Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas San Diego, Ca. March 2012

Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas San Diego, Ca. March 2012
Eddie Arana, Rick Thibodeau, & Chris Bakunas at Luche Libre Taco Shop in San Diego, March 2012

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Simply Unbearable


 

When You're Hot You're Hot


 

The Fatality Of Overthinking


There is a philosophy shared among surfers that states there is a fatality to overthinking the ride a wave is going to provide. 

See, it's all about going with whatever nature provides - not trying to guess if the wave is going to be strong enough to give you a long ride (which in the world of surfing would mean more than 30 seconds) or if the wave is going to turn into an ankle biter.

Thinking a ride through just isn't going to work. You can visualize yourself on your board, catching the wave, dropping in, but that's about it. Once you're in, you're in, just enjoy it.

That applies to about 90% of life.

Not to say I know a lot about life, or surfing, but it does seem to make sense.


Monday, September 28, 2020

Why Add Color When You Can Just Frost The Tips?


Several people I know have had to deal with life-changing transitions this past year. It's a phenomenally large number, or at least far beyond normal. 

And it appears that a life-changing transition just might be on the horizon for me, too.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Not Quite Nashville


The earnest young folk singer strumming his guitar earnestly doing his best to be both entertaining and sincere

He's got the conviction of his beliefs, he's got his ideals 

He's convinced he can make a difference and provide a few insights, or at least a bit of reflection

Most of the people in the place are staring off into space, stirring drinks listlessly and wondering where to go next

Not one person aware that he's resorted to open D tuning

In the hopes of catching someone's ear with the incorporation of a riff first played by Harrison on Here Comes The Sun

A couple gets up to dance to a song that was never meant to be danced to, and the balladeer lets out a frustrated sigh

Should have seen that coming, with the shuffle beat and all

There are twenty or so folks in the place tonight, there are twenty or so bored and disinterested people tapping their toes

And all the earnest kid wants to do is get through his set




Friday, September 25, 2020

No Time Like Tomorrow

 The thing about getting things done is having the time to do it.

  Uninterrupted time. Time in which you can focus all your resources towards accomplishing the task at hand.

  When I was younger I used to wonder why nearly every adult I ever encountered that was working on a project of any sort would tell me to go away, that they were too busy to deal with my question or request at that particular moment.

  Now I know why, now I have a great deal more respect for what I considered a mean and rude manner on their part.

  They were trying to get things done.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Are You Tougher Than A Tuffshed

 The other day I put a ridiculously low bid on a storage shed that was sitting on some city condemned property In Longmont.

  I did not believe for a second that I would win this auction, but as luck would have it, I did.

  Possibly because one of the addendums to the auction was that the winning bidder was responsible for the removal of the storage shed from the condemned property.

  The storage shed measures 12' X 16' - about the size of a one car garage. In order to get that thing off the condemned property I would have to rent a truck big enough to move it in...disassembled, of course.

  Disassembling a Tuffshed is no easy task. Tuffsheds are notoriously difficult to disassembleas they are put together to withstand the worst that nature can dish out.

  But I was determined to get that shed from Longmont to my home, so I rented a box truck and made my way up north.

  This is the shed:

  It is a nice shed, and deserved a spot in my backyard

  The shed was fairly clean, and did not show worse for wear. So I set about disassembling it, convinced it would not be too difficult.

  I was wrong. The roof was the first thing I had to tackle. A small portion of the shingles had been blown off by the wind (60 to 80 mile gusts are not uncommon in Colorado)


  Which was a very small, but not unwelcome help. Took about an hour to get all the shingles and the tar paper off.


Took another hour to get all the plywood panels off.


The trusses, which were incredibly well attached to the frame of the shed, took another hour to remove.


Once the trusses were off, It was easy breezy lemon squeezy to get the front wall off (easy in that it was only the removal of 200 nails from all four corners of the walls).


  And boom goes the dynamite! The shed was disassembled and all that remained to be done was transporting it from Longmont to my home...which is an adventure that will be told on another day...

It seriously kicked my butt though.



  

  



Friday, September 18, 2020

The Indignity Of Being Out-Bowling Balled

 

Quite some time ago I acquired 144 bowling balls.

For $5.00. 

Not $5.00 each, $5.00 for all of them. 

That is a  lot of bowling balls. Naturally my first thought was to stack the bowling balls in a creative manner.

I thought I'd done a fairly good job of building a nice stack of bowling balls.

Until I saw this:


Now that...that is a really nice stack of bowling balls.


Wednesday, September 16, 2020

The Great Pumpkin (Patch) Vs. The September Storm

On this day last week there was three inches of snow on the ground and it was 30 degrees.

Though efforts were made to protect the pumpkins (tarps and more tarps), I don't think they all made it through.









Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Aggravated Nation

Is it just me or does everyone seem to be far more aggravated, about everything and anything, these days?

I'm a whiny, compainly sort at times myself, but hell, I work in retail, I have a right.




Monday, September 14, 2020

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Vistin' With The Aliens From Sector Four

Reggie sat on the edge of the table, drink in his hand

Ready to spill his guts, give them anything they might demand

However, he wasn't into any of that butt stuff

Didn't need an anal probe to allow them a free hand

"Hey", Reggie said

His voice with a little bit of a  quaver

"Can one of you skinny big-headed dudes do me a small favor

And let me know just what you want so I can surrender now 

I mean, it's highly unlikely I'm going to get any braver".

One of the skinny big-headed dudes turned to Reggie smiling

And put a finger to his head so he could tune into his thinking

Thoughts filled Reggie's mind, things he'd never considered

Like fathering hybrid alien children and potato worshiping

Then the alien seemed to laugh out loud

And Reggie was soon enveloped in a purple blue cloud

The door to the room opened and a lady stepped inside

She said, "Now, now Reggie, there's no need to be so proud

These tests are for your own good, they'll help you improve 

We'll fix your teeth, clear up your acne, give you a groove

And if that is not enough reward for your cooperation,

We'll even give you the leaping ability of a kangaroo".

"Hmm.." thought Reggie, "that changes the proposition

Maybe I should reconsider my adamant opposition".


And seconds later Reggie was bent over at the waist

His pants around his ankles, his objections not so chaste


Because who wouldn't want the leaping ability of a kangaroo?




Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Flip Of A Switch


Saturday afternoon it was 102 sweltering degrees here. This morning it was 36. Right now it's 30 (all Fahrenheit of course).

What the hey, nature?


Wednesday morning update - a little over three inches of snow

Monday, September 7, 2020

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Cow On The Hill


Went for a short hike today
Saw a cow on a hill
The cow looked at me but had nothing to say
Which, while not a disappointment, still...

It would have been nice to get at least a "moo"