Time Fracture Wickets.

This is the last post of Aught '11. This year was one of great goals, yet unrealized. It was one where I learned some strengths and finally recognized my bigger weaknesses. All in all, interesting though.

Upside: kids in Noo Zuland get to celebrate my 30th with a game. That game? Calvinball. I will have to make some rules out so it is playable, but needless to say there will be masks and songs. And perhaps even a time fracture wicket....

(there will also be beers and cheese kranskys....)

And then after that NZ nonsense, it will be wide open. Where I stop, no one knows. Exciting!

Return 2: Hutt's Bounty.

This may be irrelevant anymore- this whole blog thing. When even your grandma is on facebook, then does a personal blog act as something different, something that matters anymore?

I've concluded that yeah, it probably has jumped the shark.

That being said: if there's anyone out there that reads this, and doesn't know yet, I've shelved the business idea for the time being (one day!) and will be going traveling back down to NZ. She's the woman I can't get out of my head, and I want-to-commit-but-she-wont.

I will be going down for a holiday, and a most important wedding. I probably will again go on hiatus here till the trip time, then I will perhaps use this place for some travel journal type writings that are lengthy in words.

Until then, please think of the lost children I know in Lower Hutt....

Forward and Up.

It has been a really, really long time since I published anything here. I can't say it isn't for a lack of doing interesting things, I guess what I had to say I either said to people in conventional ways, or via facebook, which does all the things this blog does almost more easily....

Anyways, I wanted to post for 2 reasons:

Firstly, I finished my "summer vacation" off with the most physically demanding hike I've ever done: Carne Mountain. It was a crazy ascent, with non stop switchbacks, but ultimately led to a majestic view, and a good story. Photos here.

Secondly, I have finished my business plan, as a document. It took me far too long, but for reasons not too clear to even myself, I was difficult to self motivate. I might've been depressed actually, and just lost focus for a good month and a half. I thought a lot on my hike regarding what I want to do, and where I want to go, so with that clarity I move forward with renewed vigor. I have a meeting with someone to discuss things tomorrow, and will be looking to secure monies next month.

Moving forward in a direction that takes me to where I need to go, and then from there, hopefully one day to you.

Numb(ers).

Numbers. They really melt my brain after a while.

In balance sheets, financial calculations and even prices (something that typically hadn't been overwhelming). I need to know them all. And there's so many, so, so many. It makes my head hurt sometimes. I am still also not used to staring at my computer screen for hours on end. It's not something does when their career is craft-based so much.

I've concluded, and perhaps you've been one that I've mentioned this to personally:

I could work for the next 10 years at doing financial stuff, and I'd never be really great at it. My mind does not work in that way. Conversely, if I worked at say, wooden ship building, I'd be very good at it. I have confidence in that statement 100%.

So, back to the mind numb.

Here.

Wow. It has been a short while here.

I have been working for a small farm based on Vashon Island, helping them at the farmers markets around town. It's quite fine not to be the boss- I just show up and do my thing. Then I go home and that's it. Drastically refreshing after a few years of being the boss, often feeling like I'm on call on my days off.....

And it's nice, I haven't bought food other than coffee and dried fruit for snacking since I started, since I can trade other farms for stuff, and meat is like gold at the market...I am eating really nutrient dense food, that is all local. And we've just turned the page here in Washington for summer: yesterday, there were cherries picked that morning & the first strawberries showed up in Ballard.

Still plodding along with my business plan. Hit a snag, but will be sorting it out today and tomorrow, things should work out fine, just some numbers things, after I realized I needed to add full liquor from the start. Annoying to have to redo things....

Went down to Oregon last week to hang with my friend Meghan. We went on a nice hike if you didn't see the pics on facebook.

Lovely.

I have only a few more days left running the restaurant at the hotel. It feels good, but to be honest, I'm terrified- but in a good way.

I realized this the other day while walking through my neighborhood and listening to this while a light breeze moved the cherry trees. It was a thoughtful, reflective and lovely moment.

"Experience more of these moments," I told myself. "And don't fear, it's the right direction." The cherry blossoms were falling all around me and I just stood there, watching them tumble down like pink snowflakes. Only myself and my future existed in this world.

Complicated.

It's been a complicated week or so with people...

It started out fine and dandy- a visit to Portland to see great friends, and a cousin from the East Coast.

Great.

And then, I went to work on Tuesday, and it slid down from there.....

I had been working out how to move forward on my business planning, and actualization. I concluded I had to resign from my current post, which has been following a downward trend since the beginning of the new year. I almost told people to go fuck themselves on Saturday. It's bad. I knew I had this secret future plan, haven't told anyone at work yet that I'm going, so it might look like I'm disgruntled. I am a bit, but I got my part time work sorted this weekend, so the letter of resignation is written, and it's going into the boss's hands tomorrow. I am scared, but in a good way.

It's settled then. I am going down my path.

Return.

I have reached the conclusion I cannot work my current job anymore. Besides all the reasons people usually assume that viewpoint (such as not liking it anymore, etc...) I have also concluded it takes up way too much of my time. I can't focus on what I should be doing, not what I am doing....so I need to sort out a couple part time gigs, temporary in nature, just to pay my rather meager bills (less than a grand a month for sure, but not an exact number).

I also have to be done by October 30th.

That's per my dad, who say's that is my Saturn Return. The idea that a planet heavily influences one's action's and really, destiny are crazy, but I do seem to have a different energy about me, and I know I cannot continue along the current path. A deviation is needed, and although I experienced a, well I don't want to say mishap, it was a stutter. Summing that up: thought I had found a parter, but it turns out he didn't have the capital needed in my time frame. Hence, the scheming and plotting.....

Aurora.

Damn. What a long week. And I've got lots to do today regarding the icehouse.....

But in my distractions, I found this:

Enjoy yourself today.

Morgue.

It was Morgue's birthday a couple days ago. Happy Birthday my friend.

I was rooting through some old photos and came across these gems from a camping trip we took in the Orongorongo river valley a couple years ago...

This? or this:

And hanging out in the moonlight in a dry riverbed, sitting very, very still for 1 minute....

I am spending my day working on my business plan. I wish I could just hang out today, but there are bigger, better things ahead that need to be thought about!

300SE.

New Car. I have finally got me one: an '88 Mercedes 300SE, black on black. Now, you may think, wow, what an old car to buy! But it had 86K miles on it, really. It's a crazy old lady had it in the garage sort. I am still pondering it's existence, and if I am going to become obsessed car-dork with it. (Probably not much.) I need to go read the owners manual right now, since it's got some complicated things I am not used to on my Dart, such as ABS, fuel injection, power windows, cruise control, etc, etc.... You know, normal stuff by todays standards? (It was the 1st model with airbags, interesting factoid).

And: Wow. (Automatic Friday Linky).

Madness (Non-Macho Man Type).

It's tourney time again! NCAA men's basketball for those of you that reside elsewhere. I've filled out my bracket, and will be placing it into the various betting pools.

Here's mine, for your reference:

and to some (like CP): Yes, I have Duke as my champions....I know it's cliche, but it's how it went down, what can I say? Let's go March Madness!

///.

So I've been rather secretive regarding things concerning my future. I wish it was so more exciting than this, because it's not anything cool as moving to Hawaii and doing this.

I've got an idea. More than an idea, a well thought out one, that is to become a business, run by me. And it's so silly simple. Tried and true. Not overwhelming to pull off with my background. And it can make money. And it will give me the one thing I've craved pretty much for the last 10 years of my life: to be utterly, solely, absolutely the boss.

Cold Beer/Hot Dogs. That's the concept/name as I see it. With good music, of course. Local, natural hot dogs with my handmade, interesting condiments/toppings. Great/working-man brews, ice cold. Rawk music/non-rawk music. A tavern. My style. My work/effort.

Help is appreciate/needed. This is only in it's infancy, so don't quit your day jobs just yet! Now my secret is out....

Coca.

This week's This American Life (btw, it's the most incredible podcast consistently) had a thing on coca-cola. And their coming across the supposedly-secret original recipe. And then they make it, with help from Seattle-based Jones Soda (the makers of turkey and gravy flavored soda fame...). And it's wacky, because extract powers have changed. But they posted the recipe and directions on their blog.

So here's the thing: I thought it was crazy that basically sugar plus lemon, lime, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla are the flavor profile of a cola. So I combined those things at work tonight: juice of one lemon, one lime, 1 T ground cinnamon, 1 T ground nutmeg, and 1 T vanilla bean paste. And lots of sugar. If you knew what it was a mix-up of, you could tell where it was headed. And then, when I took that sweet mix-up, and added soda water, it tasted like an actual soda of sorts.

But it needed rum really. A spiced rum sour, eh?

Listen to the story!

East.

I have returned home from vacation, where I visited the frozen, then thawing New England.

After a 24 hour weather delay (I made the best out of a sunny day in Seattle, believe you me), I headed to CT, where the snow had been piled up by the plows, making a drive seem like a trip through a snow canyon. There was snow at least up to my stomach, and piled much higher than I in some spots. I visited with my grandparents and family, cooked a big Spanish affair, and kept beer outside in the snowdrift.

On Saturday I took the train down to the city of New York, where I stayed at my cousin's place, one block away from Central Park. He decided to go to the Super Bowl, so I had the place left all to myself (which wasn't bad). I explored the city, went insane at Eataly (the Italian foods-only mega store), had a bite at Bar Jamon (I ate there last year) and sat across from some random women that were from the Seattle area. I then just walked. I love walking that city. I walked from 17th and broadway to past Columbus Circle (which is 60th), in a foggy, slightly drizzly winter evening. Moody, melancholic, and yet still buzzing from action. I went out with some friends of my cousin he had put me in touch with, and stayed out on the town till 4am.

Sunday, was a day of riding the train, but mishap style. Things are being renovated/improved, but it was annoying. I got to Chinatown, which was a madhouse due to the New Year's action/parade/overflowing streets/full restaurants. So I left hungry, and went to Brooklyn, where I met a friend from Seattle, ate Polish food, shot some pool, and went to an insane football party where there was an unobstructed view of midtown from Greenpoint- from the couch you could see the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building too...

I had a good time, it was much too short, and not relaxing, but as my mom said, going to big cities is never relaxing. I love cities, so does that mean I am not a relaxed person? Hmmm.....

I'll try to do it next year, but I may actually go later in the year to not have to worry about the snow this time....

Stuff.

Oh man. Still. STILL looking for a new car. I want to get one, nay, I really should get one if I am to live/see anyone outside of Seattle ever again (unless you want to drive to me, or I have to fly to get there. Or I just rent a car.)

But yeah, the Dart is barely hanging on, or rather specifically: doesn't stop without making the sound of a wounded wildebeest tangled up in a hammock. So I am back riding my bike, which is good, since it's something I fell out of, and never should have.

In 2 weeks I'll be on the east coast, to CT and NYC and maybe even a little jaunt up to Boston.... looking forward to a vacation- it seems everyone else at work got time off over the holidays, but I pared my hours down by 15 at best. I need a respite/recharging/re-visioning/excitement charge that an experience on the streets of Manhattan can easily provide.

and...

Why getting older in not a bad thing.

12th Man.

Seahawks fans cause an earthquake?

I cannot believe we beat the saints- what a game. We actually have a much better shot at Chicago than this last game I think...

Begin. Now.

I've been mulling things over in my head. This is the year I look to open my own business again.

This time solo.

I have much to do: need to still put together capital (just send it over if you like), people to talk to, and research to numb my brain. I am still not much past a well thought out dream/not scared to do this stage when I am being honest with myself, so I need to kick myself in the butt and get things going.

My idea seems good- simple (if you're looking at a food service based business model), and possible to pull off, at this point any rate....

So. Here go my evenings....

(Happy New Years everyone. I had a good one, hope you did as well!)