I must be manstruating as it seems almost everything I've done today has been designed to elicit a response of supreme irritation from me.
6am woke up from an extremely fitful night of sleeping. Negative dreams and poor health from what I am now thinking is actually a cold and not allergies.
A small, unsatisfying, unvaried breakfast.
Argument, well maybe just on my side, about a child support issue. Divorced in one state, living in another, ex living in another and kid living in another state does not make doing this stuff easy.
My hair wouldn't do anything today other than make me look stupid. Not ugly, stupid. Ugly can't be helped, stupid is more of a choice. And thus a greater affront.
Renewal time for one of my professional licenses for a job I do like one month a year max. Feels like a waste of time, energy and so on. For the two days this month I've been tentatively asked to do nuclear medicine.
The US Post Office. Oh man, did the director of the DMV teach these people how to be at their jobs? Horrid. I hate that place and will no longer ship stuff there no matter how much cheaper their shipping is to foreign countries.
Rawr Rawr Rawr.
No ammo for me anywhere I rode to today. Found stuff for other people though and bought it for them. Small consolation. EDIT. I bought them the wrong stuff. Crap.
Gifts. I love to give gifts. SO it was with great irritation today that I couldn't find the motorcycle I want to give for a an upcoming gift. Aaanndd the other gift that I bought the place online I ordered from wouldn't ship it till after I sat through a phone call of them trying to up-sell me more stuff.
The pharmacy at my HMO. I've actually made multiple formal complaints about them and I might start again. Good thing I have a back up to my $1,500 shot I am supposed to have today. Swear words!!!
The mouse/track pad on my laptop won't adjust to a sensitivity that I like.
I actually get a free lunch today but even the provider of said lunch, who ate the same thing as me, said it was "eh, ho humm". Not the thing when you are already at the cranky level of hungry.
Followed by a motorcycle cop, while on one of my motorcycles, almost all the way to my house. STOP following me!
The person at the HMO's parking lot who told me, "you can't park there. i'll call the cops and you'll get a ticket." I can't type what I said back to them as they caught me with the red mist rising in accumulation from all the other minor, petty things today that I'd reacted to with anger in my irritation.
I'm not going to even finish this list of my day's death my 1,000 cuts but rest assured I have at least 5 more things and it is yet only 2pm. I still have a lot of the day to either bring it around or totally melt down.
Which do you think will happen?
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
While you wait, think on the future.
But only until May 21st, 'cause that's my birthday. So while you are waiting for my Austin, MotoGP and Texas Tornado Boot Camp pictures and video think about the things you could get me for my birthday.
1. Ammo. Sounds silly, but I need it for practice and I don't make my own. 9mm, 115gr, fmj. From 50 rounds up to 5,000 I need it. $20 for 50 rounds to $300 per thousand. Or .45acp would be nice too.
2. A nice set of fins, snorkel and mask for the ocean. Roughly $200-300. Self sealing snorkel, medium frame mask and I wear a size 8 tennis shoe for the fins.
3. The complete works of R.L Stevenson, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne or anyone else in that style. Classic fiction for men, young or old. Or this book John Landis wrote about movie monsters, titled I think 'Monsters". Also a new book about the war on terror titled, "The Way of the Knife."
4. Nikon D7000 or D7100 plus lens(es). Something up to say 300mm in zoom for one and then say a fixed 50mm prime. Body would be $900 to $1,000 and lenses roughly half that.
5. Gift cert to Macys.
6. A fossil shark tooth, Megadalon.
7. Zero Dark Thirty on dvd. Plain, not blue ray.
8. Stuff to store and display my coin collection.
9. Ancient, antique ring I saw in Vegas at the shops in the Venetian. Not sure of my ring size.
10. Electronic water thingy that is supposed to replace flossing. $70.
There ya go, that should give you a start. Just let me know if you need my mailing address.
1. Ammo. Sounds silly, but I need it for practice and I don't make my own. 9mm, 115gr, fmj. From 50 rounds up to 5,000 I need it. $20 for 50 rounds to $300 per thousand. Or .45acp would be nice too.
2. A nice set of fins, snorkel and mask for the ocean. Roughly $200-300. Self sealing snorkel, medium frame mask and I wear a size 8 tennis shoe for the fins.
3. The complete works of R.L Stevenson, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne or anyone else in that style. Classic fiction for men, young or old. Or this book John Landis wrote about movie monsters, titled I think 'Monsters". Also a new book about the war on terror titled, "The Way of the Knife."
4. Nikon D7000 or D7100 plus lens(es). Something up to say 300mm in zoom for one and then say a fixed 50mm prime. Body would be $900 to $1,000 and lenses roughly half that.
5. Gift cert to Macys.
6. A fossil shark tooth, Megadalon.
7. Zero Dark Thirty on dvd. Plain, not blue ray.
8. Stuff to store and display my coin collection.
9. Ancient, antique ring I saw in Vegas at the shops in the Venetian. Not sure of my ring size.
10. Electronic water thingy that is supposed to replace flossing. $70.
There ya go, that should give you a start. Just let me know if you need my mailing address.
Quick Texas Recap
Ten quick things about my ten day trip to Texas.
1-I like the heat and humidity. Totally not an issue for me. But the 'cedar fever' or whatever, while in my case mild, was still annoying. 80F and 80% at 8am I can handle just fine but not being able to go outside without sneezing like crazy and being stuffed up is a huge drag. Texas is still on the list for places to move in the future, I'll just buy lots of Claritin.
2-Austin is growing too much even from my little experience going there over the past 8 years. And toll roads all over? Come on... But it still is the #1 choice in cities for TX relocation. Though the time I spend in The Woodlands part of Houston was pretty dang good at making a case for it as well.
3- Food. From eating a delicious sandwich in tiny Andice, wonderful home cooked food by family, fancy French food, fried catfish or all day smoked bbq brisket I never found Texas to be lacking for yummy food choices.
4-COTA. Circuit of the Americas is probably the best track in the United States. Amazing and looks to have had no expense spared. They just need some more experience running large events but I think this is 'the' place for roadracing, of any kind in the US.
5-I want a better camera. And better skills. But of the 897 pictures I took, they are just ttthhhiiiisss close to have been being really awesome but for lack of a little better equipment.
6- Riding on track with Alex & Pol Espargo, Mike Barnes and Colin Edwards for hours. How many people do you think were in the stands at the race and then just days later riding dirt bikes around with them. Less than 12 I can tell you that. It's always fun to have the veneer of fame fade away from famous people when you get to hang out with them for a while. Then they become human. And your friend.
7-Y'all. I've been spending more time in the South this year and I'm still on the fence. It both charms and annoys, like any place I imagine. The verdict is still out.
8-I can wheelie pretty reliably now. Maybe not for 50 feet, but hahahaha, getting it up isn't a problem. My motorcycle skills and 'sense' have definitely improved.
9-I have actually 1,000+ photos and over 1 hour of video to edit before you get to see anything of my time while there, so be patient please. You'll just have to wait, awesome takes time. Unless you follow me other places and then you'll see stuff trickle in sooner.
10-I do not like losing. At all. I was 0.70 of a second from being on the podium at the motorcycle thing I attended. That burns me still, days later. After having tasted first place finally, anything else is unsatisfying. I'll be burning heading into The Masters in Alabama in two weeks!
1-I like the heat and humidity. Totally not an issue for me. But the 'cedar fever' or whatever, while in my case mild, was still annoying. 80F and 80% at 8am I can handle just fine but not being able to go outside without sneezing like crazy and being stuffed up is a huge drag. Texas is still on the list for places to move in the future, I'll just buy lots of Claritin.
2-Austin is growing too much even from my little experience going there over the past 8 years. And toll roads all over? Come on... But it still is the #1 choice in cities for TX relocation. Though the time I spend in The Woodlands part of Houston was pretty dang good at making a case for it as well.
3- Food. From eating a delicious sandwich in tiny Andice, wonderful home cooked food by family, fancy French food, fried catfish or all day smoked bbq brisket I never found Texas to be lacking for yummy food choices.
4-COTA. Circuit of the Americas is probably the best track in the United States. Amazing and looks to have had no expense spared. They just need some more experience running large events but I think this is 'the' place for roadracing, of any kind in the US.
5-I want a better camera. And better skills. But of the 897 pictures I took, they are just ttthhhiiiisss close to have been being really awesome but for lack of a little better equipment.
6- Riding on track with Alex & Pol Espargo, Mike Barnes and Colin Edwards for hours. How many people do you think were in the stands at the race and then just days later riding dirt bikes around with them. Less than 12 I can tell you that. It's always fun to have the veneer of fame fade away from famous people when you get to hang out with them for a while. Then they become human. And your friend.
7-Y'all. I've been spending more time in the South this year and I'm still on the fence. It both charms and annoys, like any place I imagine. The verdict is still out.
8-I can wheelie pretty reliably now. Maybe not for 50 feet, but hahahaha, getting it up isn't a problem. My motorcycle skills and 'sense' have definitely improved.
9-I have actually 1,000+ photos and over 1 hour of video to edit before you get to see anything of my time while there, so be patient please. You'll just have to wait, awesome takes time. Unless you follow me other places and then you'll see stuff trickle in sooner.
10-I do not like losing. At all. I was 0.70 of a second from being on the podium at the motorcycle thing I attended. That burns me still, days later. After having tasted first place finally, anything else is unsatisfying. I'll be burning heading into The Masters in Alabama in two weeks!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
My ability or lack there of....
I got my hair cut today and the woman doing it (Morgan at Bomshell Salon in Encinitas) said something about how our conversations are always about the various trips or activities I have done or plan to do soon. So in things unsaid that means we never talk about anything substantial. Capital L life stuff.
On the drive home I realized why I seldom have to talk to anyone about the deeper things in my life. It's because I have them/it figured out. I don't have to devote any of my brain or life to thinking about the "great mystery" because I feel completely comfortable in the answers I've found for myself.
So I have plenty of brain cells left to think about what I have upcoming, the next 10 days I will be spending in Texas! Visiting family in Austin. Going to all three days of the inaugural MotoGP race at COTA just outside of Austin. Then a short drive to Conroe (north of Houson) for 5 days of training at the Texas Tornado Bootcamp motorcycle riding camp.
See ya in 10 days blog readers! I'll be off thinking about all the trivial motorcycle things I'm going to be doing!!
PS-Vale! Vale! Vale!
On the drive home I realized why I seldom have to talk to anyone about the deeper things in my life. It's because I have them/it figured out. I don't have to devote any of my brain or life to thinking about the "great mystery" because I feel completely comfortable in the answers I've found for myself.
So I have plenty of brain cells left to think about what I have upcoming, the next 10 days I will be spending in Texas! Visiting family in Austin. Going to all three days of the inaugural MotoGP race at COTA just outside of Austin. Then a short drive to Conroe (north of Houson) for 5 days of training at the Texas Tornado Bootcamp motorcycle riding camp.
See ya in 10 days blog readers! I'll be off thinking about all the trivial motorcycle things I'm going to be doing!!
PS-Vale! Vale! Vale!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Just Riding Around
Oh, it is almost time!! Next Wednesday I go to Austin Texas for the second MotoGP race of the season, held for the very first time at this track. Booyah! Fri, Sat and Sun filled with motorcycle roadracing and just being in Texas.
And as if that wasn't enough, then on Monday following the race I hop in the rental car and head to "bootcamp". hahaha. I mean I had to a 4 day riding course with none other than Colin Edwards III, world champion! Four days staying at his ranch and learning how to tear around on a motorcycle better. Faster. And when we're not all doing that there is shooting, paintball, gokarts and whatever.
Then once 'vacation' is over, it's back to hardcore practice for The Masters IDPA tournament on May 11th in Alabama. Where again, I'll be doing something motorcycle related in visiting the museum and such at the Barber motorsports track while in Birmingham.
Then it will just be a couple weeks till my birthday! Then a trip to Yellowstone. Then just the normal stuff in San Diego for June. Then July will be my mega trip of mountain biking in Utah and Colorado.
Wow, I do get around........
Beach Boys: "...yeah the bad guys know us and they leave us alone. I get around."
And a post from me wouldn't be right without some action!
And as if that wasn't enough, then on Monday following the race I hop in the rental car and head to "bootcamp". hahaha. I mean I had to a 4 day riding course with none other than Colin Edwards III, world champion! Four days staying at his ranch and learning how to tear around on a motorcycle better. Faster. And when we're not all doing that there is shooting, paintball, gokarts and whatever.
Then once 'vacation' is over, it's back to hardcore practice for The Masters IDPA tournament on May 11th in Alabama. Where again, I'll be doing something motorcycle related in visiting the museum and such at the Barber motorsports track while in Birmingham.
Then it will just be a couple weeks till my birthday! Then a trip to Yellowstone. Then just the normal stuff in San Diego for June. Then July will be my mega trip of mountain biking in Utah and Colorado.
Wow, I do get around........
Beach Boys: "...yeah the bad guys know us and they leave us alone. I get around."
And a post from me wouldn't be right without some action!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Hobbies and Interests
I have a lot of interests. International relations, cinema, good food, history, motorcycle racing, opera, black and white monster movies, off roading, tennis, rock climbing, surfing and so on. Things that capture my attention but don't necessarily drive or motivate me the same way a hobby would.
My hobbies currently would be things then like downhill mountain biking, foreign travel, motorcycles, shooting sports and photography. Of all of these photography is the one I have spent the least amount of money and time pursuing. I would like a new camera body and lenses, like a Nikon D7000. I'd like a legit copy of Photoshop. I'd like a quality waterproof point and shoot. I'd like to take another class about photography. I'd like to enter pictures into the fair and contests.
But the act of taking pictures is a pretty solitary pursuit. And I think that is what slows me down in just really taking off with it. I do think about it and work at it. I do try to improve the photos I take but I just don't know much about it or do it that often as an activity in and of itself.
You look at my other hobbies and they get a significant portion of my life in comparison to photography. Photography, and by extension videography appear to be just an adjunct. Because I am doing "something" I want it captured. I can see it takes talent and skill and appreciate it when I see it done right. And as I hate doing something mediocre if I like it, I wanna step up my photography game.
Knowing it would be windy yesterday I went to the beach to take pictures of a local kite boarder I know. All with the intent of just practicing what I could with my camera and a moving subject in poor light. I have the very most basic, entry level of DSLR's and lenses. D3100 and the two kit lenses, like I said. I've read one book on composition and taken one 8 hour class, "Introduction to Digital Photography" and that's it.
Of the 410 pictures I took yesterday, here are the best of the lot. The show is only 9 minutes, so you're not wasting too much time if you are browsing this at work. Guess I need a photo buddy......
My hobbies currently would be things then like downhill mountain biking, foreign travel, motorcycles, shooting sports and photography. Of all of these photography is the one I have spent the least amount of money and time pursuing. I would like a new camera body and lenses, like a Nikon D7000. I'd like a legit copy of Photoshop. I'd like a quality waterproof point and shoot. I'd like to take another class about photography. I'd like to enter pictures into the fair and contests.
But the act of taking pictures is a pretty solitary pursuit. And I think that is what slows me down in just really taking off with it. I do think about it and work at it. I do try to improve the photos I take but I just don't know much about it or do it that often as an activity in and of itself.
You look at my other hobbies and they get a significant portion of my life in comparison to photography. Photography, and by extension videography appear to be just an adjunct. Because I am doing "something" I want it captured. I can see it takes talent and skill and appreciate it when I see it done right. And as I hate doing something mediocre if I like it, I wanna step up my photography game.
Knowing it would be windy yesterday I went to the beach to take pictures of a local kite boarder I know. All with the intent of just practicing what I could with my camera and a moving subject in poor light. I have the very most basic, entry level of DSLR's and lenses. D3100 and the two kit lenses, like I said. I've read one book on composition and taken one 8 hour class, "Introduction to Digital Photography" and that's it.
Of the 410 pictures I took yesterday, here are the best of the lot. The show is only 9 minutes, so you're not wasting too much time if you are browsing this at work. Guess I need a photo buddy......
Dave's Windy Day at Dog Beach from rowdy matt on Vimeo.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
My winning ways.
Watch my winning ways and funky self. Sadly you miss my umbrella. And stage 5, but I was shooting from inside a barrel so wasn't really GoPro friendly.
1st in SSP-SS. Would have been second in SSP-EX (the class above me skill wise, that I just moved into). Would have been second to last in SSP-MA hahaha (which is the highest class possible skill wise). 25th out of 140-some shooters over all. And 10th out of 47 for my total division. blah blah blah. hahahaha.
I am super stoked and ready to put in more work. My next big match is May 11th in Alabama, The Masters. Watch out!
1st in SSP-SS. Would have been second in SSP-EX (the class above me skill wise, that I just moved into). Would have been second to last in SSP-MA hahaha (which is the highest class possible skill wise). 25th out of 140-some shooters over all. And 10th out of 47 for my total division. blah blah blah. hahahaha.
I am super stoked and ready to put in more work. My next big match is May 11th in Alabama, The Masters. Watch out!
Oh, just being rowdy Rowdy
Magic Chinese Noodle House in the greater Phoenix area was my dinner the other night. Yum! I had lemon garlic noodles and beef. The noodles are hand made when you order and you can watch the process. It's as artful as watching pizza dough get thrown.
I've kinda rediscovered riding again now that it is spring. I'm feeling fit, enjoying my new bike and for some reason have a lot of confidence in my ability on the bike, so I'm riding "moar", if that makes sense. Going big and going home. I really hope to do another Utah, Colorado trip this summer to downhill at resorts for a week.
I'm actually almost 5' 7", technically 5' 6.5", so when I saw this water depth thing at my hotel's pool the other night I couldn't resist. And of course I dove in head first, no diving sign or not. If I wasn't worried about competing the next day I would have back flipped.
You may or may not remember that I have some monster movie posters framed as art in my house. Well when I was last in Vegas I went to an exhibit all about the great Chuck Jones, animator and director. Mostly famous for his work on Looney Tunes. Seeing these two animation cells for two cartoons from my childhood just really hit the nostalgia button for me. The Hocus Pocus/Walla Walla/Abracadabra one with Bugs and then the short film adaption of Riki Tiki Tavi by R Kipling. Great, now I gotta go spend time on youtube.....
I've kinda rediscovered riding again now that it is spring. I'm feeling fit, enjoying my new bike and for some reason have a lot of confidence in my ability on the bike, so I'm riding "moar", if that makes sense. Going big and going home. I really hope to do another Utah, Colorado trip this summer to downhill at resorts for a week.
I'm actually almost 5' 7", technically 5' 6.5", so when I saw this water depth thing at my hotel's pool the other night I couldn't resist. And of course I dove in head first, no diving sign or not. If I wasn't worried about competing the next day I would have back flipped.
You may or may not remember that I have some monster movie posters framed as art in my house. Well when I was last in Vegas I went to an exhibit all about the great Chuck Jones, animator and director. Mostly famous for his work on Looney Tunes. Seeing these two animation cells for two cartoons from my childhood just really hit the nostalgia button for me. The Hocus Pocus/Walla Walla/Abracadabra one with Bugs and then the short film adaption of Riki Tiki Tavi by R Kipling. Great, now I gotta go spend time on youtube.....
Thank you.
I started a totally new sport in September of last year, shooting my very first IDPA match after only owning a pistol for 3 months. Yesterday I competed in the Arizona State IDPA Championships and finished first in my classification, Stock Service Pistol-Sharpshooter. In doing so I was bumped up a skill level to Expert.
This was not done alone though and I would just like to now say thanks to everyone who has helped me along this journey.
Bob at American Shooing Center for mentoring and my indoor training.
Pat and Jimmy at Aegis Academy for my trigger control and their Basic Pistol class.
Bill at Academi for coaching me extensively on the game and his Advanced Pistol class.
Sean at SGO Fitness for maximizing my fitness and customizing it to my needs.
Dave and Victor at The Glock Store for setting me up with flawless guns.
All of my friends, the businesses I frequent for clothes and other purchase related to the sport and especially Super D's long suffering support.
This was not done alone though and I would just like to now say thanks to everyone who has helped me along this journey.
Bob at American Shooing Center for mentoring and my indoor training.
Pat and Jimmy at Aegis Academy for my trigger control and their Basic Pistol class.
Bill at Academi for coaching me extensively on the game and his Advanced Pistol class.
Sean at SGO Fitness for maximizing my fitness and customizing it to my needs.
Dave and Victor at The Glock Store for setting me up with flawless guns.
All of my friends, the businesses I frequent for clothes and other purchase related to the sport and especially Super D's long suffering support.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Successful people do daily what other people do occasionally. Fear is the mind killer. Thinking is the enemy of perfection. Bleed in training so you sweat in war. It's the fire that refines. These are some of my favorite sayings. But they are just sayings. I use them to motivate myself and to stay on course for my goals. In some circumstances they would also probably be considered trite. I use them and repeat them to myself often. But I don't go around telling them to other people all the time.
Until real life happens. Want to read a true story about fear, accomplishment, being refined by fire and coming out the other end in one piece?
Here is a link then to the post sister wrote about her actions and reactions during a medical ordeal with her son. (my nephew who is the shark lover, like me)
READ IT HERE
Fear, faith, hope, anxiety, love, anger. The breadth of human emotion writ on flesh.
Until real life happens. Want to read a true story about fear, accomplishment, being refined by fire and coming out the other end in one piece?
Here is a link then to the post sister wrote about her actions and reactions during a medical ordeal with her son. (my nephew who is the shark lover, like me)
READ IT HERE
Fear, faith, hope, anxiety, love, anger. The breadth of human emotion writ on flesh.
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As most of you know, I am learning to swim in my 30's. This got me to thinking about things I should have learned as a male growing up a...
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This month I'm off to Arkansas for my "far away" shooting match. I want to be in the top 30% of Expert dang it! So lots of pra...
