Distill the Life that's Inside of Me

Gardenings

2008-07-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes, finally flowering.

Spider, Orb Weaver eating Dragonfly

Trimet's New Look

2008-06-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Trimet just updated their trip planner, it now incorporates an interactive map. The map lets you see streetviews (using Google) of transit centers, as well as a few other new features.

Dig it here.

The Strawberry Wars

2008-06-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

This year we've started a few strawberry plants, and in doing so, started a war.

My enemies:

Slugs

This is Oregon, slug country, we have MANY slugs in our yard. I have a few weapons to combat slugs.

The Beer Trap:
Take a used plastic butter tub, or soup can, or any smallish container, pour a small amount of cheap beer about an inch to two inches deep (this is the best use for PBR I have ever heard of, MUCH better than drinking it anyway.). Then dig a small hole deep enough to get the lip of the container at ground level, to make it easier for the slugs to enter. The slugs are attracted to the yeast in the beer, when they enter the tub of beer, they drown.

Eggshells:
Crushed eggshells placed on (and in) the ground around the base of your plants deter/kill slugs. Slugs as you know are slimy soft bodied fellers, and when they crawl acrossed the sharp eggshells the get many small lacerations which dehydrates them. Another benefit of eggshells in the garden dirt, they provide much needed calcium (be sure to wash the shells before placing them in gardens, you don't want salmanella on your strawberries).

A Tarp:
I'm sure others have done this, but I found when I set my tent out in the yard to air out recently, I found myself with a rather large collection of slugs on the bottom, in a fairly short amount of time. So instead of leaving my tent out every night, I just use a piece of tarp, I then collect the slugs and dispose of them.

Earwigs

They are harmless to humans, but not to your plants. Earwigs are omnivores, so they will eat other bugs (which is good), but they also eat plants. A good way to tell if your plants are being eaten by earwigs is to look for small irregular holes in the leaves (much like what slugs do to the plant, but you won't see the slime trail of a slug).

The weapons:

Vegetable Oil Trap:
Take a tuna can, fill it with vegetable oil, add a drop or so of bacon grease. Much like the beer trap for slugs, earwigs are attracted to the oil, crawl in the can, and drown.

Roll of Newspaper:
Earwigs hide during the day in small dark crevices. Roll up a newspaper and place it in your garden (I have a small container garden, so one or two rolls should suffice), the next day, shake out the earwigs into a bucket of water.

I have other enemies, but they have not joined the war (yet). Here are a few that I keep an eye out for:
STRAWBERRY FLEA BEETLE

STRAWBERRY LEAF BEETLE

STRAWBERRY WEEVIL

IMBRICATED SNOUT BEETLE

ASIATIC GARDEN BEETLE

Stay tuned for more Urban gardening in P-town.

Stacked Urban Planter

2008-06-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

I took the idea from here, built a rudimentary version in Google Sketchup

I'll start gathering supplies on craigslist, should be able to get everything I need in the free section.

Bastards Stole Ma' Bike!

2008-05-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just recently finished building my RecycloBurningManGroceryGetter bike, and what happens today?

Somebody stole it!

It's enough to make baby jesus cry.

It was a real work of art, completely recycled. The only thing that I had purchased new was the paint.
A lot of people didn't like it, but they just don't understand, I loved it.

May the thief rot in hell (all thieves for that matter)!

Why am I anti-burning man?

2008-02-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

That my friend is a GREAT question, that not even I am able to fully answer.

I've never been to it, so really does my opinion even count? I don't know, but have YOU been to a NASCAR race? Probably not, but if you're reading this, you most likely dislike NASCAR in a very big way.

I've heard soooo many stories from "burners" that extol the festival's greatness, hell I'm in love with one of them (a burner, not a story).

Maybe I feel like the festival is increasingly hypocritical. The party is run by a LLC (Limited Liability Company), that turns a profit (~$600,000 for 2006), to me that flies in the face of the bartering only culture within the festival. Oh, but they donate to non-profits, such as Black Rock Arts Foundation you say. Wouldn't you hate to know that between 2001 and 2005 BRAF raised nearly $300,000 but paid out a mere $82,000 to the artist they claim to support (also of note, BRAF got an "exceptionally poor" rating from non-profit watchdog group Charity Navigator), I don't know about you, but if I'm giving to a charity I'd want a better turn around than that!

I'm not even going to start in on the photography contracts that must be signed, if you actually read them, and weed out the double-speak used by the writers, you'll see it for what it is, corporate control.

Then we have the environmental impact on the playa, or even the environment in general. which is downplayed by Black Rock City LLC.

"Black Rock City LLC is committed to utilizing environmentally favorable solutions as they become financially sound alternatives to the use of fossil fuels and non-renewable materials. We encourage our staff and participants to use these alternatives in their camps in Black Rock City, and further to promote and encourage environmental awareness and make use of emerging technologies. We are determined to promote and continue to support the Leave No Trace principles, the use of renewable energy, the use of non-fossil fuels, recycling valuable reusable materials, and composting organic waste materials when ever possible.
We are open to suggestions toward making the Burning Man experience environmentally sound and we will utilize new methods and technology as they become suitable to our needs. Help us make Black Rock City environmentally viable.
Signed,
Board of Directors
Black Rock City LLC"

O'rly? do you honestly think your green efforts make any kind of dent in the environmental impact of ~40,000 people driving or flying to Nevada, buying ridiculous amounts of bottled water, beer, packaged foods (99% of which use plastic packaging, erm uh I mean oil packaging). Or the impact of those 40,000 people running around the desert. What about the improperly handled diesel fuel, the fireworks, the thousands of fires, the garbage that gets buried and never removed from the site, the wood and other resources used for building the "art" throughout the festival, and so on and so on, I'd go so far as to say Burning Man is now the worst polluting festival ever, EVER! (run on sentence FTW!)
I don't know, I could go on with many more arguments against the festival. I really do like the ideology behind it, but really it has gotten out of hand. I could be COMPLETELY wrong.
I do plan on going someday, when life permits. And I go with the hope that my mind will be changed.

and no I didn't proofread for grammar, meh...

Happy Burning,
-jacob

Portland Critical Mass, c'mon guys play by the rules

2008-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

(from www.rosecitycriticalmass.org)

"Critical Mass is:

- A leaderless, spontaneous bike ride through the streets of Portland (and hundreds of other cities worldwide)
- A time to ride your bike without fear through busy downtown streets
- A great way to meet other bicyclists, pass out fliers, learn about other events
- A meandering celebration of bicycling
- Something different for everyone
- Family-friendly
- A visionary projection of what our future might look like"

(A rider account from several years ago)

"Someone in the group yelled out "lets take both lanes". No one responded but someone decided to go out in between cars, then I followed with a few others and we again chanted "Who's Bridge?" "OUR BRIDGE!". We chanted loud and it meant something because we had taken the bridge even if it was only one direction. Right before we got off the bridge someone said to look back at all the cars we had backed up. I looked back and I felt as if I had won a battle, it felt like instead of riding my bike and being scared of the cars racing past me that the cars instead had to slow down and notice that they are not the only people on the streets."

Getting the word out that motorists are not the only one on the road, yes. Going out of your way to block 2 lanes of traffic (all lanes for that direction), no, not cool. This kind of action justs pisses people off, and gives cyclists a bad rep, potentially causing motorists to go out of THEIR way to piss cyclists off. Bicycles must follow pretty much all the same laws that cars do.

So for those Masser's that might be reading this, please ride responsibly, and give motorists a reason to respect you, not ammunition to disrespect you.

/soapbox

Hrm, been a while...

2008-02-04T21:28:00.001-08:00

Lotsa new stuff since last time I posted, no... I'm not gonna bore you with the details.

Instead, some bike porn!
my new roadbike, thanks to my sister!

Just built up a single speed too, all I need is a chain tensioner and I'm in business (actually rides pretty well the way it is).

Because Windows is Lame...

2007-12-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Tired of Winblows? Go get your Linux on...

Probably the easiest to use Linux distribution yet!

Yeah, tell that to the soldiers...

2007-11-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

These guys piss me off, they go and get a job that gives them fat government scratch, then bitch and whine when they are sent off to do their job.

"Mr Crocker said diplomats who refused were "in the wrong line of business""

Link to the story

Dems, Repubs... Who Needs 'em?

2007-05-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Why Congress Caved to Bush
By Patrick Buchanan

The antiwar Democrats are crying betrayal -- and justifiably so.

For a Democratic Congress is now voting to fully fund the war in Iraq, as demanded by President Bush, and without any timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal. Bush got his $100 billion, then magnanimously agreed to let Democrats keep the $20 billion in pork they stuffed into the bill -- to soothe the pain of their sellout of the party base.

Remarkable. If the Republican rout of 2006 said anything, it was that America had lost faith in the Bush-Rumsfeld conduct of the war and wanted Democrats to lead the country out.

Yet, today, there are more U.S. troops in Iraq than when the Democrats won. More are on the way. And with the surge and retention of troops in Iraq beyond normal tours, there should be a record number of U.S. troops in country by year's end.

Why did the Democrats capitulate?

Because they lack the courage of their convictions. Because they fear the consequences if they put their antiwar beliefs into practice. Because they are afraid if they defund the war and force President Bush to withdraw U.S. troops, the calamity he predicts will come to pass and they will be held accountable for losing Iraq and the strategic disaster that might well ensue.

Democrats are an intimidated party. The reasons are historical. They were shredded by Nixon and Joe McCarthy for FDR's surrenders to Stalin at Tehran and Yalta, for losing China to Mao's hordes, for the "no-win war" in Korea, for being "soft on communism."

The best and the brightest -- JFK's New Frontiersmen -- were held responsible for plunging us into Vietnam and proving incapable of winning the war. A Democratic Congress cut off aid to Saigon in 1975, ceding Southeast Asia to Hanoi and bringing on the genocide of Pol Pot.

Democrats know they are distrusted on national security. They fear that if they defund this war and bring on a Saigon ending in the Green Zone, it will be a generation before they are trusted with national power. And power is what the party is all about.

Link

Easter Goodies for the Youngin'

2007-04-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hehe, check out what we got Lily for Easter (I never got any EASTER presents, WTF?). Steph has a bike, now Lily has a bike. Man, I really need to finish building up my bike!

You!!!

2007-04-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Pic of Ryan through Chris' "solar hit" magnifying glass

Boy on skunk cannabis butchered a grandmother

2007-04-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Boy on skunk cannabis butchered a grandmother
3rd April 2007 - dailymail.co.uk

A teenager who was crazed by high-strength cannabis butchered a grandmother after 'voices in his head' told him to stab a woman.

Ezekiel Maxwell, a paranoid schizophrenic, launched the horrific attack after years of smoking super-strength 'skunk weed'.

The 17-year-old claimed 'gangster voices' from the ultra-violent computer game Grand Theft Auto had set him on a mission to stab a black woman.

He is the second teenage cannabis addict in a month to be found guilty of killing others after smoking the substance. Thomas Palmer, 18, was jailed for life for murdering his two friends with a hunting knife near their homes in Wokingham, Berkshire.

Maxwell prowled the streets with a kitchen knife until he came across Carmelita Tulloch as she walked to her job at a photocopying firm.

He stabbed her seven times, leaving her to die in a pool of blood as he fled home to his family. The case highlights the dangers of the highly potent 'skunk'.

The number of under-18s treated for smoking the drug has doubled to nearly 10,000 in a year and medical experts said the link between it and mental health problems is now impossible to ignore.

Maxwell attacked 51-year-old Mrs Tulloch on September 5 last year after a night smoking skunk and playing Grand Theft Auto.

He believed he was one of the principal characters called Carl Johnson, who carries a knife in the Playstation game, Croydon Crown Court was told.

Judge Warwick McKinnon said it was "a vile and quite senseless killing of an entirely innocent woman".

Simon Denison, prosecuting, told the court: "Maxwell had been planning to stab a woman for seven days, it had to be a black Afro-Caribbean woman. He didn't know why he had done it, he just had to do it."

"He described the voices as taking over his thoughts and his body. They made him do things like cut his hair so he looked more like a gangster.

"Maxwell said in the months before the killing he was playing Grand Theft Auto to the exclusion of anything else.

"He had smoked cannabis the night before, he took a knife from the kitchen and went out to stab someone. After he stabbed Mrs Tulloch he ran home and told his mother what he had done.

"The psychiatric assessment is that he is a great risk to others and will be for many years."

Maxwell lived 500 yards away from Mrs Tulloch on the same housing estate in Kennington, South London. He attacked her within five minutes walk of her home.

The youngster started smoking cannabis and skunk as well as taking cocaine at 14. He had previously been given cautions for possessing cannabis and has two convictions for mugging and assault.

Maxwell said he started hearing voices after smoking the drug and was referred to a psychiatric team by his GP in June last year.

He was prescribed anti-psychotic drugs and his case was reviewed four times. It was due to be considered again the day after he attacked Mrs Tulloch.

Instead, Maxwell went to a police station with his uncle and solicitor and handed himself in. He told officers: "I am given medication for my head and eyes, I don't know why I have been told to take this medication. I have not taken it for two weeks.

"On September 4 I played Grand Theft Auto until late. When I got up I felt a bit unhappy and aggressive. "I went out of the house at about 10am."

"I have a knife with me. I didn't know why I had a knife, I saw a woman, I stabbed her with the knife, I stabbed her three times, there was a lot of blood. After I stabbed the woman I ran home."

Maxwell has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yesterday he was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Paul Jenkins, chief executive of mental health charity Rethink, said: 'While there can be several triggers for mental illness, we know that if used by people under 18, cannabis doubles the risk of psychosis.

Professor John Henry, a clinical toxicologist, said: "People are beginning to realise that cannabis is not the puff and relax substance that people used to use."

Studies show there is an increased instance of schizophrenia in cannabis users, in some people as much as a ten-Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of mental health charity SANE, said: "This has all the hallmarks of similar stories where a paranoid schizophrenic has not taken medication but has used cannabis.

"Cannabis, especially skunk, can act as a trigger to psychotic relapse in which someone may lose touch with reality and become a serious risk to himself and others.

"We expect the inquiry into this case will reveal the same faultlines underlying many of the 55 homicides involving mental illness each year."

Mrs Tulloch, a receptionist, was married to Prince, 42, and had two adult daughters, Claudia and Andrea, from a previous marriage and a threeyearold granddaughter called Tianna.

Her sister Carol Smith said: "Someone has to take responsibility, how can he commit a crime like that and no one is responsible?

"There need to be regular check-ups for people like him."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so the kid smokes some bud while playing GTA, then goes to sleep. The NEXT day wakes up, hears some voices and goes out to kill someone.

How can this possibly be blamed on bud? He's a schizophrenic! This article is nothing but blatant anti-drug propaganda, pure and simple.

OMG this is freakin stupid!

2007-03-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's old news, but I just read this a few minutes ago...

KATU News

- By Susan Harding

PORTLAND, Ore - Most adults can remember the carefree days of childhood, climbing trees and jumping from swings, often on schoolyard playgrounds.

Climbing, swinging and sliding was once a rite of passage during recess, a time for adventure, to see how high, how far and how fast we could go as a kid.

Today, kids find themselves grounded, victims of a culture of fear and injury litigation.

A growing number of school districts are going so far as to ban the game of tag and are even posting signs that read "no running on the playground."

Is there real danger on the modern playground?

Safety advocates say yes and want to eliminate it.

Their first target: swing sets.

They've convinced Portland Public Schools to remove all swings from elementary schools playgrounds.

But even a playground inspector finds the removal of swing sets a little over the top.

He says that swinging creates motion and is an important part of childhood development.

But the safety advocates don't stop there.

Portland Public Schools have also rejected merry go rounds, tube slides, track rides, arch climbers, and teeter totters.

At Grant Park in Northeast Portland, some parents embrace a new plastic enclosed play area, noting that the construction of the play equipment does not have sharp corners, and soft surfaces are used in many areas.

As for the disappearing swings at school playgrounds, some parents say the kids won't miss them, while others decry the move as overprotective.

And it's not just Portland that is seeing playground equipment disappear.

Our lawsuit happy culture has schools and parks installing low-to-the-ground play structures that some have derided as "dumbed down."

Now, it seems, anything with moving parts is a lawsuit liability, and in some places, that even means moving legs.

In Broward County, Florida, there's a new rule on the playground: no running.

A parent there commented that "no running on the playground, that's kind of like no playing on the playground" and another called for a review of what exactly was "safe" or unsafe.

So what can kids still play?

Not dodge ball or tether ball, that's still too dangerous. And in Beaverton, at Barnes Elementary School, rules there forbid the game of tag.

In Salem, an elementary education director says "we don't encourage the game of tag because it encourages fights."

But at Catlin Gabel, a private school, there's an entirely different philosophy at work on the playground. One where monkey bars, slides and other playground favorites are used daily by a roiling mass of youngsters, some who come away with skinned knees or other minor boo-boos.

Kids there are taking chances, even jumping from swings, and it's all encouraged.

An adult watching the students play says it's really the nature of childhood to take small risks and find out what they can do and what they can't do.

One child psychologist points to the rising trend of childhood obesity in defense of letting kids play like kids.

National statistics indicate 34 percent of kids are overweight, with obesity projected to be nearly 50 percent in the year 2010.

But safety advocates point to different numbers, saying playground accidents cause 200,000 injuries nationwide each year, and 17 deaths.

It's a debate that is sure to continue, as some say kids can never be safe enough, and others feel that if kids can't jump from the swing set and maybe skin a knee, they are not learning valuable life lessons.

Oh, boy! It's been a while!

2007-03-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

I've lacked internet since last September, so now that I have it back, I guess its time to start posting again...

Still in Portland, still loving it. Trying to find a new job in construction right now, waiting on a call from a local remodeler. I really hope that will pan out.

Started working on the '67 Beetle. It's drivable now, just need to get some new plates for it, and fix a tail/brake light.

Blah blah blah...

Geocaching...

2006-09-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Haven't gone caching in a while, so far I've hit up two caches in Oregon, one had my first Travel Bug find.

Meet Sunny the Rubber Duck TB.

Off-Roading, Swimming, and Hiking...

2006-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

That's what I did yesterday. Had some fun with the subaru in the dirt (where it belongs) and took a little swim with Steph (mostly just wading through the water).

Here are a few pics I grabbed:

Wow...

2006-07-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Just thought this photo was pretty powerful:

Link to the article: ...Israel, Hezbollah trade attacks: MSNBC

Yet Another Blog...

2006-07-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog, with several of my friends. Once I move to Oregon, out of the three of us, we'll have the entire west-coast covered.

Jon: lives in Washington
Jacob (me): will live in Oregon (in the coming months)
Dave: lives in California

Check it out The Mire

The Boys...

2006-07-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

From left to right:

Dane, Ryan, Dave, and Chuck

Taken at a favored hiking spot near Santa Cruz California: Moonrocks

California Slave...

2006-07-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is just sick, nobody deserves this kind of treatment, these people should get FAR longer terms than the suggested 3 years!!! The link >>> California Slave

Ooohh, I'm running Ubuntu!!!

2006-06-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well, not on my new computer, I decided to make a media box for my home theatre using my old computer. It is now running Ubuntu Linux. I've wanted to do this for a long time, just finally got around to getting a second computer.

Ubuntu

US troops get murder charges in killing civilian | Reuters.com

2006-06-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

US troops get murder charges in killing civilian | Reuters.com

Wow, this is sad, very sad.

Techdirt: Teen Sues MySpace For Not Protecting Her

2006-06-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Techdirt: Teen Sues MySpace For Not Protecting Her

All I have to say is WOW... This girl is a moron (or should I say slut? (mmmkay that was a little harsh)) for meeting a guy that she KNEW was way older than she. This girls mom is a moron for not watching what her child does on the internet. The lawyer representing these women should be shot.

I am ashamed to be part of the human race, lawsuits like these are going to get the government to take all of our freedoms away and they would be justified, obviously we cannot think for ourselves!

Borked My Subaru's Wheel

2006-06-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Borked My Subaru's Wheel
Originally uploaded by jacob |g| stevens.

I hit a pothole coming back from Big Bald Rock, I hit it hard!!! Luckily I found a wheel for sale on Ebay and it's pretty cheap, "like the budgey!"

Floating atomic plant for Russia

2006-06-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

WTF!?! This is a stupid idea!!!
Floating atomic plant for Russia

Please let me announce one of the worst bills EVARRRR!!!

2006-06-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Please call your congressman/woman and let them know how horrible a bill like this could be. A list of the people that can turn this around can be found on this blog>>>horrible bill

The story is listed here

DO THIS, BEFORE YOUR BASIC RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED

If This is True, WTF!!!

2006-06-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

So we're paying warlords again!

When will the US government ever learn?

Sunset, Car, Parade

2006-06-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Been a while since my last post...

Here are a few shots I took in the last couple of weeks...

Bald Rock California at sunset.

My 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX (I can never have too many photos of my beloved car!).

A girl waiting for the rest of the parade in Oroville California.

Random Photo...

2006-05-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

Oroville at sunset...

More Shots of Capitola...

2006-04-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more shots I took while in Capitola a few weeks ago. These were taken from the Capitola beach fairly early in the night, Ryan and I were hanging out on the beach w/ Sparks in hand and noticed the beautiful moonrise.

Unfortunatly I did not have a tripod w/ me and decided the best way to get some clean shots were to put the camera on the top of a banister, a lot of the shots came out with some blurring due to motion. Oh well, it was fun anyway!

Macro Photography on the Cheap...

2006-04-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

I just recently learned of a way to shoot macro photographs w/out a macro lens!

If you have a SLR or DSLR camera and at least 2 lenses, you are set up for super macro photography!!!

Simply attach a lens to your camera normally (I used a 40-150mm lens) and then attach another lens to the front of that (I used a 14-45mm), so the front of each lens is facing each other. There are adaptors available for about $10 to do this, but I just used electrical tape and it seemed to work fine.

Here are a few shots I took using this technique:

Hiking with the Family...

2006-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Went hiking out on Table Mountain today, had fun playin' in the sun w/ Lily and Steph.

Lilys' Shoes.

The top of Table Mountain is covered with this lush grass and these tiny flowers throughout spring and summer.

A shot of the sun through the trees.

4/3rds System Website...

2006-04-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you have a 4/3rds system camera (ie most new Olympus cameras and a few Panisonic/Lumix cameras) you will probably want to check out 4-3 system.com. Though it seems to just be starting out, it has an excellent view of all the available lenses for your 4/3rds camera.

And if you don't already have a DSLR and are at least somewhat interested in upgrading from your current point-and-shoot digital camera I would recommend visiting the site as well as taking a look at the Olympus Evolt E-500 camera (it's what I use) as from a users viewpoint (as well as many established camera review websites) it is THE best bang for the buck camera on the market. See a review here.

Aaahhhrrrg!!!

2006-04-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Taken from The New York Times
---
President Bush, having defended Mr. Rumsfeld on Friday from Camp David, had appeared before the cameras hours earlier, to make the case in person.

"I'm the decider, and I decide what's best," Mr. Bush said in the Rose Garden. "And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."
---

No, WE are the deciders asshole, get it straight! Get you and your entire bullshit cabinet OUT of Washington.

DAMNIT!!!!

Sorry, I'm pissed right now.

Playing W/ Bubbles...

2006-04-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Lily, Steph, and I had a blast playing with bubbles today, I was mostly taking pictures. Here is one that I especially liked.

Heh, Been A While...

2006-04-15T17:07:00.001-07:00

Yes, It's been a while since I last posteded. Been busy and all that. I just got back from a trip to Capitola and took a few pics.

Here are a few of my favorites...

The Capitola Bridge

Shot of the Moonrise from Capitola Beach

Shot of the Shadow Brook, a very classy restraunt in Capitola, this was shot from my backyard (when I used to live in Capitola)

Subaru WRX STi by Jacob |g| Stevens

2006-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

I saw this Subaru STi on my way to go hiking, no owners around, I had to stop an have a short photo shoot. I LOVE my new camera.

Matt...

2006-02-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

Just recently I looked up a friend from high school, Matt. He's a crazy cat, and after hanging out w/ him last night I found that even after 6 years of no communication, we have a lot in common, even more than during highschool. Thursday I think we are going out to a local pub, should be fun!

Weeeeeee!

2006-02-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hehe... I am the proud owner of a new Olympus Evolt E-500 DSLR. I Havn't put it down for more than 15 minutes since I got it!

Here's some of my favorites so far...

I got a VW BUG!!!

2006-02-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't own it, but my fiance has had a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle for some time now. Right now it's sitting in the carport collecting dust 'cause I havn't gotten off my ass and changed the points (apparently an easy thing to do).

Just recently though, I decided (and hoped Steph would concur, which she did) that I will restore the bug, not the shiny just outta the factory goodness, but a few steps up.
Here you see the wheels I want to put on the bug, look closely. Yes that's right, they are ubercool Porsche wheels. Beyond that there is a whole slew of things I wanna do to the bug, first thing is new points, new window seals, and a new gastank. I will keep ya'll posted on the progress (I'll tell you now its gonna be slooooow).

Coretta Scot King...

2006-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Rights leader Coretta Scott King dies "A very sad hour." - Rep John Lewis. A sad hour indeed.

BlogShares.com...

2006-01-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm totally addicted! Check it out>>> BlogShares.com

Late night halo2...

2006-01-30T00:25:00.000-08:00

Great for trying to make yourself sleep.

Conference in Sacramento...

2006-01-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

Boring waste of time.

Japan...

2006-01-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Found some old pictures of my trip to Japan while cleaning up my harddrive. I was there during the summer of 2001 (I think). I urge anyone who has the chance to take a trip there, it is a spectacular country.

I would definatly recommend going to Tokyo (of course!) and taking a train to Kyoto for a few days, you'll find the best temples there.

The photo to the left (taken by me) is of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) which is actually covered in real gold leaf.

Another temple of note is Sanjusangendo. Inside the temple are 1001 hand-carved statues of Kannon, a spectacular sight for sure!

And definatly make sure to hit up Enryakuji on Hieizan. A beautiful temple located on a heavily forested mountain.

You should also be sure to visit Shibuya while in Tokyo, it is an amazing center of, well everything! Great bars, shopping, karaoke, and extremely easy to get to from just about anywhere in Tokyo via the most excellent transit system the world has ever seen!

I took this photo while leaving the subway station that I took from Kanagawa where I was staying. Notice the insane amount of people on the crosswalk, its fun to stop and talk to random people in the city. Most of the people I talked to had a pretty good grasp of english. Well I'm done typing, need more coffee.

Mmmm...

2006-01-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

Coffee and wine. Two of lifes greatest pleasures!

Phantom Falls!!!

2006-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

Went hiking to Phantom Falls today (this time I actually made it all the way). I originally had planned to go find a geocache, but the highway leading to the cache was closed (we have had a lot of flooding in the area recently). So instead of wasting a day, I took a hike! Sorry for the poor lighting, it was a very bright sunny day and horrible for taking pictures of landscapes.

These are the falls that I originally thought were Phantom Falls, but they aren't, just a small water fall near the Phantom Falls trailhead.

2006-01-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

A salamander I found not far from the trailhead.

2006-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

A makeshift baseball diamond I stumbled upon on my way to the falls.

2006-01-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Shot from directly above the falls.

2006-01-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

Took this shot by holding the end of my tripod out over the edge (those rocks are slippery!).

2006-01-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

Phantom Falls!

2006-01-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Me at my vantage of the falls.

2006-01-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Phantom Falls, sorry for the poor lighting, when I get my new camera I'll take it out on a nice overcast day, that way the lighting will be MUCH softer.

2006-01-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

The falls again.

2006-01-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

Last shot of the hike.

Finally!!!

2005-12-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

Got to go on another hike today (been a while), just went up to check on my cache. There were a few spots of snow, not quite cold enough yet for a lot of it. Jan/Feb should provide more fruitfull for some snowy fun.

2005-12-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

A small pond at the top of Bald Rock, if you look closely you can see a barbacue-er someone left.

Yay! Sold My Turntables!

2005-12-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

Sold my tables on ebay, got $700 for 'em. Now when I get the money for the wheels I sold (also sold the extra set of wheels I have for my car) I'll have the $1000 for my new camera setup. A merry christmas to me (even though I am not really celebrating it.)

EFF: DeepLinks: Bad Ruling on Cell Phone Tracking

2005-12-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is horrendous! Time to start hacking my phone to FULLY disable the GPS tracking.

Check it out at EFF.org>>> Bad Ruling on Cell Phone Tracking...

My battle with cigarettes...

2005-12-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes seems to be a losing one, as I've started again. :( But, this too shall pass. I feel I've started again because of all the stress at work during this time of year, though that does sound like a pretty lame excuse huh?

Meh...

Oregon Job Search Engine at Jobdango - Find Oregon Jobs

2005-12-18T22:22:00.000-08:00

"The role of Psychological Operations is to alter the behavior of foreign populations in a manner consistent with United States diplomatic, national security and foreign policy objectives. A Psychological Operations Specialist is an information and media specialist who can assess the information needs of a target population and develop and deliver the ri..."

So, I'm moving to Portland soon, and in searching for jobs, steph found this...

Santarchy

2005-12-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

this is pretty crazy - i'm all for bringing down capitalism, but i don't think that urinating off of overpasses really helps. check out the idiots representing the santarchy* "movement".

i don't think that any anarchists** would be happy to hear about these guys claiming to do this stuff as a protest - i mean, come on guys, let's not pretend that this was anything more than a night of drunken dumbassery.

*"3 The annual Santacons are not anti-Christmas or
anti-commercialism protest events. Really, it's just a bunch of santas getting
together to have a good time.
4 We do not condone or encourage any kind of vandalism or violence at a Santacon
event. Our santas do not destroy property, steal merchandise, harm others or scare
children." from mini faq at santarchy.com

**"Anarchism does not mean bloodshed; it does not mean robbery, arson, etc. These
monstrosities are, on the contrary, the characteristic features of capitalism.
Anarchism means peace and tranquility to all."
--August Spies, Haymarket anarchist. anarchy for anybody

"'Of all social theories Anarchism alone steadfastly proclaims that society exists
for man, not man for society. The sole legitimate purpose of society is to serve
the needs and advance the aspiration of the individual. Only by doing so can it
justify its existence and be an aid to progress and culture.'
-Emma Goldman
What comes to mind when you hear the word anarchy? Chaos and disorder? Bomb
throwers and assassins? Black clothes and combat boots? A common misunderstanding
is that anarchism is the total absence of order, that it is nihilism."
NY anarchists

"As both political philosophy and personal lifestyle, social anarchism promotes
community self-reliance, direct participation in political decision-making,
respect for nature, and nonviolent paths to peace and justice."
socialanarchism.org

wow...

2005-12-18T01:28:00.000-08:00

i don't think i can find the words to describe how scary this is.
Anatomy of a CIA Mistake

Help me buy a new camera!

2005-12-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Someone should buy these turntables off me so I can buy myself a new camera, a Nikon D70.
I am asking $800 for 2 Technics SL-1200M3Ds and a Pioneer DJM-300 mixer. Make a comment on this post if you're interested and want more info, otherwise they go up on Ebay in a few weeks.

Blowin' it!

2005-12-17T03:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know, I'm blowin' it with the lack of new pictures. But at least theres some banter to read, yeah..yeah...oh.

I had three days off and didn't go hiking once. Meh, next week it'll happen.

Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence

2005-12-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

"It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq."
'bout time... asshat Times Online article

Anonymous Lawyer

2005-12-14T00:18:00.000-08:00

Best sentence in a blog post EVaR!!!

I ran over a cat on the way into the office this morning. People should control their pets better.

it almost makes me slightly proud of dubya... almost

2005-12-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

i know it sounds horrible, but sometimes when you're feeling bad about yourself, you just have to find someone who's a little worse, and it's almost all better. feeling fat? hang out at the walmart or the mcdonalds in oroville, and watch all the people that make you look good. feeling ugly? look up pictures of tori spelling and think, "and that's what she looks like with makeup on". feeling like your leader is a dangerous, horrible, greedy, uneducated coke-snorting pestilence upon the world? read about iran.

Yup...

2005-12-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

I did it again, what can I say, I'm never quite happy w/ the layout... Whatdya think of this one?

WOW...

2005-12-09T00:03:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran's president says move Israel

Hiking: Feather Falls

2005-12-08T01:25:00.000-08:00

Steph and I took a hike out near Feather Falls, though with impending darkness we turned back early. Not without grabbing a few choice shots of some falls along the way. Here you see Steph checkin' out the falls.

2005-12-08T01:22:00.000-08:00

The turn around spot, had a nice hot cup of tea that I brought along in a thermos to enjoy along with the scenery

Hiking: Phantom Falls (another failure)

2005-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Went hiking out to Phantom Falls again. This Steph and Lily came along, but due to the small steps a 2 year old hiker takes, we failed to reach Phantom Falls once again. Oh well, I had a blast and we did find a cache, so it wasn't a total loss.

2005-12-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Taking a break.

2005-12-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

On our way to the cache site, coffee in hand!

photo: stephanie oxford

2005-12-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Foound a cache while we were out hiking, that's #4 for me! Here you see Lily and I leaving the cache site.

2005-12-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Looking straight off the top of the smaller falls.

2005-12-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

A grassy cliff next to the smaller falls.

2005-12-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

The sunset when we were leaving Table Mountain was... incredible!

2005-12-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

Yeah...

2005-12-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

I couldn' believe the sunset last night! It was absolutly AMAZING!!!

2005-12-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

Awesome ending to an awesome day!

Technical difficulties...

2005-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

I'm having technical difficulties w/ Picasa so I am unable to upload my recent hiking pics.
However, do not worry for I am working w/ google to resolve the problem.

L.A. Humbug: Why I Hate the Christmas Season :: LAVoice.org :: LOS ANGELES SPEAKS HERE :: A public-access blog

2005-12-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Couldn't a said it better myself>>> L.A. Humbug: Why I Hate the Christmas Season :: LAVoice.org :: LOS ANGELES SPEAKS HERE :: A public-access blog

Discover Music - Pandora

2005-12-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

I dunno if I'm slow on the uptake and everyone else already knows about this, but if you don't check it out, its cooool!

Pandora

No new pics :-\

2005-12-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

What do you expect? I havn't gone on a hike in a few days (OMG, I just realized it's been 5 days!!!).
But in the meantime here is a pic steph shot of me up on Bald Rock a few weeks back. Gotta love that sky!!!

Paid-For Iraq Stories Concern White House

2005-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Paid-For Iraq Stories Concern White House

WTF! What are these asshats trying to do? 1984 anyone?

On a scale of 'YAY' to 'MEH'...

2005-11-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

Meh...

BBC NEWS : Bush outlines Iraq 'victory plan'

Ouch...

2005-11-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

Cheney = War Criminal

I coulda told 'em that...

Another Hike Up Bald Rock...

2005-11-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

Mainly went out to check on my cache that I hid a few weeks back (GPS coord. N 39° 38.490 W 121° 21.040 ). It's still in good condition, with a few added goodies that someone else left. Started to snow a little on my way out, not quite cold enough for it to stick though. Soon though I should be frolicking in the snow on top of my favorite mountain!

2005-11-30T14:44:00.000-08:00

You can see the water draining out of the mountain... I can't wait 'till it starts snowing up here heavily!!!

2005-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

I would beat the living snot out of this person, if only I knew who they were. I can't believe somebody would spray paint on the side of such a wonderful natural treasure. Jackasses!!!

Madness...

2005-11-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

Woman has first face transplant

Now that's some crazy isht!!!

Site Redesign... again

2005-11-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

Redesigned my site again... howsit look?

Latest Hiking Trip: Almost to Phantom Falls Near Oroville Ca

2005-11-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

Went hiking today, perfect day to go hiking (for me anyway). Heres a pic of 'Crazy Ivan' at the trailhead for Phantom Falls (which I thought I made it to, but didn't hike far enough)GPS Coord: 39° 36.212n 121° 33.709w

2005-11-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

The start of my hike, some would say it was a poor time to go hiking. I'd say screw them, I wanna go hiking!

2005-11-29T14:11:00.001-08:00

On the way to the falls, one of the many tributaries flowing into the falls.