What bad luck!

     So, it's a rainy day.  You're late for whatever it is you happen to be in a hurry to get to, you're stuck in traffic, and now on top of everything, you've spilled your coffee on yourself.  How unlucky are you?  No, really, how unlucky are you?  Surely you've said it before, but have you ever taken the time to really consider it?  Well, lets see.  You've managed to spill coffee on yourself so, presumably, you had money to buy coffee.  You're stuck in traffic, but to be stuck in traffic implies that you're fortunate enough to have a car to use.  In order to be in a hurry to get somewhere, you must have woken up this morning; in order to wake up this morning you must have been born; in order to be born, you're parent's must have met and conceived you; in order for your parents to have met, they must each have family roots that extend back as far as you can trace; in order to have a family roots, life must have come into existence on the earth; in order for life to start on earth, the solar system must have formed just as it did; in order for the solar system to form just as it did, all the particles of milky way must have come together just as they did to form the galaxy; and in order for the milky way to come together, the universe had to start exactly how, and when it did.  Now, how unlucky were you to be able to spill your coffee?

Have an unlucky day.

Let's do something BIG!

     It usually happens near the end of the bottle.  You're out with some friends and everyone's had a bit more than their limit when someone comes up with a great idea!  Ya! Let's do something big!  We could run that company... or invent that product... or open that store... or....  Who's buying this round?  No I bought the last one!  No I did!  And then all of a sudden you're back in your bed. The sun's up,  your head's pounding, and you're too sick to eat 'til it's dark out again.  You probably won't recall all those great ideas, or at least won't talk about them until the next time you're too drunk to remember.  It's a shame.  There's no reason you couldn't really do any of these things, but they're just too big to start.  That's why you only think them up after a bunch of booze, when you're ten feet tall and bulletproof.  Nobody wants to start small, but that's what you have to do.  And you have to keep doing it!  Think about it another way:  You could try to build a tree, but it wouldn't turn out right, and it would be a lot easier to just plant a seed.  So, hey! Lets do something small!  Eventually it'll be something big.  

Have a small day.   

I hope nobody's been reading this.

   
     This is important!  The election is coming up in less than a week and tonight the Chiefs play the Chargers.  This country needs a real change, but we're given the choice between the two candidates that pledge to treat all the symptoms of the problems we're having while leaving the causes unchanged (and unmentioned).  What's that?  You think you might consider a third party candidate?  Go ahead!  Throw your vote away! --And here's Lady Gaga with a song to distra-- er... empower you to chose either of the two political parties.  You were born this way baby!  The federal reserve system is killing our country and Snooki is having children, and I could tell you in great detail about why we're going down the tubes in about 15 minutes, but Taylor Swift broke up with Conor Kennedy this week, and Gary Busey got plastic surgery, and Vince Vaughn should get it, and Cate Blanchett will never get it.  What an idiot!-- I admire her commitment to age naturally-- I think she should be kicked out of tinsel town.  And the chargers are up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

     This may sound like a rambling useless post, but I'm trying to make a point here!  It's pretty easy to get distracted from the important things in the world, we've got celebrities, professional sports, new cars, iPods, and every other manner of consumer good that we couldn't dream up a dozen years ago, but can't live without now-- and it can only get worse from here.  Look at the websites on some of the links above.  The one web address is 'nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip'.  Think about that for a second; gossip as a subcategory of entertainment on a news website.  More and more, we are blurring the lines between news and entertainment, and becoming less informed in the process.  When celebrity gossip and fashion trends are presented as the most important things, they become the most important things to people.  It's getting to the point that any message that would be received and understood by a large enough segment of society to cause a change would have to be so dumbed down and diluted that it wouldn't be worth telling anyone at all.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't really count on anyone else to make the changes for you.  You've got to inform yourself, dodge the distractions, and be the change you want to see in the world.

God, I hope nobody's reading this, cause I don't want myself to think I dumbed this down for everyone.

Have an informed day.

A flash in the pan.

I wrote this a while ago as a preface to an essay that was never finished.  It was about living your life backwards by pondering what you would do if you knew you had one second to live.  Who would you be with? Where? Doing what?  Then doing the same for a minute, an hour, a day, a week... all the way up to a century.  By doing this you discover what's really important to you and what you want to accomplish with your life.  So, since I never finished the essay, I thought I'd share this portion of it with all of you.  
       It's been said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.  The sum of all of your experiences in this world drifts through your consciousness to be reflected upon one last time before your passing into whatever lies beyond this life. I personally have never had a near death experience, but this idea seems plausible.  Everyone hopes they amount to something in this lifetime and it seems only logical that ones last thoughts would be on what impact they've made on the world and the people around them.  The part of this phrase that really provoked my thoughts however is not the idea of this stream of events pouring through your mind before you die, but the timing involved in the process, because who's to say how long a 'flash' is?  Is it a second? A minute? Five?  Maybe it's about seventy eight and a half years for the average person in the United States.  That's right, the entirety of your life is the flash.  It's interesting to look at life in this way, because then this 'flash' becomes not only your own reflection on your life, but a series of chances to change its course toward better reflections in the future.  This only works, however, if we have the foresight to look forward to looking back. 
If everyone was given an expiration date, a definite time and date when they knew they were going to die, most people would be more prudent with their time, using it productively to work towards an ultimate objective.  Unfortunately, we are not afforded this blessing (or curse) in our lifetime, and we consequently go on idly through our lives usually forgetting, and sometimes distracting ourselves from our eventual fate.  This is not to say that we should spend our entire lives fretting over the conclusion, but to ignore it is equally illogical and unproductive.  In any endeavor there is a goal towards which all other actions contribute, and life, being the ultimate endeavor, should be no different.  

George Carlin had the same idea a while ago, but he presented it a bit more comically:

I want to live my next life backwards:
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in a nursing home
feeling better every day.
Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.
Enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.
Then when you start work,
you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years
until you're too young to work.
You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.

Then you go to primary school,
you become a kid,
you play,
and you have no responsibilities.
Then you become a baby, and then...

You spend your last 9 months
floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions
- central heating, room service on tap,
and then...
You finish off as an orgasm.

Have a backwards day.

So, that's where they've been keeping it. . .

       Remember way back when, before the internet went viral.  When going on the internet actually was something?  I haven't fallen into the constant media trap like some others have, but even I strain to remember those times.  You had to sit down in front of a computer, dial up, wait for a connection, and then take care of the things you wanted to do on the internet in the time you had before you got up to do something else.  

      Now, anytime we want, we can do pretty much anything online anywhere we feel like it.  Its a good thing.  
      
      Now, all the time, we do everything we can online everywhere.  Its a bad thing.  

 
      I've given in comparatively very little to the social networking and instant information revolution thats been growing for years now.  I don't follow blogs or news from my phone unless I'm traveling and its my only option, my 200 per month texting plan rarely runs out of messages, and my Facebook status right now probably refers to something I did months ago.  You could say I haven't embraced the new technologies, but I haven't shunned them either -- they have their place.  I love that I can be in touch with anyone I know at a moments notice, but I also realize that just because I can do something doesn't mean I should.  It comes down to being where you are and experiencing what's going on right there right now.  I can't count the number of times I've heard a friend, hypnotized by their phone, say something to the effect of "Oh! So and so's camping… or swimming… or doing whatever else. They just posted it on Facebook." and thinking to myself "They're not camping. They're on Facebook!"   Other times it's just about being courteous to the people around you. These people have been kind enough to give some of their time to you.  You should return the gesture, and not distract yourself with others who couldn't, or just wouldn't make time for you.  Time is, after all, the most valuable thing each of us have to give or to keep for ourselves.

  If you spend all your time constantly telling people what you're doing or keeping up with what other people are doing, then you aren't ever really there doing what you are doing, and you're going to miss a lot.  So, when you're camping, be camping; when you're eating a nice meal, be there eating a nice meal; and when you have some time to sit down and catch up online at the end of the day, or at the beginning of the day (or even both!) then be there, catching up online.   

Have a conscious day.

Kids know what's up. ~or~ You learn all the B.S.

       
       Weather canceled my rafting trip again, but I visited my little cousins (and their dog) last weekend at their house out in the Alleghenny National Forest and had a great time with them. Kids are smart.  They know how the world works.  They might not understand it all, but deep down they know it.

   
      And I don't mean how adults run the world, I mean how we humans are connected to the animals, the plants, and all of nature...  The truths that are obvious to us until we have other ideas shoehorned into our brains.  It's easy to see it in children's motivations and their activities.  When kids have some free time what do they do? Waste their time watching other people compete in sports, or listening to people talk (gossip mostly) about what others are doing in the world?  No.  They go out to a field, or to the woods, or somewhere else in nature and explore their world and experience things for themselves... until they're taught not to.  How many times were you told as a young child to stay out of the woods? or not to play in the dirt? or not to eat the dirt!?  And you didn't see the tiniest thing wrong with it until it was beaten into your brain not to do it!
     Kids know whats up, but as they grow up they learn to be disgusted by the natural world that we're a part of and learn all the other B.S. that becomes the troubles of the world we live in.  That's why I've always tried to remember to stay a kid as much as possible.  At least as far as keeping the mindset of exploration and of our connection to the natural world.  It might not help me fit in with other 'adults' (I prefer being a 'grown up' personally), but at least I'm not selling my soul for a dollar or forgetting where I came from... and where I'm going.    

 

Have a childish day.

The best beer I ever had.

       
         I consider myself a bit of a beer snob, so if I had to recall the best beer I ever had, the answer might surprise you a little.  It was a friday about a week in to my bicycle ride to florida, and we had stopped for the night at lunch rock.  We were starving.  We had been living on dehydrated vegetables and army rations since we had left home, and as for beverages, a bland, artificially sweetened drink powder packed in with the army food was the most flavorful thing to cross our lips.  It was around dusk and we were making ourselves comfortable, when a husband and wife with their two children happened upon our campsite, and as they approached we noticed a cooler in their hand.  Immediately, our food and drink fantasies began.   We ended up talking with them for several minutes about our trip, and about the area, but, as we would confess to each other later, always with the hopes of a surprise treat from that cooler in the back of our minds.  Eventually the family left, having invigorated and entertained us with their stories and friendship, but also having crushed our hopes of libations and gastronomic delights.  My riding companion, Bryce, had just turned to me to say "Man, I thought we were scoring a few brews or something!" when who else but one of the visitors would re-emerge from the darkened path with a gift of two Miller lites for we two weary travelers.

This story isn't about beer.  It's about the allure of travel and how it can change your perception of things; about living simply; and about enjoying the small things along the way.  Traveling, especially traveling very light, is the best medicine I've found for whatever troubles you.  Even if its only for a day, whittling your life down to what can fit in a backpack instantly shakes off the worries of the world and makes all the the little surprises more special when they come along.  I don't even like Miller Lite, but that night it was more enjoyable than any nice craft brew I might be able to come across at my house today.  I'd like to always live so simply.  

You may have read this story before on my old blog, but if not, you should take a look at it.  There are plenty of other interesting thoughts and experiences to read about there too.  

I filmed Eva setting up her honey bee hive today and got stung in the head, got a lot of good shots though.  I think I'm going to designate friday as the new blog day.  So, expect a new video next week and a new blog every friday (at a minimum).

Have a special day. 

Woods.In the woods.

Eva and I went for a walk in the woods yesterday.  It was fun.  I took all these (and many more) photos along with some videos that didn't turn out so well.  I need a steady cam to balance my shots out.  I woke up today with my first ever tick bleeding me dry from the back of my calf.  The sucker almost made me late for work (god forbid!).  In other exciting news, I found a counterfeit $100 bill at work today.  It is amazing what they've done with these things! They look identical to real bills, they have blue and red security threads throughout the paper, magnetic strips in the paper that read 'USA 100', a watermark, and they even pass the counterfeit marker test that is the standard in checking for bad bills.  The only thing wrong with the bills is that the serial number for the bills is incorrect for the year they claim to be issued in.  So, looking at all the bills in front of me, one fake, the rest real, I got to thinking what the real difference is.  I already harbor great disdain for our money system, so it didn't take a big effort to jump to the side of the counterfeiters.  If we had any integrity in our economy I might be upset with people trying to cheat the system, but when the system is cheating us, I'm the first to cheer on the little guy, big as they may be to have the resources to make such pristine fake bills.  If you don't yet know how our money system works you should look in to it.  Money as Debt on youtube is a good, if cheesy, intro. It may be a little boring for some but the information is extremely valuable and not enough people take the time to familiarize themselves with it.  Sorry to turn this into an economy rant, I'll stop now.  I'll be purchasing my steady cam with my tax refund (taxes, don't get me started on those!) and should be updating with some nice stable videos soon.  I also have three other vids in the works and on the verge of completion.  You'll see them soon enough.  For now, heres some woods photos.

Swamp

Nicely framed picture of nothing in particular

I love this thing! ^^^ as far as i can tell a twig was stuck in the ground when a flood happened and the twig collected various floating debris until it came out looking like a strange flower.

Eva loved this Red fungus so we put it near this nice green moss.

Thats all for now.  Have a relaxing day.

I know that! But how?

I got a fortune at an asian restaurant a few days ago.  It reads "pursue your wishes aggressively." Not as good as this one, but a timely message nonetheless.  Its great  how things seem to be pushing you along in the right direction sometimes. I say that because that message is kind of what this blog is about.  I want to be more productive in my life, specifically in film, and I figured that starting something that I'd have to contribute to on somewhat of a regular basis would get me on track to that end.  Anyways, heres a list of words and phrases I like and dislike.
Stupid? Maybe.
Productive? I don't know...

Likes

1. CERTAIN - because it's a word that refers to something specific that shall remain anonymous.  
2. QUAINT - because it itself is. 
3. IGNORANT - because most people who use it are ignorant of its definition. 
4. GROWN-UP - because its what kids call adults who are on their side. (You don't want to be an adult.  You want to be this.)

Dislikes

1. "MOST PEOPLE ONLY DREAM OF" - I hate this phrase, because it is just an excuse for people to fall in line and not take risks.  It indicates a lack of  adventurousness.  The only reason 'most people only dream of' some things is because they're unambitious, or afraid, or have distracted themselves from the fact that they only live once and they should make the most of it, not dream of making the most of it.  (R.I.P. Bill Hicks)
2. NO - Barring some circumstances where you'd be harming yourself or others, its just a hinderance, and there are enough of those in life that you don't need to be adding to them.   
3. MAYBE - because it pretty much means no. 

I guess I should keep the photo thing going.  Heres me last halloween being a grown-up in a costume from a certain quaint cartoon of which, I'd bet, you may be ignorant.  

Watch this.  Then you'll get it.
Hopefully I can get a few little movies done soon to put up on here.  Stay tuned... that is, if anyone is even listening.  

P.S. That picture of the 'thrilling time' fortune cookie is one my friend Bryce and I received at a chinese restaurant in the first week of a BMX bike ride from pittsburgh to florida.  You can read all about it here.

Here's Bryce's blog too. 

Now that I've gotten the first and most irrelevant post out of the way, I'll venture a more meaningful passage, namely defining the range and scope of this blog. 

A few definitions should speed up the process. 

[from Merriam-Webster.com]

Venture

transitive verb

1

: to expose to hazard : risk, gamble <ventured a buck or two on the race>

2

: to undertake the risks and dangers of : brave <ventured the stormy sea>

3

: to offer at the risk of rebuff, rejection, or censure<venture an opinion>

intransitive verb

: to proceed especially in the face of danger

OK, what about...

Adventure

noun

1

a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risksb : the encountering of risks adventure>

2

: an exciting or remarkable experience adventure in exotic dining>

3

: an enterprise involving financial risk

Perfect.

So, basically this blog will be an amalgam of all things risky, exciting, or remarkable in my life presented to you--at the risk of occasionally looking like a fool.

Heres another picture.

One.

Hi! The first post is always useless, because nobody knows this exists yet. But without a first I guess there can't be a second, so here goes... As the title states, this will be a place to keep up with my latest adventures (or regular ventures). There will be photos, videos, music, musings, travels, and anything else that floats through my head, so hold on and don't take anything here too seriously cause it gets a little confabulated in there sometimes. How bout we start with some pictures I took? People use blogs for that don't they?

Heres a heating dish, a dog, a cat, Brentwood (my house's home) in miniature, and a preliminary test of some light painting (we'll get into that one a little more later).

Have an exciting day.