Camera Phones FTW

When I replaced my cell phone earlier this year, the one thing I wanted was a decent camera phone, since there were too many times while in possession of my other phone that Kodak Moments were missed. I have used the camera many times, and here are some of the results.


Biker Bear in Vancouver, Canadia

















These bears were all around the street of Vancouver, B.C., last May on a trip I made to our neighbors in the north. This one in particular caught our eye. My friend Rodney and I were smitten.


Creations from the Dark Side


These horrifying monuments to human bad taste were for sale in the quaint town of Leavenworth, Washington. Yes, that is a shelf on that woman's boobs, and apart from the Neverland Ranch I see no place in existence where those toilet paper holders should reside. But they must bring someone, somewhere, joy and for that I am happy.












Target Practice

















This from the back side of the urinal troff (yes, that's right) at the Seattle Eagle. I have pissed on him many times and I can tell you it's one of the most satisfying experiences one can have in all of Seattle. I recommend a trip there immediately. Drink extra beer for increased ammo.


Last But By No Means Least


















The shear number of comments that can be made about this sign, from the window of the Honolulu Tower Hooters, is staggering. My mind reels. I will let it speak for itself and only pose this one question; do the Hooters get sore from all the kids they have to feed, all day, every day?

What's that smell?

"God is dead"

Nietzsche's lantern carrying sage descended from the mountains with that message, his dismay at being ignored overcome by calm when he realized "Oh... I have come to soon." And he certainly had, that was over 100 years ago. It was scandalous at the time, and probably only the fact that during his lifetime Nietzsche's writings were not particularly popular kept more harm from not being leveled his way. Character assassination was about the best that could be done as he had first gone crazy then died long before his works became standard reading. Interestingly, that same statement would again be equally as scandalous today amongst many in the mainstream, certainly to our glorious president it would be, though I'd like to hope he doesn't represent the mainstream (but I fear to an extent he does). In the roughly 120 years since it's publication, has God really died any more?

I wonder this because of a book I too am now reading, the End of Faith. I'm having a difficult time getting through it because I'm finding so much to loath about humanity in it. I knew about the Spanish Inquisition, the various witch "trials" throughout Europe and the early U.S., but reading graphic details of what people did to other people in those times was unreal. And all done in the name of Jesus and the protection of "society", "children", and "our neighbors". If there is any doubt as to the equanimity of Christian insanity and Muslim insanity, one need only pick up a history book. But certainly that will not happen, since the only book the modern citizen needs is the Bible, right?

A few years ago I was teaching at a summer music camp in Spokane, WA. Being fairly rural (despite it's size of nearly 600,000 people) and near to Idaho, there are various fundamental sects all around the area. I grew up running into them often enough, as well as run of the mill mainstream fanatics, the ones that seem so normal until they start to talk (you know, the president's "base"). One of those I ran into at the music camp, she was a violinist and we struck up a conversation before lunch. We continued it through all of lunch and the break afterward, about an hour and a half worth. While there were many highlights to the insanity, this one still sticks out in my mind;

"You can't have too open a mind, or the thoughts will fall out."

This girl, who was about 17, was bright and articulate, obviously talented and smart, but also from a profoundly fundamentalist family. When I heard her say that I had the thought trumpet through my mind "Oh... I've come too late."

I've thought of her comment many times while I've read, since it seems to be the underlying philosophy for most of humanity, whether they would admit it or not, and I'm finding it wildly disturbing. While I would like to be able to sit back and say "bah, let the crazies do what they will, I'll do my thing they can do theirs," I can't. Religion has become outdated, superfluous, and downright dangerous, and this I've been reminded of after reading only 1/4 of the book. God's time has come, and it's time for humanity to open their minds and stop worshiping over a rotting corpse.

Because really God has been dead for a very long time now, we've just become used to the smell.

Late Night Ode

I sat down to write in my little red book last night, the one that has "journal" etched on the front, but that has been used as one very infrequently. Mostly it's filled with random aphorisms, ideas for books, and the occasional ranting, but rarely anything "journal" like. It was about 10:30pm, Hawai'i time, on Sept. 5th. That means it was about 1:30am, Seattle time, on Sept. 6th. I'm in Hawai'i right now, so I'm three hours in the past, depending of course on where the present happens to reside. Since it was the day that it was, and now is, I chose to reside the present in Seattle, which made it my birthday, last night and all day today.

Birthdays and New Years. They may as well be the same thing, don't you think? Each are a measurement of time, divided annually, one marks the year of "It" ("It" is 2006 years old), the other marks the year of "I" ("I" am 28 years old). In the spirit of conservation, I would argue for a combining of the two, saving on greeting cards, but making the birthday paramount I think by answering the question "What year is It?",with "Who the fuck cares?! I'M 28!!"

Conservation in this case sucks though, and in that bad way that binding underwear and bad driving suck, not in the good way that, well... other things suck. Two days (unless you are unfortunate enough to be a Dec. 31st/Jan. 1st baby, to whom I say "couldn't mom have pushed a little earlier or held you in a bit longer??" -sigh- it's a shame....) for reflection, celebration, meditation, inbibation, the -tion of your choice really, are better than one in my book.

Every New Year I think about the year that has passed. All the events, the happenings, the ups, the downs, the side to sides. It's very external, reaching inward. How has the year effected, and affected, me? What will next year be like? Who will I kiss at midnight, will he be cute, and what will that portend for the rest of the new year? You know, the important questions. And everyone else is along for the same ride, it's very communal and global.

Birthdays though... they are different. No one else is celebrating that day for themselves, they are celebrating for you. It's your day, and it's a day to think about yourself and your world. It's about inward looking outward now, about how you effected and affected your year, how you have changed and how you will be changed in the next year. It's a milestone that while others may see it, only you can feel.

Christmas is what it is (we love it but we hate it, you know what I mean), Thanksgiving can be fun, but I don't know why every day can't be full of good food, family, friends, and thanksgiving (and pumpkin pie... /drool) and there isn't much of a milestone quality to it. Valentine's day is great, if you have someone to be great with, otherwise it is a searing needle in the eye reminding you of your loneliness, and Easter is merely a farce.

I prefer birthdays and new years to them all. For both I've been in Hawai'i, by design mostly, and through the kindness of others the design has come to pass, and there's no other place I'd rather be for either. For whatever the hardships of the last year, either It's year or My year, I'm with people I love in a place I love, and it makes me feel like My year can only continue to get better.

Thanks to you both
XOXOXOX