born under a super harvest moon eclipse

Despite having dropped my camera in the water two months ago and not having it work, I brought it to Nebraska with the hopes of reviving it. Thankfully, the old rice trick worked again and cleared the water out of the lens so I was able to take pics of the lunar eclipse. I sat outside on my parents' back porch and watched it happen, photographing it every now and then just to see how much progression had actually taken place (and to get a good photograph).

It was the harvest moon, a super moon, and a lunar eclipse. It's pretty cool that all of that came together, especially because I became an uncle again today. My brother and sister-in-law welcomed little Caleb James into the world today. I'm glad I'll be able to see him so soon after arriving into the world!

What else?
Two new things today: walking over the viaduct in Gibbon today to go to their big park which Ava loved and cooking sweet potato chips with my mom and sister. I loved it all.

part of the recovery process

I'm feeling a bit better since my accident but I'm still hurting. I can't ride my bike due to my tailbone, I can't work-out due to my ribs (which I tried to do yesterday and failed miserably) and I can't really bend over because my back is so torqued. I figured I could fix the back thing by loosening the muscles around it and that meant a massage! :)

I didn't go back to my usual masseur, Jeffrey today because he's all the way up in NE Portland and I'm not biking. Instead, I decided to try Earth Body massage on Belmont. It was great and I think it did help my back some. This evening, it was easier to bend over to pick up Dean's poo so I must be a bit better. :)

What else?
Andrew and I met downtown to eat at Beau-Thai and then go see the swifts. It's a great date activity and it's free. For the first time, I saw hawks appear to try to grab the swifts. It's pretty awesome that so many people gather to see them every year here.

the bridges

The first picture above is the exact spot where Dean first learned to swim 11 years ago. I kicked a beer can into the river when he was a pup and he jumped in to fetch it. He went under quick and surfaced a second later, splashing around. He looked panicked for a second or two and then I saw the realization wash over him and he started swimming in circles. It was one of my proudest moments as a dog companion.

The second picture is where he really learned to walk off leash. He walked off leash in town here and there when he was young but out on this trail, he really was able to step out several yards in front of me and I was able to trust that he would come back.

The last picture shows the remnants of the bridge. We used to call the trail here "The Bridges" because there were two long well-constructed bridges out here just east of Kearney. A bunch of us who worked at the video store would come out here at night, just to hang out and do something other than go to a party or play video games. Mostly, we would just spook ourselves out and get in a good walk to look at the stars. I guess the first bridge burned down three years ago in a wildfire.

One of the goals with bringing Dean back was to take him back here. He seemed to enjoy it. I had to improvise a bit since the first bridge was burned down. I remembered that Shawn had taken us out there once on an intersecting road. Thanks to google maps, I was able to figure it out quick and make it there so we could at least get to the second bridge. It's weird to think that it's been ten years since I've been here last!

getting tanked

Tanking has to be a uniquely Nebraskan event. Basically, you sit in plastic cattle tank with benches and a table inside and float down the river. We floated down the Cedar River which is pretty shallow. I walked through several parts of it and it never got above my waist except for one part. That's why tanking is preferable to tubing or rafting. You're still floating but your butt isn't skimming the bottom of the river bed.

It was a lot of fun and a great family activity. We gathered at Lake Ericson in Ericson, NE and were bussed to our starting location. You can fit 4-6 people in a tank comfortably and there was eight of us so we took two tanks and tied them together. The dogs didn't go because we didn't think there would be room for Dean so Oliver stayed behind to keep him company. Along the way, we hit the river banks, stopped at a beaver dam, looked at and held the tadpoles, splashed each other with cold springs water and watched the wildlife, all while drinking cheap beer. I'm so glad my mom suggested it!

biomimicry

 I went to a speech tonight at Science Pub, a bi-monthly event that OMSI puts on, usually at McMenamins' pub theaters. Today, Richard Louv was speaking about biomimicry. I don't have any particular interest in this and, really, I didn't even know what it was before going to the speech but I was looking for a new thing to do and Sophia's talked up the Science Pubs quite a bit so I decided to give it a shot.

It was very educational and right on with my line of thinking. To sum up what I learn, we as people have pretty much assigned ourselves to either sticking our head in the ground and not thinking about the future or we've accepted that the future will be some post-apocalyptic wasteland where true nature (a vast diversity of flora and fauna) will be a distant memory. I guess I subscribe to the latter category. However, assigning ourselves to a shitty fate is making us lethargic about being able to do anything to change it. It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy now.

Sustainability really isn't the key either as it implies just maintaining an equilibrium with nature which is a difficult balance to keep up. Instead, we need to be more creative and look to nature to model our dwellings, our habits and our lives after. Ignore the hippie connotations of this concept but we need to become one with nature. We also need to get our kids back into nature. Kids are lost in a world of technology and ADHD diagnoses. By making nature a more relevant part of our kids lives, nature will become more valued and incorporated. I think that's about it.

Anyway, I think that I could spend days at this guy's seminar. I should probably just buy his book. However, I've got too many other books to read right now and it's summer. Biomimicry isn't exactly light reading.

What else?

Speaking of summer and school, I got my grades back yesterday. Another A. That's another whole year of solid A's!

kiss the rain

It was one of those moments that I will treasure. We were biking back from the St John's Bridge as another thunderstorm rolled upon us. Thunder, lightning, wind, and then rain. Lots and lot of rain. I've never felt like I have biked through solid water before today. We were in northwest Portland and we tried to keep going but had to stop and I found an awning in front of a closed store. We were cold and wet and overwhelmed by the weather but we had each other. It was one of those things I would dream about as I watched an afternoon full of soap operas when I was a kid. Sigh.

What else?
On a side note, we stopped at Proper Eats for most kick-ass Tempeh Reuben ever.

fireworks: man vs nature

The Rose Fest fireworks show happened tonight. Andrew and I went down there with Victory and Ashes. It was Andrew's first time going to see them. We went really close to the water's edge and watched them without many other people around. I think a lot of people were scared off because there was a thunderstorm just a few hours earlier. Those are so rare here that I bet a lot of people just stayed indoors. It was my first thunderstorm in Muffin HQ. I hope we get more of them this year!

What else?
On Wednesday 5/23, we finished our accreditation process. I remember last time we were accredited, I was thrilled with the results. This year, I couldn't have really cared less. I don't think that it's a true survey or that we had to answer for much.

On Thursday, 5/24, Andrew and I went to the Caldera Pub House where I had the Tabor Salad for the first time! Sooooo good.

eclipsed

There was a solar eclipse today. They say you're not supposed to look directly at it. However, there was just enough cloud cover in Portland to make it safe but still visible. I was unaware of how quickly these things happened. I was biking home from watching a Timbers game at 442 and I looked up to see that it was maybe 40% covered. I biked two more blocks, looked up again and saw the image pictured above. I don't think I've ever looked at a solar eclipse before. Being the superhero geek I am, I was hoping that this would be when I got my superpowers. C'mon telekinesis!

What else?

I went to Knott Park today with Dean to watch Ashes play soccer on his team Pelada against Old Growth, a group sponsored by the Timbers for over 40 people. They played for 120 minutes and the score was 11-0 Pelada. It was fun to watch it, even if it was in the rain.

On Tuesday 5/15, I tried a different kind of the Mac & Cheese at Herb's cart.

On Wednesday 5/16, Andrew and I went to Proof for the first time. They had good drinks and okay food.

On Friday 5/18, I found out that I got a raise! It's only 2% but it's still the first raise I've had in years (due to them paying for my schooling).

On Saturday, 5/19, Andrew and I hung out, walked around and went to A Better Cycle for the first time, just because we were passing by and I needed a new thing for the day.

the waterfall wedding

I'm so damned proud of this photo!
I was expecting a typical family wedding when I originally decided to come up to Alaska for my cousin Kelsey's wedding. Kelsey has always been less traditional than most of the the other cousins that have gotten married but I figured it would an outdoor wedding but otherwise it would be by-the-book. Well, today I found myself in a bus-limo, being driven out to a waterfall outside Anchorage, drinking champagne with four other gay guys and their supportive family. How f***ing fabulous is that?

A half-brother of the groom and a cousin of the groom are both gay and partnered and pretty awesome. The parents, grandparents and siblings are all really supportive too which made me feel super comfortable too. I just loved it all. Plus the ceremony was simple and sweet and under two minutes.

What else?

My aunt, my cousin, my parents and I all went outside Anchorage to see some sights and some salmon. I was a little disappointed by the lack of wildlife around but I did get to see some salmon.

decor-fixation

Part of moving into a new setting means a renewed compulsion to buy new-to-me furniture.  When I first moved into my house in Nebraska, I did something similar except I ordered new furniture. Despite what Fight Club taught me, I decided that the only way to make my house feel complete was to order a couch out of JCPenneys or Sears catalog.  I came into a sum of money through inheritance so I didn't feel bad about lavishly spending it.  However, it got complicated.  I don't remember all of how it went but here's what I can recall.

I ordered a big couch and it was supposed to be delivered one day I had off work.  I waited home and finally called the company in the afternoon to see where it was.  Their response was, "Oh, we thought you were dead."  Apparently, they had called to verify the delivery time but had called the wrong number and got someone in Colorado who thought it would be more efficient to say that I was dead rather than "you have the wrong number."  So, I got my couch.  Since it was a new couch and the rest of my furniture was second-hand, it looked really awkward.  I ended up calling them and telling them I didn't want the couch after all.  They said they would come get it and refund my money.  They did end up refunding my money but they never picked up the couch.  Also, they sent me another couch.  I can't really remember what happened to one of the couches but I gave the other one to my brother who got a new free couch.

Anyway, I can't fathom ordering furniture new anymore, especially through a catalog.  What I really need is a dresser because my new room will have a lot less closet room and plus I won't have the clothing storage room underneath my loft.  I visited several vintage furniture shops up Hawthorne.  I hit Lounge Lizard and Deco to Disco for the first time.  I also visited Vintage Pink.  They all had decent items but they were all way too pricey.  I ended up finding a couple of different dressers for the right price at House of Vintage.  It ended up being a tough choice but I think that I chose wisely, deciding on a blonde wood waterfall style dresser with five big drawers.  It had been reduced about 50% in price too so I think I got a good deal.

Now I just need nightstands...

What else?

 I biked around to my stores today for work.  I was planning on spending a while at each store so I didn't want to reserve a zipcar and the work van was already reserved so I biked.  While heading back from Clackamas up the Springwater Corridor, I saw a bunch of Canadian Goslings. They were so cute but I couldn't get very close for a picture because mom and dad were pretty protective.

doomsayer

Earlier today, my friend Jesse twittered out an article with a warning, stating gives you another theory as to how the world will end...soon.  I knew better than to click it.  I have a tendency to become depressed and dwell on these things.  However, curiosity got the best of me and I read it.  I'd pass on the same warning that Jesse did but I think I recovered from it quickly.  To sum it up, the article talks about how the events of the BP oil spill and other horrendous acts that BP has committed will bring upon the next mass extinction event.  While Arturo has talked about the impending mass extinction event, this article gave a much more updated timeline; six months.

Yikes, that's not a lot of time.  So instantly I think, "Should I quit school and go travel?"  "Do I really want to spend the last six months on earth doing this?"  I never really considered maybe building up a supply of food and water to sustain me through this mass extinction.  The air won't be breathable.  Living conditions will be horrendous.  Our current society panics when Facebook won't open.  I really don't think that we as humans will be in the 6% of life that is hypothesized to survive this mass extinction.  I guess I don't have that big of a problem with dying if everyone else is going to die too.  Creepy to think about but it's keeping me from going off of the deep end.

What else?
On the lighter side of it all, I went to the Los Gorditos food cart today.  It's not as close as the restaurant is to my work but it was more convenient at the time.  It was good but nothing spectacular.

I also went to Scott Pilgrim again and went out to Beulaland again.  It put me out late for a work night but, hey, there may only be six months left.  I can sleep when I'm part of the massively extinct.  I also met a clinical therapist at the bus stop while waiting for the 75 after the movie.  He just got done with work so I didn't want to bother him with my current issues right now but maybe it's something I may consider.

historical perspective

I think that I've learned more about the history of an area on this trip than I have on any vacation ever.  I had no idea what went on 56 million years ago here.  I'm bad with history, especially really ancient history but it's still significant...perhaps more significant than us right now.

You think about the grand time-line of things.  Things (mammals, reptiles, birds, etc) had been walking this spot tens of millions of years before humans were a concept.  Human history, in comparison, hasn't been that long, especially any history that we consider to be above prehistorical, aka 'civilization.'  Yet, despite the fact that we are a blip on the grand scale of things, we are still bringing on the next major extinction event.  That's man's legacy.

Today, I went to the last of the three John Day Fossil Bed exhibits (yesterday's was the Sheeprock Unit/Blue Basin), the Clarno Unit.  Each unit is very distinct, not only in appearance but also in regards to the participation level allowed to the visitors.  Painted Hills was pretty but without a lot of substance.  Sheeprock was very educational but there was a BIG emphasis on the "don't touch!"  Clarno let us walk amongst the rocks and find fossils on our own.  We pretty much stayed on path, only venturing slightly off to look at the sides of boulders which have fallen from the Wile-E rocks above.  They had exposed fossils of leaves and branches in them and, in some cases, whole tree trunks.  It was pretty awesome.

It got me thinking to what we're leaving behind.  Tens of millions of years from now, when maybe the lizards (or aliens) have evolved to excavate the earth, will they find the fossils left by tropical lava flows, consisting of cokes cans and remote controls? 

I'm not trying to be too down on humanity but I don't want to let us off the hook either.  We're really screwing up this world.  It's pretty evident when a state-run tourist attraction admits as much.

Still, I'm really glad I came out this way.  It was a great experience with a good friend that I will treasure.

woke up this morning

My day in pictures...

Last night, I fell asleep underneath the stars.  I made six wishes on falling stars, each one unique.

I woke up at 6:40 am because I can't sleep in tents and the sky was ablaze with vibrant energy.

In the middle of nowhere, between small and smaller towns, there was a leaf-barren tree that was decorated in old shoes.

I took an educational tour while out camping.  It reminded me of something that my parents would force me to do when I was younger.  Now it's my choice.

I walked through a blue canyon and held the cast of a creature that is a kin to saber tooth tigers.

I saw several herds of deer, each pausing too long to stare back at me from the side of the road.

I dipped my hand in a mountain lake, surrounded by cat-tails.  I haven't seen cat-tails since I used to visit the Missouri River as a child with my best friend and his dad.

I watched the sun go down in a different forest than I started the day in. 

Everything is new.

swifts

Since the 1980s, the swifts have been descending upon the chimney in the Chapman Elementary School in the fall, usually around late August and throughout September. The swift is actually the most aerial of birds, hardly ever choosing to voluntarily land on the ground but instead opting to roost in vertical structures.

The city of Portland has embraced this small but mighty natural wonder and encourages people to come roost on the lawn of the school and watch the swifts. They come from all over the horizon and begin to circle this chimney. When they are all moving together, it's a chirping funnel cloud that drifts and changes shape. It's like watching a 3-D painting, one of those ones from the 90's that make you cross your eyes to see the image. It's like that but in motion and gigantic.

The swifts probably start gathering in the mid to late afternoon but they don't start flocking around the chimney in a noticeable demonstration until around 7pm. By 8pm, they begin to funnel into the chimney, like the opposite of smoke, in the most natural of displays.

This was my first time seeing the swifts. I was enthralled by them but I was also awed by the crowd. There was a light murmur throughout the swifts' hovering over the chimney but there was a gentle cheering when they began to descend. It reminded me of watching fireworks with a large crowd of folks. However, this time there was no unnatural loud banging, there was not smoke and startling flashes. It was the calm drifting of a flock of swifts on a beautiful September dusk.

tubing or not tubing

That was the question before we began our day yesterday. It's my friend Jenn's birthday tomorrow so eight of us went tubing down the Sandy River from Ox Box Park to Danby Park. We weren't sure we were going to tube at all because it wasn't as warm as we'd have liked it but it ended up being fine. Then we weren't sure where to tube and fortunately, we decided on the river stretch with the Level 1 rapids instead of the Level 3. I don't think my ass could take the Level 3 in a tube.

I was hesitant about the idea of spending hours just floating but it was so serene and gorgeous. The water was chilly (I shrieked for the first two minutes) but our bodies adjusted quickly. There were a few shallow spots but that just broke up the monotony of the float. The rapid were a lot of fun as well. I think the best part of it was the scenery though. Damn, Oregon is beautiful. Plus, shortly after we set off, a deer spotted us and walked along the river shore with us for a while.

the first starfish i see

I've only been to the ocean seven times in my life. That's pretty bad considering I just live a few hours from the coast and the ocean is so magnificent. Since I don't get there very often, I'm easily impressed. Today, I was awed by the starfish.

At low tide, the ocean life came to the surface and I got a better view of what's normally just below the surface. There's just so much life there and the ocean has such an easy time concealing it, it makes me wonder two opposing thoughts at the first time. Initially, I began to wonder how we as a species could be so careless with what we dump into the ocean. Just because we can't see the life that's there, we are extra-insensitive to it. Then I wonder how much damage we can really do. I mean, the ocean is huge. I have no doubt that man has taken a significant toll on ocean life but it will be here LONG after we're gone. The latter thought is very comforting.

Back to the ocean life. Starfish look so amazing when they're alive. It's crazy to think that something that is that inanimate could be an animal. We saw close to a dozen of these creatures too and some sea urchins, mollusks and clams as well. There were sea gulls and albatrosses everywhere and a herd of sea lions were sunning themselves on the opposite shore of the bay. Pretty damn magnificent.

the sound of the bottom

There are a few things that go with me everywhere. I always have Aleve, my camera and my I-pod with me wherever I go. I can’t walk without my I-pod. Yesterday, it was the kind of day where I leave work early, give the finger to the dog park and go see the real birds. I grabbed my I-pod and took Dean to Oaks Bottom (if more dog parks looked like the Bottom, maybe I would go there). For the first ¼ of the walk, I was listening to my music. However, the sounds of the birds were so loud that they piqued my curiosity enough to make me take out my earphones. The sounds of the birds and the frogs and what-have-you were so soothing and crazy, they surpassed anything I had on my playlist.

I am from a generation raised on pop culture and portable music. Pop culture movies have taught me that the coolest scenes need to have a soundtrack and portable music has made that possible. I do a lot of walking through the city where cars pollute the sound waves along with the air so my I-pod makes sense most of the time. However, it’s nice to soak up the silence or the sweet song of nature whenever it is available. I walked a different path yesterday at the Bottom after the bird sanctuary and I made a conscious decision not to put on the earphones again until I was back around traffic. It was refreshing. I'll have to tune in more often.