Awesome graphic. I need to take myself a graphic design class so I can make this and other ideas into posters, signs, stencils or stickers.

For Lowertown? No, Thank You

2010-03-25T18:42:00.003-05:00

Lowertown may be the latest hot 'hood around here, but please join me in rebuking Bill Murray's idea of bringing his Caddyshack: The Restaurant to downtown St. Paul. Now I'm a big fan of Caddyshack and I'm glad that Murray's St. Paul Saints are slated to move to within a block and a half of my condo building. But this is taking it too far. No, thanks.

http://www.murraybroscaddyshack.com/restaurant/

At least they serve a bullshot.

High Water

2010-03-21T14:08:00.005-05:00

Flood a comin' to St. Paul. The river is getting pretty high and is expected to crest on Wednesday. Hopefully my basement will stay dry.

Like a Virus

2010-03-02T11:05:00.001-06:00

...will the new OK Go video wend through our society

The Alleyways of Lowertown

2010-02-28T09:08:00.002-06:00

Ever since I've lived in Lowertown St. Paul I've been attracted to the alleys. My first experience was probably loading my band gear in to the rock club 4th St. Station (formerly known as Ryan's and now known as Station 4) through a cool T-shaped alley. I've been meaning to take a crude, amateurish stab at a photo essay of some sort, so maybe this one I nabbed with the iPhone last week will get me started.

Whosoever Will May Come?

2010-02-12T09:24:00.004-06:00

Spotted this signed doorway while walking from work (downtown Mpls) to the Gopher basketball game via the Weisman Museum last night. Lovepower is the name of Christian mission (or something) at 7 Corners (Mpls). On one side of the building is painted in huge letter "Whosoever Will May Come" next to a big image of Jesus. And on the doors to actually getting into the building is posted this sign. Twice.

The Times...

2010-01-26T20:57:00.001-06:00

These days I'm a lot more interesting on Twitter.

--------
Kirk is... goin' mobile.

Drinks for Four

2010-01-19T15:49:00.000-06:00

Grand Canyon Photos

2009-12-12T09:03:00.007-06:00

Here are photos of my recent trip with Mikko to the Grand Canyon & Environs. Some of the pics also include Zion National Park, Grand Staircase / Escalante National Monument, Sedona, Las Vegas and other stuff 'round about those parts.

Click here for the full photo album

Lowertown on the Ups

2009-12-06T16:29:00.002-06:00

More cool happenings down in Lowertown. In addition to the proposed St. Paul Saints stadium and the light rail, a couple new joints on Mears Park are opening as Mears continues to emerge as a legitimate nightspot.

This from the St. Paul Condo Blog

More interesting news coming out of Lowertown! A while back I posted about Bin Win Bar coming, and also some musings of a super secret night club/bar, well now it's got a name Club Louie (a sort of Dakota Jazz Club for this side of the river).

The real news is what is being proposed (Mark, you must be psychic). The Restaurant owners of the Bulldog, Barrio, Bin, and Louie are working behind the scenes to make an outdoor cafe along 6th Street, fronting Mears Park! The plan would be to eliminate the parking on 6th between Wacouta & Sibley. They would also ask Metro Transit that the stop be eliminated all together. They want to extend the side walk out into the bus lane to create an outdoor cafe. Something tells me the owners of Trattoria da Vinci is cursing their location now!

So far, reaction from a limited audience has been positive and from what I hear, they want to have this ready for the Spring/Summer patio season!

Next up for the plan is a hearing before the Development Review Committee of CapitolRiver Council on Tuesday morning (Dec 8th).

NBA, MLB, WHO

2009-12-06T16:27:00.004-06:00

Mocked up this Townshend logo.

AFTER

BEFORE

Corkscrews Are For Suckers

2009-11-04T12:59:00.000-06:00

Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon

2009-09-27T20:58:00.005-05:00

I spent the past 3 hours drinking $2 Lone Star bottles at Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon in Austin, TX. Why did I go there? First, I'm in Austin for business. Second, I saw that country truebador Dale Watson was playing there. Third, I saw their website and new I couldn't turn it down.

Where I come from, musicians don't play from 4-8pm on a Sunday evening. But in TX, they do. Ginny's is about 5 minutes north of downtown Austin and when I drove by I was surprised to see a bunch of people sitting in the parking lot on chairs it appeared they had brought (brung) with them. It turned out that Dale was between sets and after everyone had stood in line to purchase their chickenshit bingo ticket, they just hung out out back with their buddies drinkin' their Lone Stars or Buds. In fact, I don't think I saw anyone in the joint drinking anything other than a bottle of Lone Star or a bottle of Bud.

I found myself a lean at the bar in the bandbox joint that is smaller than my 1000 square foot condo and awaited the next set. The clientele was mostly dressed in jeans & boots, even in the 94 degree heat. The band had their little 4-piece setup in a corner -- drums, bass, pedal steel, and Dale on Telecaster & vocals.

At first, I was intimidated by the long line to the chickenshit bingo so I initially passed on it. But the buzz in the entire joint during Dale's set was: When is that chicken gonna shit? Chickenshit bingo is just as it sounds: A chicken coop sitting atop the pool table is turned into a 6x9 grid, randomly numbered 1 through 54. You buy a ticket for a number. The chicken is placed into the coop which is scattered with chickenfeed and wait. Lucky winner pockets $114 or has a chance to swap it for the money in Dale Watson's pocket (just like Let's Make a Deal). It's an amazing microcosm of Texas culture.

Alas, my bullshit iPhone camera is busted. I know! How does that happen?! So I am unable to share photos. But let me say that this was absolutely a Top Five music/cultural event of all time and put all those SXSW experiences to shame.

Wish U were here.

Twitter Evolution

2009-09-14T12:50:00.003-05:00

I set up a Twitter account a few months ago in order to keep up-to-date on the rumors and goings on of the NHL entry draft. Soon after I branched out a bit and started following other entities I appreciate like Outside magazine and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations TV show. I'll occassionally tweet myself, but usually only mundane crap when I'm killing time on the bus or after I've had a few drinks.

But now people are signing up to follow me and receive all my brief blurbs in their inbox or instantly to their mobile device. I'm not exactly sure why. Have they looked at my Twitter history? There's nothing out there of interest. Maybe they're just mining the data in order to learn when I'm not home, break into my condo and steal collection of vintage vinyl. I dunno.

Most surprising of all was earlier today when one of my most revered magazines of all time started to follow me -- Powder magazine, the bible of serious downhill skiing. Now I feel like I should be launching more big air, taking pictures, and posting it in order to keep the interns at Powder interested.

Is this how Twitter grows?

1. Normal people like me try it out just to see how it works
2. A team of diabolical insiders with fancy sounding names subscribes to the tweets of all these normal people, even though they're not saying anything
3. Normal people feel pressure to gain approval of their followers, so they start tweeting more regularly and more cleverly.
4. The whole system is now strengthened

Bully for Twitter. They still need to figure out how to make money off it, though.

Loser

2009-09-08T20:11:00.002-05:00

I may have lost ar pulltabs at Mick's Office, but the children of the
Moorhead Youth Hockey Association are the real winners...or at least
the recipients of 10 of my American dollars.

We all know that half the kids are losers after every game.

In Fargo

2009-09-08T19:43:00.001-05:00

Drove up to Fargo-Moorhead this afternoon for work. My USB connection
from iPhone to stereo crapped out on me while listening to a podcast
episode of This American Life, but fortunately I always carry some
recorded music on those old fashioned compacted discs. Soundtrack
included:

Iffy - Biota Bondo

Halloween, Alaska - Champagne Downtown

Now I'm off to Mick's Office for dinner and beer Moorhead style.

--------
Kirk is... goin' mobile.

At the lake

2009-09-04T17:41:00.003-05:00

Gorgeous evening at the lake. Soundtrack on the scenic drive up from
St. Peter consisted of:

Son Volt - Wide Swing Tremolo
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Rev. Horton Heat - miscellaneous

--------
Kirk is... goin' mobile.

Suburban office park hell

2009-09-01T07:16:00.000-05:00

I'm spending Monday to Wednesday this week in a corporate training
facility in Suburban office park hell. I think it has become crystal
clear to me that I really don't enjoy listening to strangers tell
stories about their children or impart to me in some other way how
their entire life revolves around their kids.

To wit: when sharing our "best recent entertainment experience" two of
the people at my table said the Harry potter movie and one said going
to the bouncy air castle fun park in Eden prairie with her kid for a
birthday party. Ughh. I said the Sonic Youth concert at first ave.

Times like these reinforce to me how little I have in common with so
many people. Truthfully, I'm a bit repulsed by these situations.

--------
Kirk is... goin' mobile.

Minneapolis a Top Biking City

2009-06-23T19:06:00.004-05:00

So says Travel & Leisure magazine (via). But wait...the author of the article is Stephen Regenold, he of the Strib's occasional health & fitness article. Not sure if he lives here or freelances, but either way I think he has an accurate view of how great biking around the Twin Cities is.

Song of the Day by Dinosaur Jr.

2009-06-23T18:46:00.002-05:00

What do you do when there's already another band called Dinosaur? Just become Dinosaur Jr., of course. Sonic legends are back with yet another critically acclaimed album. Check out the amusing first video from it here, or better yet, click through to the YouTubes and watch it in amazing full-screen high def glory!

"Over It" by Dinosaur Jr.

Playing Blitzhosen

2009-06-22T10:03:00.003-05:00

I bought the new iPhone yesterday, 32G version, and had a blast playing with it last night. One cool new feature is voice recognition. You can call somebody or play a certain song just by saying it. In fact, one of the first things I did was accidentally put it in voice activation mode.

So after I got it synched up with iTunes, I went to test it out last night...

Kirk: "Play song by Replacements"
iPhone (in computerized female voice): "Playing Blitzhosen"
Kirk: "No, no..." [resetting voice activation to try again]
Kirk: "Play song by The Re-Place-Ments"
iPhone: "Playing Blitzhosen"

Probably the first and last time those 2 bands will be mixed up. Blitzhosen was a band that Gone Out Gone played a few shows with back in the day. They were pretty good, for a young band, but only put out one demo EP that I'm aware of. It has a couple good songs on it, but ain't no Replacements.

Poor Man's Girl Talk?

2009-05-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

pretty cool mashup. Dude's making sweet music out of it, too.