Actual Good News

My Eichhorn has arrived. Thanks Stephen.

The Good News

Kevin Eubanks leaving Leno to allow more time to tour and record.

Cabin in New York

This article in the New York Times reminded me of many things. One is that my pal Chris and I used to talk about building a cabin in an otherwise cabinless neighborhood in Sacramento. I still think about that. Yesterday I was running through a housing development with gigantic houses and I noticed a lot for sale. My first thought was to build a humble, rustic cabin on the lot. My second thought was that I couldn't afford it.
And I was reminded of a guy named Bill who used to have a cabin next to my family cabin until his cabin was swept away in an avalanche. Bill lives in Manhattan and claims that his apartment looks exactly like a cabin in the woods. Incidentally, Bill looks exactly (sort of) like an old Iggy Pop (I know, Iggy Pop is an old Iggy Pop).
Thirdly, the part about the sack of potatoes reminded me of the summer I spent at the cabin and ate potatoes. I ate Potatoes for every meal for weeks, maybe years. In the end, I spent a night throwing up potatoes.

Young Adult Genre

Working on a young adult novel(a) with photos and words. Above are the actors playing the protagonists.

Found

Diego and I found this skull on our walk today.

Package

Today I got a package in the mail from an old friend variously known as Chuck, Chuckie V, Carlos V, and Funny Bone.

Cds?

Kraftwerk's Tour De France cd and a Devo CD.

And 10 more Devo CDs, A Mark Mothersbaugh CD (Muzik for Insomniacs) and a couple of Devo tribute cds.

Not to mention a can of tuna, a toothbrush, some almonds, some Carlos V candy bars ("milk chocolate style"), a bike multi-tool, a cycling jersy, a camp towel, an Auduban field guide to North American Birds, Into the Wild by John Krakauer, Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots and Leaves and a book about reading weather patterns.

This isn't the first time Chuck has given me his stuff. In the 80s he gave the first (and probably only) issue of the Club Devo newsletter, The Brainwasher. I still have it. He did not give me the Yellow Suit which was fine because the letters, D, E, V and O wore off.
Although it is super fun to get a package in the mail and even funner when it is full of Devo Cds, there is also a bitter-sweet quality to this gift. It is like saying goodbye to part of our childhood. The Devo part. We used to write Devo all over our high school: on walls, clocks, lockers, girls. We never really got close enough to girls to write on them. Chuck, I suppose, is lightening his load, getting rid of worldly possessions. That is cool. Everyone admired Ghandi and he hardly owned anything. I imagine small part of Chuck did not want to get rid of all this stuff. But a bigger part of him did. (I will not specify parts). How should I feel for wanting this stuff? Is there a message? Should I re-evaluate my life? Should I give away a bunch of stuff? I was thinking I might weigh the contents of the box and give away an equal amount. Maybe I'll send it to Chuck.

If this sounds ungrateful, it aint. I love Chuck and love that he thought of me when he decided to give stuff away. Thanks Chuck. Any spare bikes?

The Visitors

Stephen

Stephen and Luke

Visitors

Brainstorming

Wet brainstorming

Hot, wet brainstorming

Visitors

I've got visitors from out of town coming tonight. I've made these makeshift beds with borrowed foam-rubber pads from T and J. When I texted that I was coming over to borrow pads, T, or J said "that would be no problem. We also have tampons." Understandable mistake. I guess.

Each guest is provided with a small selection of reading material (On the Origin of Species, The Complete Bicycle, a biography of John James Audubon, and some sailing books) art, and a small mammal of his choice.

In this photo the small mammal is trying to dig a hole through the bed.

Visitors just called. Plane delayed.

Late Night

I was thinking about bloging about Leno/O'brian but this dog beat me to it.

Colton Harris-Moore

Self-portrait taken with stolen camera

Maybe if you didn't leave your keys in your airplane Colton Harris Moore wouldn't steal it.


Colton Harris-Moore - it seems plausible that his parents were hoping for a notorious criminal when they named him, like when a mother names her kid Lincoln Jefferson Kennedy, she might have political aspirations for her kid. To my ear, Colton (he even has Colt in his name) Harris-Moore sounds like a gunfighter or the guy who robbed the stage coach. I can almost hear the town folk on the small Washington Island, Camano, repeating, "Colton Harris-Moore," in hushed tones as he walks through the center of town.
Sheriff Mark Brown said he did not understand why people would idolize a thief which has me wondering if Sheriff Brown has ever read a book or seen a movie. Those things are full of thieves as heroes. It might not be right but it is fun. It is even funner when the thief is a kid.

His mom tells us that Harris-Moore took and IQ test and was 3 points lower than Einstein's. Wikipedia tells us that Einstein never took an IQ test. But still, 3 points under a genius like Einstein is pretty good.

A mother's pride rarely relies on the truth.

I became a fan of him on facebook before I realised there are real fan pages for the little (6-foot-5, 210-pound) guy.

Wildlife Photography

This is what a photo looks like when it is taken in the dark and then drastically adjusted in Photoshop. This image was almost pure black until I adjusted it. I am debating whether or not to put it in my portfolio to send to National Geographic.

Mouse

There was a mouse living in my car in August. Now there is either another mouse living in my car or the original mouse is still there. I am going to have to get a cat. For my car.

Fall

Not sure if I like this or if it bugs me or both (I heard that Julia McWilliams bugged Paul Child before their long and happy marriage). What I do like is that it is no more a photo trick than turning a picture on its side. I like Rodney Graham's upside down trees but I am not so sure they did not bug me the first time I saw them.

Overheard at a Cafe

I heard these guys - mostly one guy talking - about their band:

I’ve learned not to hitch my wagons too tight to her because like you said one bout of bronchitis and she’s ready to kill herself

You gotta keep taking those pills

Lets sit down and do a listening session - if I get a list of your songs. It’s a really easy stream of income. 300 bucks a night.

We don’t have to worry about no one. We don’t have to worry about Kevin, we don’t have to worry about Andy, we don’t have to worry about none of those guys.

I think we should take catfish to a gigging level

If anyone wants a three piece bluesy smokin’ band they got it -

You and I and drummer to be named later…

Once we learn the songs - you wrote ‘m so you ain’t never gonna forget ‘em. Once I learn them we will be able to play them at a moments notice.

Thank goodness

Yes

Right

Exactly

Yeah, yeah

Right

Yep

Well I think so too. She called me in a tizzy. I didn’t even call her back

She’s either busy or mad at me

OK. She’ll probably call me back tonight

Tell her you talked to me tell her everythings good

We can squeeze a practice in Saturday

Or Sunday. If not all of next week is open too.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Next time you talk to him tell him you know me.

Oh, that’s perfect.

Right

Blue Tooth Ranch

This is where I spent New Years with some dear old friends (some dear, some old).

This is the old bridge. Back when this was a cattle ranch, before it was a grape ranch, this bridge was the only way to get the cattle from the pasture to the the slaughter house.

The Pasture.

The dear old chicken and her colleagues.

The hedge. Every time I visit the Blue Tooth there is something new. This is as much a statement about my memory as it is about actual changes.

The guard dog. The sweet, young guard dog.

Sid Ames

A former neighbor. I stole this picture from his profile on a popular social networking site.

Flooded Truck

Maybe park with the tailgate on the downhill side next time.

Christmas

Two of my favorite Christmas presents: St. Labre Indian School Salt and Pepper Shakers. I can imagine Him walking around the Holy Land salting and peppering the poor people's fish (that He taught them to catch) with these handy, durable, and stylish shakers.