technologica or blogging from bed

Wow, I'm Posting from my phone in bed in Chile. I should be home inabout 29 hours! As a heads up the next bunch of posts will be photo themed from the 700+ pics I've taken here. The subject themes wil be Sky. Mountains. Water. Animals. Self. Other. Travel. Food. Ice. Just my five best pics concerning each.

I also got into the Arizona shooting match the day after I get back. Going so gets me on the road to qualifying for the 2013 national championship.in my shooting sport!!

See you soon!

delocated aka vacation aka no blogging for a week

Later folks. I'm off to the bottom of the world. Headed to the lake district, Torres Del Paine area of Chile for a week.
Trekking
Horseback riding
Photography
Nature's wonders

Come back to the blog in about 8 or 9 days if you wanna see new stuff. And speaking of stuff, here is the initial load out for vacation/mini-expedition.

Outerwear. Rainproof shell. Down 'sweater' from Norway. Corduroy and fleece 'brokeback mnt' jacket.

Trousers. From light weight rain proofs to heavy duty work dungarees. No jeans really.

Shirts. From a smartwool t-shrit through flannel to bdu style heavy work shirt.

Hoofwear. Boots. Trail runners. A huge assortment of warm, long, technical socks. An anomaly that will sit in a drawer 95% of the time I'm in San Diego but essential when you are just a short boat ride from Antarctica.

Gear. Missing is my small first aid kit,sun glasses and power converters. So imagine them as well. Trekking poles. Good binoculars. GoPro and accessories. Nikon dslr camera and tele lens. Nook e-reader. Knife. Headlamp. Hydration day pack and snacks. Hats, one fleece with cute ears.

Not seen. Seven pairs underwear. Toiletries. Scarf. And I'd really really like to take my tripod and remote trigger for my camera, but the tripod is just too big to take across the world for my amateur photographs.

Consider it.....

I've been writing this blog for 4 years! Last night I went back and read about half of 2008 and half of 2009. Wow, it seems soo long ago. And soo different.

But it's got me thinking maybe it is time to stop writing here. It seems the quality of my posts and decreased quite a bit in the past few years.

I'm considering making this year my final one, then just doing something different.....

tumblr

it's getting all tumblr up in here with the amount and types of pics i'm posting...

so if you have a crohns tumblr feel free to steal all these for it!

The most taken photo in San Diego

When I went to the fair this year I heard someone say, "Ugh, that has got to be the most taken photo in San Diego. I'm sick of seeing it and I wish someone would do something original." This was in reference to an 'under the pier' style shot.

Well I went and shot some of my own yesterday. So here you go, my version of the most take photo in San Diego. (especially by tourists i'd imagine)

pathetic

Isn't this the most pathetic dinner ever prepared and eaten?

-glass orange juice, no pulp.
-celery stalk with a little peanut butter.
-12 wheat thins with provolone cheese, toasted.

I should be ashamed of myself.....

Cinema Wednesday

For the rest of the year I am looking forward to seeing The Hobbit, Skyfall, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty primarily.

But tonight I went to see Argo. I don't care who you are, go watch this movie. People clapped in the movie before it was even at the ending. Yep, it arouses that much emotion.

And then when you go home, download or order Mark Bowden's excellent book, "Guests of the Ayatollah" and read it to quench your thirst for understanding of the Iran Hostage Crisis.

(Tehran, 2012)

Crohns Cute

I hate having Crohns disease. But I do, and it has shaped me. Simple little "cute" things like this do make the easy times easy to smile.

Brotherly love...... ptI and II

I am the oldest of all my siblings. Two boys, two girls, and in that order.

My sister came down to SD with her husband for a work thing he had for 5 days. This is the older of the two sisters and she is just 5 years younger than me. It is her that wants me to run the Tough Mudder race with her in February. (I am)

Well, she is not as adventurous as I. And she's been land locked her whole life, so not a lot of water experience besides a wading pool. So being the big brother I am, I decided to take her surfing.

Her, "I don't swim well. I don't really like water. But I'm willing to try."

Me, "Never turn your back on the ocean. Never put the board between you and a wave. Shuffle your feet. Don't dive off the board head first. When in doubt come up out of the water with your arms wrapped around your head."

We go out into waist deep white water, she lays on the board. I go to push her in and she tries to stand up/scramble and falls off the front of the board. She comes out of the water and turns back to face me..................

Right as the nose of the surfboard hits her square in the mouth. I'll spare you the detail of her reaction in the water and my work at getting her to the lifeguards. Fastforward an hour and I've get her some viocdin and a consult with a dentist friend of mine here. She's going to make it till she gets home.

I felt horrible, still do. Dental work of this nature isn't cheap and they are not rich. A freak thing, right in front of me, her VERY first time in the ocean on her very first wave. She was in pain, shock, concerned about cosmetics and the eventual treatment as this happened days before she was due back home.

Sorry sister, but sometimes big brothers are too rough I guess......Maybe I'll break a bone in the race. (though her husband did once give me a pretty considerable concussion when we were wrestling/sparring/play fighting)

(As you're about to see further proof of, I did not inherit the tan skin, tall height or dark hair of my siblings. Curse me!)

My brother came to visit me as well for just the short time to attend the Monday Night Football game. He lives in Denver and I live in San Diego. Perfect game to see!! And my first NFL game in a looong time.

He got in late Sunday night and ate the amazing left over pork ribs I'd bbq-ed on the grill. Wake up on monday and we play some video games, go skate boarding, just talk, go out for burgers, go fishing and go shooting. YES, all this before 430pm. You realize your at a 'rowdy' blog right?!?!?!?

Then the evening was riding the motorcycle and scooter to avoid parking hassles to "the Q" for some MNF action! What a Jekyll and Hyde game. Goodness. He was bummed the first half and I was bummed the second. Crazy game!

On my end, I have to say it was pretty great to spend time with my brother and one of my sisters. I do love them. And hopefully in spite of everything they have to deal with from me, they love me as well.

And it's a mile wide..........

I have a competitive streak. And it's a mile wide. Like, literally. hahahahah.

Del Mar Mud Run? Pfft. I didn't even try and I was 11th in my division, 130th in gender overall and 200th overall of 946 runners. Heck, if I'd tried I could have been in the top 3 of my division easily. Next time I won't be so nice......

I'm signed up for the Tough Mudder in February with my sister. So while she was here visiting I tried to get her to run up Cowles Mnt with me. No go. hahaha. She is sister of the epic half marathon battle/spanking. Search for the post, it truly is classic.

Later you will see what other 'brotherly love' she got from me while here, trying to teach her how to surf. Needless to say, it had blood, broken stuff and pain pills. Yeah, look for that post upcoming.

Today I had my 'classifier' for the shooting sport I am in, IDPA. I did this up at the Prado shooting club near Riverside. This was the sight of the shooting events in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, so it is still pretty nice 30 years later.

The classifier is standard 3 stage, 90 round course of fire to test you pistol shooting skills. Everyone in IDPA does it and it is how you are ranked against people locally and nationally. It is the 'standard' or 'control' as it were. I went with a guy I'd been shooting with here, SJG.

The rankings of skill go Novice, Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert and Master. I've been doing this two months. I just got a pistol 4 months ago. I shot Sharpshooter by just under a second in two different gun divisions!! My first time!!! Wow.

All those hours of practice, focus and such really paid off. I'm super digging this sport. And my goal of shooting at the Expert level looks totally achievable in an even shorter time than the year I first gave myself.

RAWR. I love competing! So look forward now to some post about my sister's little adventure here and a preview of the fashions I'll be wearing at the bottom of the world in two weeks!

Rowdy. Style.

Rowdialogue

Some rowdy things I've said or thought lately.....

Shouldn't my finger be done bleeding after 7 hours? (punctured it with a can opener stabbing something)

Growing a beard is easy, teaching it to ride a bicycle is hard. (i just started my beard growing for the s america trip)

It's not a treat, its treat-ment. Candy is medicine. (obviously!)

Wow, it must be bad if my Asian friends are scared. (walking through a convoy st parking lot dodging cars and chaos. DWA is real)

If NASA was going to make hamburgers for astronauts, they'd use mine as the model. (i make amazing hamburgers/turkey burgers)

Del Mar Mud Run Video Review

1%

So just a few short years ago the big xmas gift at my house was 4 art prints, re-imagining from the Mondo art people connected to Alamo Draft House. The prints I chose were the four most classic Universal monsters. Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man and Mummy.

I chose this first because I loved them artistically. Secondly for their subject matter. Finally in hopes their value would increase. Check out the New York Times article for a little history if you need to know more.

Some material things in life always seem to hold a significant portion of their value or even increase. If you buy the right quality or rarity, then guns, motorcycles, watches and property should all be worth what you paid for them as time goes by. Evidently I did well with these prints as well.

Getting the custom, museum quality frames cost more than some of the individual prints. Browsing Ebay and looking around, well, this is no longer the case!

I know it is vulgar to talk about money, but I'm going to be vulgar. Don't read if you don't want to know. These are just quick ebay valuations, not going into the specialty market that exists for these prints.

Frankenstein, numbered and signed by the artist.
Original price: $990 Latest price: $1,400

Dracula.
Original price: $500 Latest price: $925

The Mummy.
Original price: $250 Latest price: $450

And the huge bump in value goes to The Wolf Man!
Original price: $250 Latest price: $2,000

Cars, motorcycles, guns, gold, women, art. Do I know how to pick 'em or what?!?!?!

Pictures. Pages.

Want to know the best waterfowl repellant in the world? A gopro camera on a boom. I tried for well over a hour to entice the different coots and ducks for some good nature footage. They were not having it! Fail as a self styled videographer.

I made the most crafty birthday gift ever for Jewelled Wombat thanks to Pinterest and SuperD. It's not quite her b-day yet but she should have received this already so I don't mind kinda spilling. Take one old clasp style clutch. Cut everything off of it but the frame and the inner lining. Find a hardcover book just barely bigger than the frame of the clutch. Cut out all the pages and then glue the purse frame into the hardcover of the book! Now you have a cute little purse that looks like a book! (Look inside it for part2 JW!)

This is where such ideas become reality, my work space!

If you don't live in southern California, you wouldn't understand. Pain at the pump.

Musica!I spent about 30 minutes with my housekeeper yesterday talking about narco corridos. She thought it was hilarious that I even knew what they were, let alone listened to some. But in other music new, the Black Keys rocked it. Finally, real musicians and not just "performers".

Beard is gone.Beard will return for South America trip. Rugged. Rowdy. Longer hair on stop still. Any stylistic comments on either "do"?

Mr Grinch Gift List

I may not enjoy some of the trappings and rituals involved with xmas but I do enjoy getting gifts. It is only natural. I can take a compliment. I can take a gift. It's pretty easy.

So if you happen to have a "R" section on your who to buy for list this xmas and one of those names is Rowdy, here is what I would suggest. Just in case. This list could also be re-purposed for Valentines, a birthday or any occasion. And now in not particular order.........

-"Monsters in the Movies", by John Landis. $26.
-"Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos", $16.
or any book/thing about classic monsters in the movies.

-a cage diving experience with great white sharks in the Farallon Islands.
with Great White Adventures it is $775.
-a big shark jaw. $60-$300 at various online places, even Ebay. or a fossil Megadalon tooth would be cool also. $100.

-Basic Pistol Techniques class at Aegis Academy. www.aegisacademy.com $550
-1,000 rounds 9mm ammo. $250-$300
-Smith&Wesson M&P 22 rifle. $500-$700 or any "AR" style 22 rifle.
-Glockworkx Standard Complete Competition Dropin Trigger $115. (gen3, Glock 34, 9mm)
-Benelli M4 Tactical shotgun. Black. $1,900.

-customized football jersey. San Diego Chargers or Oregon Ducks with my name on the back and any of the numbers 5, 21, 72 or 11. $50-$100.

-membership to CorePower yoga studio near me(zip 92120). $125 a month.

-new/different foreign coins or currency for my collection. various$$

-jeans. 30" waist, 30" length. standard or relaxed fit. $40-80.

-anything for dslr photography. books, classes, accessories. I have a Nikon D3100. $20-$400.

-books on Roman or Norse mythology. Not Greek. $30.

-surfing lessons $100-300.

And there you have it. Call, email, comment, text or whatever if you need any help or clarification. Or if you have questions about what to get the guy in your life I can give good suggestions for guys in general.

the shower scene in Psycho

I love the shower. It cleans, soothes, relaxes, warms, refreshes and heals me. I'd rather skip a meal than skip a shower. Sadly having watched both the original and the homage, sometimes I have to shower with the curtain open a little so I can make sure no one is sneaking up on me.

It makes me feel like this:

(actually it doesn't. i just wanted to play with multiple effects and to see if the gopro would pick up any fine water spray detail in the shower. not nearly as good as it does outside, that's for sure)

Future Post Tense

Here are some posts I am working on that you have to look forward to in the future.

-An unedited match video from the steel shoot. Me missing 40% of the shots I take. Very humbling. And yet I finished dead middle in my class, 16th of 31 and 71st out of 136 shooters overall. Man, how bad were the people who did worse than me?? 'Cause this was my first time as well....Feast your eyes on my newbie marksmanship.
Next time I shoot a steel match I'm bringing my shot gun!

-A trippy, psychedelic, psycho style shower video. Nothing below the shoulders, don't get excited. But don't watch it on LSD or shrooms either.

-A post of shocking revelations about myself. Maury Povich style you will learn some of the truth about me, stuff I've only hinted at, here exclusively on my blog! Want to know the 'real' me, not just the projected 'blog' me??

-A 'names changed to protect the guilty' post, only somewhat tongue in cheek, of some behind the scenes doctor conversations I've been in on recently. If you don't at least smirk you'll need your funny bone checked. Maybe by one of these doctors????

-Finally, a Guide to Rowdy Gifts if you want to, or NEED to buy me something for xmas.

Hmmm, all of these seem rather scandalous. hahahahaha, guess you will just have to tune in, in the mean time.......