Antipodes; or "Leaving the Kalahari on Christmas Eve to save a dying alien."

It's been a while since we've talked. I've been okay, how are you? Thanks for asking. I hope you're okay too...

This used to all come so easily to me. I could sit down with my morning coffee and ramble on between phone calls for hours. The topics never mattered. Politics, life, writing, fate. Everything was available and equally enticing. Lately it all seems trivial and overwhelming, condescending or conflicted. I fear the encompassing weight of life has finally killed my youthful optimism and fed it's remains to the ravenous dogs of reality. Maybe coming back here is my way of attempting to recover that mangled corpse from the canines jowls. Is it worth the risk? Worth exposing myself to the full brunt of vicious possibilities that surround us everyday? For what? A meager chance to revive something natural selection has already deemed unfit for survival? Even if I'm successful, what do you do with a half eaten alien too beautiful to exist in such times?...

As I glance over the posts I've left here before I find that many of the images are gone. The words still remain and with them I believe I can remember what the photograph would have been. There's no way to know for sure though....

I poured a cup of black coffee from the french press on the granite counter top, studied the flowing liquid with determination and reverence as the white mug slowly filled to just below the brim. Grasping the ceramic with both hands, the warmth transferred to my palms as I raise the mug to my lips. It is far too hot to be consumed yet, so I hold the mug just on the edge of my lower lip and inhale slowly the smell and the heat.
"Why are you waiting?"
"It's far too hot to drink yet."
"But you hold it so close to yourself? Wouldn't you be better leaving it on the counter till it's cooled?"
"Then I would never know when it's ready."...

Love is a funny thing. I've thought I was in love before. I tried so hard to love some people, to be exactly what they wanted and needed from me. I'd have crossed the Kalahari to prove my devotion, not to them, but to myself. I wasn't in love with them, I was in love with the idea of being in love. It has taken me a long time to figure that out and I'm still not fully sure I understand it or even if it's relevant to my current position. Perhaps when the magicians arrive with the rising sun I'll ask them...

Christmas used to be my favorite time of year; the trees, the lights, the overpowering display of mans dominance over the arriving darkness of winter. There is a cold dry feeling in the air that brings a childhood nostalgia for everything that shimmers and comes packaged in vibrant colors. It's been three years now since I've felt that way. It now stands as a memorial to some of the hardest decisions and most difficult times that have come to pass. But for all the turbulence brought by recent years ending, I'm still here...

"This isn't the first time I've seen you here"
"I've come for many years."
"I can see you're different this time."
"Is it so easily identified?"
"With eyes like mine it's easy to see when you carry the weight of your existence as a burden. You no longer carry that weight the same."
"Was it so clear to everyone else?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. You're free."

The alien is worth saving...

‎"Are you blind? --- Perhaps you need a baptism of pepper spray in your eyes to restore your vision."

As many of you probably know at this point Tuesday evening there was an unfortunate confrontation between Occupy Seattle protesters and the Seattle Police Department. In the altercation a pregnant woman, an 84 year old woman and a priest were all victims of pepper sprays. Here is the statement released by Rev. Rich Lang of University Temple United Methodist Church:

A PASTORAL LAMENT FOR MY COUNTRY

America, America, my country ‘tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty

Of thee I sing

America, oh America

America the Beautiful has fallen.

You could feel the tension and raw energy crinkling throughout the air as the marchers once again began their journey into downtown Seattle. The Occupy Movement is the prophetic voice of God calling out to the nation to “repent” and turn from its ways of corruption. Those who camp are a rag-tag, motley crew made up of mostly young adults, mostly unemployed, almost all of whom are alienated and cast out of America’s promise of liberty and justice for all. They are our canaries, the first fruits being devoured by the Beast of Empire.

The police were once conceived to be a citizen force created to serve and protect the public. Today however, the police have been militarized and view the populace as enemy combatants, as threats to their well being. The police, like our Armed Forces, are well trained, disciplined and exceptionally talented. They follow a chain of command and are increasingly apprenticed into a culture of institutional conformity. Because America has always affirmed the right of dissent, the role of the police is to keep the peace. They are trained to enter the protesting arena as unfeeling protectors of property and people. What has changed in our time is that the police are entering the arena of protest as agents of provocation. They push and shove at will, they ride their bicycles up the backs of protesters, they engage in verbal abuse. Their commanders allow this breach of discipline. Their comrades silently condone the bullying. The police become the agitators encouraging violence. It is as if they are spoiling for a fight --- a fight mind you against the citizenry, against the youth, the unemployed, and those who are trying to return America back to its promise, and dare I say it, return America to its covenant with God, “we hold these truths to be self evident …”

On Tuesday night a small group of the rag-tag campers of Seattle’s Occupy Movement left their camp to protest the destruction inflicted upon the Wall Street Occupy site. Throughout the march I, as a Pastor in full clergy alb, stole and cross, acted as a peacekeeper placing myself between the police line and the Occupy Movement. On four occasions I stepped between verbal battles between the police and the protesters. The point being that it was evident to all who I was and what my role was in this non-violent march of the few escorted by the many.

The incident was minor in nature. A girl, dressed in Anarchist black waving the Anarchist black flag was plastered side by side with an officer on the bike. They were jawboning each other. At one point her flag was thrust in his direction --- a provocation yes – threatening?—no. The officer grabbed the flag and in the pulling, pulled down the girl. Her friends reacted jumping in to pull her away from the officer. It was at this point that the first wave of pepper spray went off.

Point --- one might think the officer acted within reason, that the officer was suddenly threatened. But with what? By whom? The friends of the offender were grabbing for the girl, they were not grabbing at the police. Basically the officer, and his comrades, were trigger happy as if they couldn’t wait for just this moment. And so the spray went forth.

I leapt to the front and tried to place myself between the parties --- with spray in the air the protesters were also fleeing. Separation between the police line and the protesters was clearly visible … there was certainly no threat of the “mob” suddenly rampaging into the well armed police. The separation had occurred (as can be clearly seen on the video captured by King 5 News). But the spray continued. I walked between the lines, I was alone, I was in full clergy dress, everyone knew who I was and what I was --- with the protesters fleeing and the police line holding --- with my back to the police and my hands waving the protesters to get back --- alone in full alb, stole and cross --- six officers turned their spray on me thoroughly soaking my alb and then one officer hit me full throttle in the face.

I praise the courage and compassion, the discipline and the decency of the Occupy Movement. Out of the rag-tag mob came help, grabbing my hands, leading me (I was blind by then) to the wall and administering care and concern for my well being. The protesters were assembled around all the wounded, and maintained the discipline of nonviolence (granted the nonviolence was in behavior but not language). And they were not afraid. The spraying had been a baptism sealing them into the security of knowing that their prophecy of repentance was indeed the Spirit-Word through them --- it is as if they did not prophecy their very bones would melt within them. Against the wall in increasing pain and burning I realized I was in the midst of church.

The police, on the other hand, were afraid. Their quick use of chemical warfare reveals how cowardly they are. The unwillingness of their commanders to maintain discipline reveals how incompetent they are becoming --- the only tool in their bag is brutality and like a drunken raging father beating wife and kids, the police have increasingly disgraced themselves. Step by step they are being shaped into the front face of fascism, the emerging police state that protects the property interests of the Marie Antionette’s who have seized control of our government, commerce, media, military and increasingly the Church itself.

My question to my clergy colleagues is this: Where are you? How much longer can you preach without practice? How dare you remain protected in your sanctuary while your people (the rag-tag mob of the least, last and lost whom Jesus loved) are slaughtered doing that which God has commissioned you to do (prophecy!). Where are you? Who have you become in this age of baptism by pepper spray? Do you not know how much power you have to stop our national descent into chaos? Don’t you realize that the world is your parish and right before your eyes the Spirit of God is doing a new thing? Can’t you hear that God’s judgment is upon the land? God is against the thieves that bankrupted our nation. God is against the armies of the Beast who pillage other lands in our name, and turn and destroy our people on our own soil. Are you blind? --- Perhaps you need a baptism of pepper spray in your eyes to restore your vision.

And to the police I say this --- there are always the brutal ones in our midst. As colleagues you have the moral responsibility to police your own. If your commanders order you to brutalize your people you have a Higher Command that says, “disarm yourself, turn away from your sin, renounce the orders of unrighteousness.” And in doing so, cross the line, come over and join us because we are the winning side of history. And we welcome your repentance and heal you of your shame.

And to the church, beloved church I say, you cannot sing the hymns of faith if you are too afraid to live that faith. In Amos it says to silence your sacred assemblies and let JUSTICE burst forth. Our nation, with the nations of the world, are under an assault of tyranny and treason of the 1% against creation itself. You may not worship God until and unless you care for the image of God living in those tents and prophesying on your behalf. Once the Powers sweep the Tents away, if you dare to lift your voice even a peep, you too will be swept away. But the destiny of the church, the Body of Christ, is not one of quiet passivity and fear, our destiny is to bear witness having no fear of the Cross because even now we have crossed over into resurrection.

Rev. Rich Lang

University Temple United Methodist Church

Back in 1999 I was in a very similar place during the WTO protests in Seattle. I was photographing the situation for my college news paper and in an effort to get the best possible pictures I found myself in the middle of 4th and Pike, near a set of burning dumpsters, police fortified to the south, protesters to the north, when the canisters were deployed. The gas consumed everything. It was only a matter of moments before my eyes burned with a fury I've never felt before and I was blind. I stumbled around, unable to see who or what I might run into, when I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. I turned towards the person when suddenly a rush of water came over my face and I could see again. I looked at the man in front of me, searching for the right words, they never came. I said something like, "thank you so much." All he replied was, "we've got to stick together."

It was because of this memory that Rev. Lang's account really hit home for me. I can't thing of a more appropriate description of the event than to call it a baptism.

Things are getting desperate out there and it's only a matter of time before we can't ignore it any longer. As Lang said so well, "They are our canaries, the first fruits being devoured by the Beast of Empire." This is only the beginning and now that it has taken this path I'm not sure there is any stopping it. There will be more stand offs and more people will be victimized defending their right to speech. Don't just look away because it's unpleasant.

Photo: SeattlePI.com, Joshua Trujillo / AP

The Sixth Light

Well the rapture has come and gone, and I think most of us are still here. That doesn't mean that Saturday was without it's apocalyptic undertones...

(Note: I've got more pictures to add, but you'll have to wait for that)

I woke up from a nap on Saturday to realize that I had missed my second opportunity to indulge on some BBQ (Thank again Angeleana for Friday, sorry I flaked). I was wandering around the studio with Wes when good ol' Jonny D asked for a little help cleaning up. I could have shrugged him off and gone back to playing video games, but I was well rested and felt like I should try to be somewhat productive, oh how I was wrong.

The cool thing is that there are fiber optic wire behind logo and
lettering that gives an awesome effect when functioning properly.

After a little vacuuming and trash gathering I notice that our Rainier light was in a less than desirable location. I took the initiative and moved it across the room where it would not only be near an outlet but also be able to cast its glorious aurora over the great room. I plugged the light in and switched the switch to the on position. Begin Armageddon. You see when I switched that little switch not only did the Rainier light not illuminate but all the power in the unit went dead. No big deal right? Just flip the breaker and continue on. Not so easy. Apparently this Rainier light has spent some time dealing in the dark arts and when it gained access to power it sent some sort of surge through the system killing the power for 3 blocks.

A slight panic set in. In the three years of its operation the studio has never lost power. Even when everyone else lost power. We didn't even know where to start. My first instinct was, "don't worry, it'll come back in a few minutes. This can't take that long to fix." So Jonny and I started wandering about to see if we could figure out how large of an outage we were dealing with. TKim got back from the store and started to help us find flash lights and candles. Finally we decided that it was lighter outside and that we should just kick in on the tracks for a while.

There were a couple of conversations with neighboring businesses and random contemporaries, each person giving their own account of the situation. I held my tongue about the Rainier light. I didn't need to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. This is when Wes started to freak out a bit. He couldn't understand why we were spending so much time on the street corner. Neither could I for that matter and suggested that we all go to a bar. I stumbled in the darkness for a bit, getting the dog up in his room and searching for a few items I might need, when JW arrived on the scene. He was all worked up from his trip home to Olympia and I'm not sure exactly how it all worked out but we ended up drinking faux-Jager bombs.

Now the plan was to go to West 5, a nice little cocktail bar in the West Seattle Junction. West Seattle and SODO couldn't be closer, but because of numerous construction projects they seem an eternity apart. In the chaos of closed road, detours and general conversational merriment we got off track and ended up north on the viaduct. The Owl was packed with Sounders fans so we dipped down to the waterfront and popped into Red Robin. I don't usually consider restaurants when I'm looking for a bar, however it was exactly what we were looking for, empty. After a couple margaritas we headed out hoping to return to a fully illuminated space.

We wouldn't be so lucky. Now multiple trucks were arriving on the scene. They all seemed to think that it was only a short matter of time before we'd be back up and running so instead of running off to hide in White Center we busted out the candles in full force and decided to wait it out. Let it be known that it is extremely difficult to light a space with 30 foot ceilings with just candles. The greatest idea that we had was to rig up a mic stand with a flash light pointed at the disco ball. Yes, even when we don't have power, we still get down with the disco.

Soon enough it was officially late night and still no power. Jonny and I drank all the beer. And all the whiskey. And all the Scotch. TKim went to bed and we couldn't buy more beer for another 2 hours. So it went the way it always does - Absinthe. Oh yes, the green fairy. Now anyone who has a bit of respect for Absinthe knows better than to take chugs straight off the bottle, Jonny is not one of these people. I however decided that I should mix mine with apple juice. Not my best idea, but not my worst either. The conversation slammed against the silent walls. I should point out at this point that never have I experienced silence like this before. Now I've been into caves and heard the sound of nothing before, however it's supposed to be silent there, it's not supposed to be silent in the middle of SODO. It made the whole situation very eerie and borderline scary at times. Who was to say that Dracula hadn't decided to drop in? Or that a group of ravenous zombies wasn't just down the hall slowly making their way towards us? Live together, die alone.

Rambling words

Now it was just past 6 am. We were back from the Shell with more beer. There was no telling how long this binge could go on for. And then...light. Not for us, but near us. The building had power. Then one of our lights had power. Finally it was all back up and running. It's this slow progression that has convinced me that the Rainier light was the cause. This led us to only one reasonable explanation.

25 years ago Rainier Brewery, in a collaborative effort with the CIA and Department of Defense, developed a way to take out entire blocks simply by pressing a button. Only five of these were made, or so it was thought. Shortly after the initial release the FBI found out about the lights uncanny ability and they quickly moved to contain the problem. They found "all" five of the signs: one in Tacoma, one in Hillsboro, one in Butte, one in Forks and finally one in St Croix being used by some children there as third base marker. After bringing the five signs together the FBI smashed them to bits, put them in a bucket, filled it with cement and dropped in the Pacific ocean not far from Wake Island. However there were six lights. I'm a little concerned. It's only a matter of time until the FBI finds us, or even worse the CIA or DoD. Needless to say I'm going to be finding a new place for the light. It's not safe here anymore.

There are three morals to this story. #1 Never, I repeat NEVER plug in the Rainier light. #2 When strange things happen create even stranger explanations for them, because you're probably right. #3 It's a far better idea to sleep through a late night power outage than to drink through it.

Alive

This morning when I got to work I decided that my gtalk status needed to change. I thought to myself "I need something that's reassuring that life is good" I thought for a few minutes and went with "Alive", because in the end what's greater than being alive? Apparently few people share my thought process on this one. 


Almost immediately I got a series of messages asking if I was okay, was I dead before and things of the like. Every one seemed to think that there was some horrible tragedy or near death experience in my life that led to my use of this individual word. I was chatting with NESF for a few minutes about this when he made the comment, "This is an interesting phenomena. Using the word alive on its own rarely sounds reassuring." I couldn't help but wonder why that is.


I have to stop for just a second here. This cup of coffee I'm drinking is amazing. Sorry about that, but I thought you'd all really want to know.


Isn't being alive the greatest part about our existence? If we weren't alive we wouldn't be at all. However by using the word "alive" by itself I think that we immediately take it as a comparison. If someone is alive they are not dead, and if they're going as far as to say that they're alive, they must have had an encounter with the possibility of not being alive. 


I guess what this all breaks down to is death. Merely mentioning the word alive brings with it the idea of dead or death. It doesn't have to. But now I'm just rambling, as if this were something more earlier on. Here's some tube videos:

Double tragedy: Big Red's last stand and Washroom deluge

Last night began as any other early December Thursday could, but suddenly took a turn for the tragic. I met with some peoples up at the Redwood on Capitol to watch Thursday night football. The beer was flowing, the game was competitive and merriment abounded. After the Eagles victory we decided to head back down to Sodo for a little Catan to top off the evening. It was a decent game, which is to say that I won, but then everything went wrong...

Big Red's Last Stand:
At some point during the game I'd set an old friend by my side. Many know him by one of two names, Ben or Big Red. Big Red has been a part of the scene for nearly a decade now.

It was in the late spring of 2001 that he came into my life. A friend of mine and I went out to the Ave and I can't remember all the finite details but in the end my friend found Big Red. When we were bringing Ben back to the dorms there was a conversation about how to conceal him from those that might want to cause him harm. "[he's] a vase for my mother" was the cover story.

As the school year came to a close Ben had to find a new home. He couldn't just live in the dormitory closet all summer. So I took Ben with me. We had some crazy times that summer and eventually we both ended up in Federal Way. After some time stuck in treefingers we both returned to the U District and lived on the hillside off 22nd and then again in the house on 15th. He'd become apart of the group.

When I moved to Alki so did Big Red and then again to the apartment on Avalon. We were nearly inseparable. He went everywhere I went until I left West Seattle. At that time there were others who needed Ben more than I did and as Mr Bergstrom would say, "that's the problem with being middle-class, anybody who really cares will abandon you for those who need it more."

I lost track of Big Red for some time. I alway knew he was around but we didn't see each other for some time. He had a couple of minor accidents and was out of commission for a while. When I started spending more time in Sodo I came to find that he was there too! He had a couple of broken limbs but nothing a trip to the market couldn't solve. In a few weeks we were back in business.

However he wasn't the same. At some point he fractured his torso and had to be treated with a degree of delicacy. Now during the game of Catan I had Big Red next to me, a true right hand man. Upon claiming victory I exclaimed and, in a moment worthy of Pangford, Big Red toppled to his doom. There were shards of red glass littered around like bloodied body parts on a battle field. I was in total shock. It wasn't completely unexpected but that didn't make the situation any less tragic. Just as I was about to settle into mourning it got worse...

Washroom Deluge:
I was about to step outside and reminisce about my old friend when I hear someone yell, "water!" I look down the studio hallway and sure enough inches of water were spewing from the laundry room. It had already consumed three passage ways by the time I made it to the source. The waste water hose from the washer had become dislodged from the drainage pipe and was spewing murky water at an unprecedented rate.

I got the hose back into the pipe and we shut down the washer to prevent further chaos, but the damage was already done. Every towel available was in motion, sopping up as much as possible and then being rung out only to start again. People were screaming for help as they continued to try to stop any water from making it's way into the great room. Luckily a blanket was on the couch nearby and we were able to use it as a dam to stop the river.

For about an hour we fought the rising tide, which wasn't rising much since we stopped the flow, but you get the idea. We'd won the battle with minimal damage. It was hard fought but we won.

When the panic subsided I remember the loss from early and decided there was nothing more I could do but simply go to bed. As I laid in my bed I couldn't help but think, "the gods have punished us." Now I just have to figure out why and atone for our failings.

Any of you with good memories of Big Red or the Deluge hit em up in the comments I'd love to hear your take on it all.

Stay Ready

There has been a lot in the news lately about earthquakes (Chile, Baja, Haiti, etc). This is very concerning for many of us Seattlites because as you probably know we live on fault known for catastrophic earthquakes (9.0+). Being as we can't predict when it's going to happen that doesn't mean that we can't be prepared for whatever comes.


When I decided to do a post of this nature I needed some help and two people came to mind, Ray and Jen. They're the definition of Stay Ready. I've gone through and combined what they mentioned, along with tidbits from other people and myself to compile some great ideas that I think everyone should know.

The one thing that really stood out to me was the idea of short-term vs long-term. We'd like to think that should anything happen we'll be "rescued" shortly there after, but this is faulted logic. In the event of tragedy we must be prepared for all potential scenarios including that help doesn't come for weeks.

That being said I'm going to start with some tips to help you in the short term -

* Food: You're going to need to eat. Local government has been telling us to be ready for 3 days. 3 days is nothing. After Katrina it took over a week to help the people that had set up in the Superdome and there they were centralized. If you plan on making it at your own home you should have 2-3 weeks of food on hand. If you're going with canned food don't forget to keep a can opener with your stash. However you're probably better off going with dehydrated foods as it takes up less space and you're going to need water either way.

*Water: Having a stockpile of water isn't a bad idea so to speak. However what are you going to do if all your jugs of water bust open when the ground starts shaking? Have a water purifier of some kind, like you might take backpacking, on hand is good but you don't have to go out and spend a fortune on this either. A little bleach can go a long ways. Don't over do it though. You don't want kill yourself in the process of trying to safe yourself.

*Shelter: We life in Seattle, it rains. In the event that your home is not habitable you might find yourself on the street. Tents, tarps and the like might be your only chance of finding a dry spot. You may also be on the move so in addition to easily movable shelter having a large trash can on wheels will make moving your essentials a much less laborious task. Keep up your strength and energy in any way that you can!

*Communication: This is the most difficult task after a tragedy. With phone lines down communication becomes nearly impossible. It was brought to my attention that while most lines fail Ham radios have proven to be an effective means of communicating in past disasters. You can get receivers for around $300 and a license for $40. A bit steep but definitely worth while. This might also be an expense that you could bear with those close to you, as not everyone would need their own.

*Find your Constant: Another great idea I heard was having an out of state contact that you and your family all know of. Maybe it's an Uncle in Kansas, a sibling in Texas or Grandma in Boston. By having someone predesignated you'll be sure that everyone is calling the same person. They can then inform all your other out of state relatives that you're okay and transfer message between everyone in the affected area.

*At Work: It is very possible you're not going to be home. Keep an emergency kit at work. Even something as small as a back pack (Nintendo design optional) that has all the supplies that you're going to need in order to get back to your house: good shoes, parka, first aid kit, flashlight, etc. This is also something that you could establish with coworkers and designate a place in your office to keep them that is out of the way, but still easily accessible.

Now lets get into the long term -

Preparing for a lengthly disconnect with civilization is a hard thing to plan for. But it's not impossible. Now I should say that this is more in preparation for Armageddon than for an earthquake, but as the title says "Stay Ready".

Now I'm probably the biggest anti-gun advocate that there is, but this is where I see the reasoning. There are many reason in a post-apocalyptic world that you'd need a gun. If you have to take to nature and hunt for game having a gun will give you the edge on those trying to catch rabbits in snares. There is also the issue of self protection. People are going to be crazy, not to mention Zombies. Zombies are not to be underestimated. And I'm not necessarily saying that the dead will rise and attack us, but more the living may take on the attributes of Zombies and that's just as bad.

I recommend having a few key books in your collection as well. Something that covers the plants and animals that are native to the region can help you to identify what's edible and what's not. Having a book similar to "How things work" could also come in handy. While a map of the local area should already be in your short term kit a larger area atlas would be good in the event that you have to change areas all together.

One recommendation I would have never thought but is a great idea: have a jar of bacon fat. When food sources are scarce and you're eating dandelions and nettles it will give you the necessary fats to persevere.

The last thing that could be the difference between life and death is your knowledge. Know how to make fire from nothing. Get a basic understanding of how to start plants from seed and tend to them so that you can create a stable food source (a small seed bank of good local crops might be something to keep around). Remember that the first step to failing is giving up.

All of that being said there is one last thing that everyone should remember: you can't do it alone. When disaster hits many people are going to put themselves first and foremost, that's how we're designed. However I encourage all of you to keep your sense of humanity and if there is someone that you can help, do it! That person that you dig out of a pile of rubble might just be your key to survival. Remember it's the most difficult of times that show the true grit of our character.

*******************************************************************************

So now that I've got the basic covered I'm going to give you all a run down of what I have planned...

At home -

The original meet up place was going to be the Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Avenue Northwest. It's not far from where I live and has a large open area to congregate. However after more thought I've decided it's not the best spot. It's still fairly low lying and may draw large crowds as it is. I thought about Woodland park, but I don't want to get mauled by a bear. So for now I'm calling out the intersection of 70th and 24th as the spot. It's up at the top of the hill, about 200 ft above sea level (should be tsunami safe?) and has a decent view of the surrounding area so you can get a feel for what's happening elsewhere. Anyone in the Ballard area that has a better idea let me know because I'm open to other suggestions.

At work -

My sister works up at Seattle University and as such I've decided it's the downtown meet up. The Quad is the designated spot on campus. Anybody in the Capitol Hill/Downtown area that needs a meet up spot there it is. If you are going to make that your spot, let me know so I know who to wait/search for.

After the initial -

I can't say with certainty how long I'd be in either of those places but I can tell you that I plan to establish some kind of registry to track who is there, who was there and where they were going. I think that this would help people locate each other. So if I'm not there, there should be a trail that you can follow easily. I'll probably be trying to find Ray and Jen :)


Well that's the plan. If I've missed anything that you think I should include hit me up in the comments or by email and I'll get it added in. I'd also love to hear what other people have set up in terms of their plans and where they're going to be.

Finally I'm going to end this with a huge THANK YOU to Ray and Jen for all their help. Of all the people I know they are the ones who are ready for anything! I wouldn't have been able to put this together without their input.

(Sorry I stopped with the pics half way through, it got to be very tedious)

********* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ************

- Get CPR certified!

Brothers and Sisters please put down your umbrellas, you won't be needing those today

An old friend posted a link to an Arrested Development video yesterday. Since I watched it I've listened to nothing else. They're amazing...

It's only two days till Christmas. Everyone seems frantic. The bus ride home took 20 minutes longer than usual because the coach was packed with people. I don't know where they all came from. I assume it's from people sticking around and shopping then catching "the later bus", which is the one I always take. I can't hate too much because I'm not done shopping yet. This is a problem. I have two people left to shop for. My sister is going to be a super star and see if she can snag one of the gifts for me after work (she's way closer to the store than I am) and while she's doing that I'm going to try to find something good for her. Everything that I really want to get her isn't economically viable. We'll see how I do...

I've been watching more movies at work. It takes about twice as much time because I have to constantly pause it and help customers, but it's not so bad. I watched the Zeitgeist movie yesterday. I can't say that I believe it all but it was interesting none the less. I wasn't such a big fan of the 911 part. I'm sure that there was foul play involved, but it just makes me really sick to my stomach. But it resulted in my watching a bunch more conspiracy nonsense about other things. Mostly 2012 stuff. So then when I got home last night I watched this great documentary on PBS about the early church and how it was formed in the early years of Christianity. Good stuff...

You might have noticed that I post fewer links to news stories. I don't read the news as much anymore. It's unbelievably depressing, especially local news. I was on my way to the crossword at seattletimes.com and the front headline caught my eye. Two more police officers had been shot. Now correct me if I'm wrong but that now 5 dead and 3 injured that I can remember in the last 2 months!!! Then I go a little further and catch up on the health care issue (which I've been following more closely) to find that Republicans are now doing everything they can to waste time and delay a vote. Now I'm all for it if you have a better idea for the problems, however wasting time isn't a solution. It just goes to solidify my opinion that the GOP wants nothing more than to perpetuate the status quo of abusing the lower and middle class so that they can retain their wealth and hence their control. If Santa brings me one thing this year I hope its rain...

In a Post Apocalyptic Dreamscape

I had an apocalyptic dream last night. It was slightly frightening...

It began when I was looking out a window, I think it takes place on Vashon, and without any warning explosions happened everywhere. But not like mushroom clouds, just flashes of light and then nothing. The house I was in was destroyed. A young girl offered myself and two other people (im not sure who they were but i was definitely with them) refuge but we had to hide from her parents. I was discovered and thought the parents would kill me for sure but instead they asked me to help coordinate the response. We started building large walls built of the various fence parts we could find. There was a large argument about food and I was placed in charge of making sure everyone was fed. So I gather up a group of men. We looked like those descriptions you hear of the Colonial army early in the war. Half of us were armed, half weren't even wearing shoes and we went out to find all the food that survived.

We loaded rickshaws with canned and dried foods that we scavenged from houses. When we were digging for food we often found bodies. It was horrific. We gathered all the bodies and burnt them in the streets. I vividly remember pulling the rickshaws back to our "base" and the way we knew to get back was to follow the piles of burning corpses. I'm glad I can't remember the smell of dreams. When I got back everything was looking up. Somehow Elizabeth was there and she had rallied all of the people left to begin tilling the land. They had planted a giant garden. The last thing that I remember was the image of approximately 10 people hunched over planting seeds in the earth, while pillars of smoke rose behind them. When I woke up I was extremely detached. I laid in bed for an hour before getting up.

A Changing Climate

If there is one thing that really gets me worked up lately it's people who deny the sobering reality of climate change. Now I don't want to argue whether its man made or a natural occurrence because in the end it's doesn't matter. The climate is changing and placing blame isn't going to solve the problem. We are at the threshold of a major turning point in our relationship with the planet and things don't look too great for us.

The thing that I struggle with most is those who insist on ignoring the evidence and propagating the idea that we don't need to change anything about how we live and we don't need to worry about the amount of carbon that we're releasing into the atmosphere. I recently heard one such account.

This morning I was watching C-SPAN before I left for work and had the misfortune of hearing Rep John Shimkus (R-IL) and his view on climate change. I have never heard anything quite like it and decided to do some more investigating into this man. I was appalled. Here is one of his bold statements:

"It's plant food ... So if we decrease the use of carbon dioxide, are we not taking away plant food from the atmosphere? ... So all our good intentions could be for naught. In fact, we could be doing just the opposite of what the people who want to save the world are saying."

Now I was completely caught off guard by where this ideology so I dug a little deeper. One defense used for this argument cites the Cambrian Period when CO2 levels in the atmosphere were much higher than they are today. However they fail to mention that this is also a period in history in which most of the animals that survived did so by burrowing and vegetation all but went extinct. Is he advocating we need to start digging cities underground and finding ways to survive without plants for sustenance? I'll grab my shovel.

Now there is a another twist in the whole story. Rep Shimkus has more than one reason why not to be concerned with the changes in our climate:

"The earth will end only when God declares its time to be over. Man will not destroy this earth. This earth will not be destroyed by a flood."

Now I'm not sure what kind of church his is attending but this seem ludicrous to me. It seems like he's using his perception God's will as an excuse to be irresponsible and destructive. Now I'd love to find a scape goat that removes any responsibility that I might have but somewhere in my life I stumbled into a moral and social conscious. So using God as a scape goat is completely baffling to me and seems to border on sacrilege.

I urge all of you to write a letter to Rep Shimkus and tell him that we need real solutions to fight Climate Change, not excuses and theology based rhetoric. You can contact him here.

Now, I could go on all day about how disturbing this whole thing is to me, but I won't. I'd just like to leave you all with something to thing about.

To the naysayers: I urge you to consider the implication of your choices. I know that this climate change thing may seem like nonsense, but it's not and you're not the ones who will feel the effects of your actions. Please think of your children. You can either make an effort to make the world a better place for the future or stay in the status quo and gamble your grandchildrens fate.

To fellow supporters: Don't let small blips discourage your resolve. This is a fight that we can't afford to lose. It may seem like a constant uphill struggle but failure is not an option. Our very existence is at stake.

To generations yet to come: I'm sorry. I hope that you can forgive us for our ignorance and arrogance. It's a tragedy that you may pay the price for past follies. I hope for your sake that we open our eyes soon.

For more information about what you can do to help reverse the effects of climate change check out these sites:

We Can Solve It
1 Sky
Green For All

If there is an organization that I've missed send me a comment and I'll edit it into the list.

My greatest fears...

(I should note that this is still a work in progress. I decide to flesh it out a little more.)

An earthquake will hit Seattle and I'll be injured to the point that I'd be unable to save anyone else...

I awake to the motion, ripples in the walls. The entire house shakes as if Arges was lifting the house like a snow globe. Painting fall from their hooks and novels tumble to the carpeted ground before it begins to give way entirely. It slowly drops away like a puzzle in reverse. I grasp the trembling walls for safety but there is none to be had. My body is captured in the ruble. A searing pain shoots up from both my legs and my right wrist. I struggle to remove the sheet rock and asbestos holding me down. My throat burns with debris. I can feel blood slowly draining from my many wounds. Suddenly the ground is still. An eerie presence enters the scene. In the distance I can hear cries of agony. The sound continues to grow, with every passing minute a new voice joins the choir. I exhaust myself trying to break free before I slump down in defeat. My watering eyes begin to lose focus and all I can hear is a young girl, “Help me”.

I'll never meet God...

I can see the smile of old friends and know how their houses smelled. I remember lying on the cement sidewalk along a strip mall when she reached down, gave me my first kiss, and I felt nothing. I drive a car through a long dark night in the desert where I want nothing more than to be home. I’m lying in my bed at home writing long odes to no one. My eyes grow heavy as a lack of sleep drags me closely to Hades. I watch a young man in a white suit stands on the seawall tempting the waves. I’m in a bar with all my closest friends celebrating an anniversary of someone. I’m in the emergency room surrounded in my own blood while no one responds to my calls for help. I die and the one person I wanted most never came.

I work the same job for the rest of my life...

Each morning I wake at 7:28am. The anchors on the morning news have something new to say but the same tired old face. I walk to the bus stop and board the same bus as the day before, greeted by the same driver in the exact same way. I arrive at the office and immediately reach for a mug of coffee. I sit at my desk and answer the phone. No one new ever calls. For lunch I eat a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread; only one slice of turkey left, I’ll have to get more. I leave work at 5:32pm. I take the same bus home that I took yesterday, greeted by the same driver in the exact same way. I get home and watch some TV. Simpsons, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy. As the prime time programming begins I wonder if things could ever be different. Then I set my alarm for 7:28am.

That everything I'm doing in my life to help fight the effects of climate change are all for not and I'll spend the rest of my life paying the price for faults of past generations...

The water continues to rise. It’s now above the recycling bins. Panic has long passed. We knew this was coming. I remove all of the compact fluorescent light bulbs from their sockets in hopes that they aid in keeping my makeshift raft afloat. The compost has mixed into the permanent deluge and has started to smell. There hasn’t been any food for days. As I strap the bulbs to the bottom of the raft my son pulls on my Goodwill jeans, “Daddy, did it always used to be like this?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him it didn’t.

I always live in Seattle...

The people I care about become lost and I have no ways of finding them...

After the dust settles I realize that I’m alone. My father, who was right next to me before, is nowhere to be found. My sister has vanished. My brother gone. All my friends have scattered the continents. I start off towards the east certain they are near. I cross the Cascades and the Rockies. I trek across the great expanses of the Midwest and through the densely populated cities of the east coast. After swimming the Atlantic I try Stonehenge and Paris. The Coliseum and the Parthenon. Tripoli and Baghdad. Somewhere along the shores of the Ganges a priest approaches me. “You have the eyes of a wanderer,” he said softly. “I search because there is nothing else I can do.”

I die outside of the Pacific Northwest...

I never dream again...

I'll die and have done nothing worthy of remembrance and all meaning to my life will have vanished before they even get me to the crematory...

The world is coming to an end!!!

The skies are bleeding and the ground shakes. The world has come to a standstill and everyone is flooding into the streets in panic. Volcanic eruptions are imminent. We must all join together and stand tall as the giant eagles fly overhead heralding the end of days...

Okay, so the world isn't ending anymore. Which is why I'm able to write this blog. For some reason this morning all Google related websites were down. Youtube, blogger, analytic, search, everything. I was starting to freak out. What would we do in a world without Google? Personally I don't want to live in a world where I'm reduced to Yahoo as a search engine...

I hate getting coffee at work. Not because its bad coffee, but its not great. It's because every morning I go to get a cup there is only about 1/3 of an inch left in the pot. So I'll make a whole new pot and then by the time I get back in there to fill my cup I'm back to square one with a small puddle left in the pot. People around here need to learn to make a pot of coffee and not just pass the buck to the next person...

Quick update on Lucile Street activities...

Chili Cook Off is rapidly approaching. This weekend I'm going to be sending out information about how to register your chili. I really hope to see all of you there stuffing your faces with chili. EAT MORE CHILI!!!!...

I have to brew like crazy this weekend. I need to get 10 gals of IPA and 10 gals of porter done. I didn't do any last weekend, which I now regret. But I work well under pressure. Everything will be ready for the cook off...

Got a call from the city about Lucile Street Summer Fest. It was just a preliminary thing, but I'm optimistic that we'll be about to get the street permit. I will be using the Cook Off as a spring board for Summer Fest stuff. We'll be calling on people to chair different committee's and also starting to rally bands to perform. If you know any musicians or other acts (I'm pretty open) let me know and I'll contact them...

I feel like Santiago Nasar today

I had a wonderful dream about wandering through a forest. There were large sequoias towering above me in every direction. The ground was sparsely covered with small shrubs and other various foliage. A flock of birds flew from tree to tree for no apparent reason other than to observe my movements. There was no one around and I just continued to wander. I awoke to the sound of birds...

The birds were calling from outside my window as the morning sun finally roused my eyelids from sleep. My room was in as much disarray as when I feel asleep. I don't know why I hope it will be different when I wake up, but I always do...

The only pair of pants that I could find were white. I don't usually wear anything white, so I'm not so sure why I own white pants, but I do. They seem to draw attention to me in a way that I'm uncomfortable with, but I never remember that until after leaving my house...

I wasn't going to see the bishop so to speak, but in some respects I was...

When I left my house it was raining in a way that could be remembered as not raining. The soft drizzle of Seattle that I've come to love. As I stepped onto the sidewalk I noticed that there weren't any signs of birds. No songs or squawks. No flutter of movement. It's as if they were never there...

When I reached the bus stop at Rainier and Orcas I expected that the Vicario brothers would be waiting for me. Instead there was no one. And I boarded my morning bus alone for the first time I can remember...

I don't get it, but I guess I'm not supposed to

I have the best sister ever. You all should check out the layout that she did for indoorsprout. It looks great!...

After two weeks the rain has returned to Seattle. I didn't realize I missed it until it was back. My favorite seasons are early spring and late fall, which here in Seattle usually last 8 months but this year we've had to deal with the unfortunate episode that is winter...

Support out local economy, buy local...

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about a farm. I've decided that I should combine the two things that I want most in life: a farm and a library. I just need about 20 acres with a small hill. Something of an octagon with a circular building within it. With facilities to be completely sustainable: farm, dairy, brewery, granary, housing, livestock, etc. Maybe a stream for fishing, but I could always build a trout pond. Somewhere here in Western Washington. Anywhere else it just wouldn't be right, except maybe N Cali. Hopefully some day...

It all continues to collapse around us. If you are not frightened yet, you should be. And if you are frightened, know it will get better...

Dear Asshole

Someone stole the atheist sign from the Washington State Capitol. Now personally I wasn't a huge fan of the sign. I think that they could have gotten their message across without being so negative. However. This is America. You don't go around stealing fucking signs from a state building because you don't like what it says. Now I don't know about these asshole theives, but I'd rather not turn our great country into a fascist haven where all our rights are oppressed and you're nothing more than a battery for the state. The atheists have just as much right as every other religious group represented in our state capitol.
So to the person who committed this shamefully cowardice act I say, you're an asshole. And beyond that you are a threat to our freedom. I hope you're arrested and deported to some fucked up country. Like Burma. Where they do things to you that I won't mention in this forum.

Here's the blog scene

Gobble Gobble. Eat more turkey. It's good for you...

...I find this very scary. I can't say exactly why, but I don't think it's a good thing...

...Beck is in charge of this scene...

...Just because it's short doesn't mean it wasn't worth it.