I've beat real doctors at the game Operation.

And now I'm getting another chance to show what I can do...........................

I was selected to compete in the IDPA National Championships this September in Oklahoma! I made the cut, now I got to put in some more work!

My goal is top 10 in my classification, Expert.

Rowdystyle.

You just never know....

I had my first Hebrew class last night and you never would have picked my teacher out of a crowd and said, "Oh yeah, he is definitely a Hebrew teacher.
-60 years old
-from Detroit
-Christian
-Black
-never been to Israel

But I enjoy the class, the language and so on. And if I get to go to graduate school in Israel this will pay off so greatly. I dream of a lot of things, but when I think of actually accomplishing something of worth that year of graduate school, abroad and in an area of study I enjoy it keeps me moving forward.

Back in the 80s the Army ran a recruitment commercial with the tagline "we do more before 6am than most people do all day". Hardly an enticement if you ask me. But I do get in more shooting practice and bike jumps in before noon than most people do all day.

Tres Hats and My Photographic Eye

Off topic, I shaved my beard off today. So back to smooth face, but still buzzed on top. Deal with it mom. =)

I must have awesome hat style sense, because on three different vacations in 3 different countries seemingly normal locals have asked for my hat. To buy, barter or beg.

In Malaysia I traded a security guard at the MotoGP race a Fox Racing hat for his race security hat. Which I don't think I have anymore, to my chagrin.

In Chile I gave away a black fleece Neff hat with ears like a bear. One of the guides I went trekking and rock climbing with really wanted it and always commented on how awesome he thought it was. I actually gave him the hat and some other REI gear I had as well. He needed it.

I also seem to have this idea, possibly from literature about nomadic tribes that if someone compliments you on a possession you should give it to them. Like giving shelter to someone in a storm no matter what. That kind of thing.

So in Mexico last week when the guy who was leading a snorkel tour I was one offered to buy my Vans hat I told him I'd think about it. He brought it up a few more times. Finally I decided to give it to him as a tip.

Are Vans, Fox and Neff missing something in their market analysis? Are the tariffs for importing basically what you'd find at Tillys soo great to these countries they can't make a profit?

Either way, 3 trips, 3 countries, 3 years and 3 hats gone.

Finally, I went on a motorcycle ride today for 3 hours to do some thinking. Along the way I saw three things that would of made great pictures if I'd had all my photo stuff with me. A cell phone was not going to cut it!
-A guy on a Del Mar bluff in full oil painting equipment, isolated against the sky painting the cliffs and oceans.
-Old farm equipment rusting in a field. Black and white, uh hello!
-Through the up arrow in a sign on the walkway over the Coaster tracks in Solana beach I saw a hot airballon. The two superimposed within each other.

Anyone can learn how to work a camera. Not anyone can have the eye to "see" what makes a good picture. I have that eye and hope to develop it!

Fish Rabies, Time Travel and First Class

While in Mexico snorkeling last week I got bit by I think a parrot fish. Whatever the species it hurt and I now probably have fish rabies. Here is a picture of the bloody wound. Video of the snorkeling trip will be coming soon.

I've been reading a lot of science books lately and really have had my concept of "time" altered. I now fully believe that time is just a measured change of state. Time is fluid, variable and changing. It is not something to do with clocks or seconds. Time is really just a change in state.

When I fly anywhere outside of the US I fly first class. If you are not sure it is worth the extra money, I say it totally is. To be honest I normally sit there somewhat smugly or with an air of aloofness. This last trip I decided to change up my attitude about it after receiving an internal impression I should. I now have to go to page 21 of my passport to find an empty page, and that is the only empty page.

I told myself I would look each person in the eye that walked by me and say something nice about them in my mind for the next 10 people who walked past me. I found it really enjoyable and didn't stop till over twenty passengers walked by the sparkly eyed red head goofily staring at them for no apparent reason.

First class tickets buy you a seat, but they don't by class.

True vacation stories. Bro.

-I took lots of pictures of what I thought were silly warning signs. Seems people actually do die from falling into a geyser or getting gored by a bison. I got within 3 yards of a bison, nothing happened. I walked off trail and up to a geyser. Nothing happened. I jumped over a retaining wall to a cliff edge to take pictures. Nothing happened. I still did my thing, but man, the thought of being boiled alive in a sulpherous geyser gives me the willies.

-My parents were hippies. Now they are pretty conservative. But still, who else but the child of hippies would hear, "what did you do to your hair?!?! Don't come back again until you have longer hair!!" and I don't think she was but 1/4 joking. Nothing about looking more healthy or fit. Nothing about having grown a beard. Just that I had short hair.

-Utards. So there I was bemoaning the idiocy of the average Utah driver when one of Hurricane City's finest pulls me over for 62mph in a 45mph. When asked if I knew why he pulled me over I said yes and when he asked if I knew I was going that fast I said yes, all very friendly and plainly. When I'm caught I'm caught. Besides, I haven't had a speeding ticket in 8 years so I was due one. (the last one I was going 126mph in a 65 and was cited for 88mph) This time my fine was $99 as he wrote it for 55 in a 45, so pretty cheap if you ask me.

-Mexican food. Having lived in either Arizona or California for the past 13 years I love Mexican food. Good, real Mexican food. If you go into a place and all the workers are white, leave.(i'm talking to YOU st george!) Trust me, I knew this and still didn't. Ugh. Thankfully I found Don Miguel in Cedar City!! Perfecto y sabrosa! Btw Utards, Cafe Rio is not "good" Mexican food.

-Highs and lows. The lowest temperature in the past week was in Jackson Wyoming reading 28F in a 35mph wind, for a felt temp of -6F!!! A gas stop in Baker on the way home showed a high of 104F. This vacation is turning into a western hemisphere version of last summer's vacation in lots of ways.

-Vacation repeats itself. Last summer was a week in Israel and a week long road trip around Norway. This summer is a week driving around different national parks and then 4 days on the beach in Cozumel Mexico. See the commonalities? Much less flying this time! Next summer's vacation is already set in going with Killer back to S Korea and having him show us around.

-2,600 miles. That's how many miles got put on the truck this roadtrip. Wow. It needs its oil changed after just one week of driving! Also it needs a serious, serious interior detailing. Any referrals in the San Diego area?

-I learned a lot about my camera and photography, mostly that one is good and the other needs quite a bit of work!

US Vacation pt2

So part 1 was Bryce, Zion and Cedar Break parks. Part two was Jackson, Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Then it is off to Cozumel Mexico for the "vacation from vacation".

Part one was sunny and mostly warm in southern Utah. Part two was rainy and cold in Wyoming. It was at one time 28F and snowy and at most 53F and overcast. Ate trout, venison and elk. As for live animals I saw elk, bison, osprey and so on. Sadly I didn't ever see a bear or wolves.

Hopefully part three will be warm and calm on a Mexican beach. With lots of fun fish to see snorkeling.

And of course here are some pictures. I've been using my new camera, lenses and such from my birthday gift. I'm a little disappointed in my photos but I am entirely self taught and using my camera all on manual definitely makes things trickier. Shooting with a bright sky, shadows and with water just makes balancing my exposures soooo tough.

Nonetheless, here ya go readers!