Sea of Steve

Arriving in Venice

2009-03-22T15:16:00.002-06:00

Salve (hello) friends and family!

I have already received numerous replies from my first email and I appreciate all your comments. Since the last email I have been adjusting well to the time change. Although, I was awake at 4am this morning. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t so I got up and downloaded the 1400+ pics from off my camera and I posted quite a few of them to my facebook page. For those of you with facebook and for those that do not these links should take you there so you can see all of them:
Venice Italy
Venice Italy 2

So far I only have the first day and Venice uploaded. I’ll post more as I get to it. It takes forever... Also, I’ll be posting these emails and pictures to my blog at www.seaofsteve.blogspot.com as I find time. And finally, I will post pictures to www.flickr.com/stvheld

If any of you would like the original pictures I can send you copies through email or by discs. Just let me know.

And now let’s go to Venice!

March 13, 2009

We boarded another Lufthansa flight bound for Venice, Italy. This would be a much shorter flight and it was a smaller plane. I lucked out and got a window seat. On the way there I kept nodding off but I tried to peel my eyes open because outside the scenery was beautiful. I watched Germany drift away and the Alps suddenly appear. They were gorgeous from 30,000 ft. I watched little mountain villages pass by and was amazed at all the sheer mountain cliffs covered in glistening snow.

The mountains gave way to rolling hills and then suddenly a blue expanse of water reflected the sun. It was the Aegean Sea. As we neared Venice thousands of water inlets fingered through the land. Off in the hazy distance I could just make out the tiny city of Venice. Oh what fun! Now my insides were really tingling with excitement. Our plane touched down and I was itching to get off the plane.

In the Venice Airport we all rushed through to claim our bags. It took some time but soon the bags came out. I enjoyed looking at all the Italian ads and banners throughout the airport. They definitely don’t mind using the female body.

Once everyone had their bags and we had a potty break we went out and were greeted by Luca, our EF tour guide. He was about 27 years old with dark hair and was very Italian looking. He was excited to greet us and took us all outside to our tour bus. On the side of the bus it was written Lizzio. I eventually named our bus Lisa.

It was nearing sundown as we rode from the airport to our hotel on the outskirts of Venice. Along the way tiny vineyards and farms blurred by. I enjoyed seeing all the Italian homes. Many were brick and quite a few were falling apart. Luca explained that most aren’t lived in anymore. Those homes were beautiful though because the land was taking them over. Trees and vines covered and grew up through the roofs. Many had crumpled roofs and I loved all the textures and colors of their homes and land. Everything was green! Coming from Wyoming, where all we have is 6 different shades of brown, it was beautiful to see all the green and reds of the buildings. Outside the bus window the sun was going down and the sky was turning a deep dark blood red.

We finally arrived out our hotel. It was a small place with three stories. I had the top floor and a room all to myself because I was 23 and too old to stay with anyone else since 22 was the cut off age of being considered a student. I didn’t mind it too much and actually enjoyed having a quite place of my own to just drop my stuff off and relax in. When I was bored I would just hung out with the lovely ladies in their rooms.

After settling in, I went to the lobby. There I met a few of the Kansas group that would join our Wyoming group. My graphic design professor went to Kansas and so together they worked out this whole tour to Italy. After meeting a few people, I decided that I would take a stroll outside. By now the sun had gone down completely and it was lovely chilly night. I walked around the block and found a bank and a water fountain in the street. I didn’t venture to far because dinner was just a few minutes away.

I ran into the hotel to put my bag away but the stairs were clogged with everyone so I decided to take the elevator. It was small and looked like it could only fit about three people. I stepped inside and an older Italian women also got in with me. She said something in Italian and I thought she was asking what floor I wanted. I said trece (which was Spanish but figured it would be similar to Italian.) She looked like she didn’t understand so I pointed at the number and made a three with my fingers. She pushed my hand down and again said something. I nervously smiled and just rode up a floor with her. When we reached the 2nd floor she pushed me out and then continued to speak in Italian. I was totally lost and slightly scared but others in my group were there on the second floor watching me get berated by this women. I’ll never know what she said but it was a fun experience. I never did take the elevator again though.

For dinner, I sat with a group from Wyoming. Between all of us on the tour, we filled half of the tables in the small hotel ristorante. The old lady I had met in the elevator was there placing bread on the tables and filling up our water. She smiled at me and said buona sera (good evening). I understood that and figured she must like me or at the very least had totally forgotten that I was the one in the elevator. Soon younger Italian guys came by with a large plate of pasta with red sauce. They scooped out a handful on my plate. I grabbed a roll of bread which was delicious. It was hard on the outside but very soft on the inside. The pasta was very good too and they kept coming by offering more and more. Which I was delighted to have more and more because it was very good. Soon, they cleared our plates and I thought we were done but out come another plate with pork. I was nearly full from eating so much pasta but I couldn’t deny eating more Italian food. It too was very delicious.

After dinner, I led a group around the block to the ATM and we also found a pay phone. Many of the girls wanted to call home and tell their families that they had arrived safely in Italy. However, we couldn’t figure out how to get the phone to work. We stood there punching buttons just like the directions indicated but were only greeted by weird beeps and dings. Finally, Loni was able to figure it out and helped the others. Stephanie and I were the only ones that didn’t call home. We had both told our parents we would email if we could but that if you didn’t here from us it meant we were having a great time. And obviously, since you never heard from me I had a splendid time. = )

It was quiet out on the streets. A few people were out walking their dogs but for the most part it was completely dead.

We walked back to the hotel and prepared for bed. Luca gave us a time to wake up so that we could get ready, have breakfast and load the bus in the morning. I got up to my room and set my alarm clock for 7am and when I hit my pillow I was off into the world of dreams.

That’s all for now. Ciao! Next will be the lovely city of Venice.

Con affetto,
Stefano

Ciao Ciao!

2009-03-22T11:58:00.002-06:00

Buon giorno! (good morning) family and friends!

I say buon giorno even though it’s later here because I absolutely loved that word and so even though it should be buon pomeriggio (good afternoon) I say it because I miss it so much! Oh... I wanna go back to Italy... The subject Ciao Ciao is also befitting because it means both hello and bye. Since I’m writing to you all for the first time and also saying goodbye to Italy Ciao! Ciao!

I’m a bit sad being back but I’m also very glad I’m FINISHED flying around the world and can finally rest and reflect on my time there. I just took a little jog after getting back because it was so lovely here in Wyoming, (if you can actually believe that). A jog sounded very good after being scrunched up like a sardine on plane flights all of yesterday. I also really need to work off all that pasta and gelato from Italy! Mmmmhmmm Hehe... I’m definitely a few inches wider then when you last saw me = ) No bueno! After I wrote this email I called everyone from our group and we’re all going to meet for a picnic and enjoy the spring weather.

Italy was absolutely breathtaking! Ohhhhh....... I cannot even tell you how glad I am that I was able to make that journey and see everything that I did. I have so many wonderful memories and experiences. I made many new friends and got to know others even more. Our group was wonderful and I had the best time being surrounded by a group of beautiful ladies from Wyoming. = ) I wrote everyday in my journal and I’ll share some of what I wrote with you all as I find the time. I know many of you are anxiously awaiting my novel like emails like the ones I sent out from my visit to Japan a few years ago. I don’t know if I can live up to those monolithic emails again but I will surely attempt it. They have been a great keepsake of all my memories.

Italy definitely made all my art history studies come to life and the inner boy inside of me jump for joy! I experienced pure joy and had the breath knocked out of me countless times after seeing things like Michelangelo’s David, Botticello’s Venus, the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s paintings, and stunning sunsets. I was satiated beyond belief by all the art. Now I’m in an art withdrawal. It all seems like a dream, a very lovely dream and I cannot wait to go back! Thinking back on everything now, I am actually very glad I grew up in Colorado/Wyoming because I can go to Italy and really truly appreciate all the art. The Italians grow up with all of this around them and to them it is just everyday normal stuff. But not for me! For me it was I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E and it was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life. Italy was a buffet of art for both my eyes and my soul. I tried my very best to feast upon it all during my short time there.

So... anyway, without further ado... I will write about Day 1.

March 12, 2009

Today I tried to sleep in a bit but I couldn’t. Italy was on my mind. I skipped all of my classes for that day because I wanted to just rest and prepare for my trip. I don’t think I would’ve paid attention anyway. As noon drew ever closer my gut wrapped itself in knots. I’m going to Italy!!! Whoo hoo!

I called everyone I was driving down to Denver and told them I would pick them up soon. I made a few quick errands and then picked up Gary, Stephanie, and Loni. Then it was off to Denver. We packed all our suitcases into my car. Actually it was more like stuffing and jamming them into my car. I was glad to have Gary come along with just two small duffel bags or we would not have all fit. I packed light but took a huge suitcase for souvenirs.

On the way down I took it easy. I was in no rush. Our flight wasn’t until later. We were leaving early just to make sure we got there on time and to relax and have lunch in Denver. The trip down was going just fine until a little bit past Ft. Collins. All of a sudden the car in front of me slammed on their brakes. Ahead of us every car also had their brake lights on. Red lights snaked up the road. I slammed down on my pedal hard and immediately slowed waaaaayy down. Quickly we came to a dead stop. I nervously watched as many cars behind me swerved and went into the ditch since they couldn’t stop in time. Then it was bumper to bumper. We inched forward. Stopped. Inched a few then stopped. Urgggghhh.... I cranked up the radio and we all had a mini dance party for a few minutes laughing and trying to pass the time. Soon, we discovered it was because of a very bad accident. After getting past it the road immediately became unclogged and we were once again off to Denver at a good steady pace. However, that little jam took up a lot of time so we decided to eat at P.F. Changs, a really good Chinese restaurant just outside of Loveland. I would’ve gone to Olive Garden but hey we would soon be having true authentic Italian very soon. Chinese just sounded good!

Now normally I wouldn’t go into all of this detail about traveling except that the experience at P.F. Changs was fun and memberable and so I wrote about it in my journal and I didn’t want to forget it. Our waiter, a dark spikey haired guy with perfect spikes was quite the hoot. He came to our table and every single time gave a play-by-play of what he was about to do. This was to the point of becoming almost abnoxious because it was really everything he was going to do. It was just really funny and we all laughed about it. I dunno... I guess you just had to be there.

We arrived at the Denver Intl’ Airport. With our luggage in tow we met the rest of our group and then stood in line for security. We were flying to Frankfurt, Germany on Lufthansa airlines. I was extra stoked about flying to Germany since I have German heritage and it would be the first country I would see in Europe. We boarded at 6:15pm.

The plane was huge! It had three rows with 3 seats on either side and 4 seats in the middle row. I unfortunately was stuck in the middle. I sat next to a guy from Poland and a girl from somewhere. I think she was American. She never talked to me. It was crowded and I attempted to settle in for the nearly 9 hr flight.

I was just excited to be back in a plane. It’s always fun for me and I get extra anxious awaiting for take-off. I love when the engines roar to life and the feeling of being pushed back in my seat as we kiss the ground goodbye.

They fed as well on the flight. We had two meals and I had lots of orange juice. Mmmmm.... I love orange juice! I don’t remember what we ate because I didn’t write that down in my journal but I assure you it was good.

I enjoyed watching the GPS map on the screens on front of me. It marked a trail of our path to Germany. I was bummed that this flight didn’t have cameras on the nose, belly, and sides of the plane like on my flight to Japan. Since I was no where near any windows that would’ve made it more fun but I had other means of entertaining myself like sleeping and watching a few movies.

We arrived in Germany. It was now March 13th and I felt like crap. A whole day of my life is gone. I didn’t care because I was in Germany! WOW I was jittery and jumping for joy. My first time in Europe! I couldn’t wait to stretch my legs and get outside! A group of us decided to go with me outside of the airport to touch some dirt to prove we were in Germany. It is just something silly I wanted to do. We had to go through security again but it was totally worth it. Now I can truly say I was in Germany and not just at an airport. We even got our passports stamped from Germany. Whoo hoo!

It was very nice too just to breath some fresh air. However, it was a bit disheartening to be surrounding by so much cigarette smoke from everyone outside. Which, I later learned was an experience I would have to get used to as even all of Italy smoked a bunch too. We had four hours to kill on our layover in Germany.

I walked around the airport with Hannah and Steph. We stopped at an ATM and I withdrew my first $100 in Euro. Then we sat down and had a German beer. It was a Beck’s light beer. Yeah very good and relaxing. I loved walking around and hearing German spoken. Then I slept underneath an airport bench to stretch out while we all waited for our flight to Venice, Italy!

Even though it was now March 13 this all happened on the same day. With the flight to Germany we lost so much time and I was awake for so many hours. I was kind of messed up but too excited to care. I didn’t have jet lag too bad because I was running on pure excitement I was just sick of being in a plane for so long. After taking a nap and just talking with everyone in our group, we finally boarded the plane to Venice. I’ll write about that in my next email.

That’s all for now. Ciao!
Steven

P.S. Pictures are to come soon.
P.P.S. Also, feel free to forward this email on to anyone you want, I’m sure I missed quite a few but I hope I got you all.

Baptism

2009-03-11T15:11:00.006-06:00

I am going out on a limb here and writing this but it is such an important concept and one that I have been studying relentlessly this year. I live with a Mormon roommate and his belief and mine do not correlate with one another. I also lived with a Catholic for many years. Both of them believed that baptism is essential albeit a requirement of salvation. I however disagree. Baptism is important but salvation comes by faith and repentance alone.

A lot of different faiths believe that baptism is meant to also be part of the salvation process. Despite the fact that faith stands alone in the vast majority of passages as necessary for salvation, there are a few verses which connect baptism and faith together as necessary for salvation. 1 Peter 3:21 is often cited as evidence for salvation by baptism. However, when this verse and others are carefully studied and taken in context it becomes clear that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Scripture interprets scripture and it is very important to read a verse in context. Understanding this verse in context with the rest of Scripture, you would see that water is a visual sign that symbolizes baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water baptism alone cannot save us.

Baptism is a very important subject because the religions that claim it is a requirement for salvation make it absolutely necessary for salvation. Anyone who is not baptized cannot be saved, and thus no hope can come to anyone in prison, anyone minutes away from death, or anyone alone with no one to baptize them. This is grossly wrong.

God requires certain things for salvation and if the requirements are not met there is no salvation. So what is required for Salvation?

Belief (also referred to as faith) in Jesus Christ, Savior, and the only way to God the Father. (John 3:18, John 5:24, John 6:29, John 14:6, Acts 4:12).
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6.
Repentance of sins. (Mark 1:15, Luke 13:5, 1 John 1:9). I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:5.

Bearing fruit and baptism are critical for a relationship with Jesus; however, as the parable of the talents shows us in Mathew 25:14-30, God has given more to some and less to others. This has many applications, however, for the issue of baptism this relates to time. A person at the edge of death does not have time to bear fruit and become baptized. Therefore, bearing fruit and being baptized, although very important, cannot be a requirement for salvation. The thief next to Jesus on the cross was not baptized nor bore fruit, yet Jesus assured him that he would be in paradise with Him. (Luke 23:32-43) This example shows us that if the thief was saved through belief and repentance, then those are the requirements of salvation. God would not set different standards for us. The Bible indicates one standard; belief and repentance.

With belief (faith) and repentance comes the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation (Acts 11:15-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 4:30). And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14. There is a significant difference between John the Baptist’s baptism with water and Jesus Christ’s baptism of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11 and Acts 1:5 are just two examples of this difference in baptisms. John indicates that his baptism with water is lesser in comparison to Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is made clear from Scripture that without the Holy Spirit a person cannot be saved. Acts 19:1-7 is a perfect example of how baptism with water alone does not mean that a person has the Holy Spirit within them.

So, what is the purpose of baptism if it is not a requirement for salvation? One of the purposes is that it is a sign of what has taken place in our hearts. First, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, and then we are baptized as a sign to everyone that we are a new creation in Christ. Baptism is essentially the New Covenant version of the Old Covenant circumcision. Circumcision was a sign to the people that a person was a Jew and was sanctified before the Lord. G.I. Williamson in The Westminister Confession of Faith – for study courses, describes how the bloody sign of circumcision of the Old Covenant is now the bloodless sign of baptism of the New Covenant. Paul in Colossians 2:11-12 and Philippians 3:3 connects circumcision and baptism together. Romans 2:25-29 and Romans 4:9-12 describe the spiritual aspect behind circumcision. This directly correlates to the spiritual aspect of baptism. Water baptism itself does not mean that you are justified by God just like circumcision by itself does not mean that one was justified by God.

I encourage anyone reading this to not just read my words but to pick up the Bible and see what the word of the Lord says. There are numerous other passages that I have not quoted that also relate to this subject. I also accept any comments/debate about what I have written. I am not a theologian but just hungry for God's word and seek to bring others to His glorious kingdom. I only ask that you do not slander me because of my beliefs. If you feel you can prove otherwise then by all means I am up for a healthy debate.

Special thanks to my friend Jason Tyser for his research into this subject as well. Most of what is written here has been adapted from his research and study.

Posters

2008-12-04T13:38:00.007-07:00

Here are two posters I designed in my graphic design class. Our project was to design in two different and unique styles of historic poster designs seen throughout history. They needed to be two different styles but use the same concept and imagery. Since my sustainability project has been on the top of my mind, I thought I would do a poster to reduce your impact on earth.

My two designs are: First, New York style cut paper design. Second: Deconstruction.

And yes that is my foot. : ) Click to see the poster larger.

Lessons learned on sustainability

2008-12-02T20:33:00.003-07:00

This sustainable journal has taught me a number of things. As I sit back and reflect upon everything this semester, I think the most valuable lesson I have learned is actually that of patience and persistence. Changing your lifestyle and becoming more green is not simple. You cannot just flip a switch. It requires constant attention and efforts to maintain. Can I say that I am 100% green now? Heavens no. However, from where I was when I first began this sustainable project to where I am at now is a major step forward and one that I am proud I have endeavored. I'm happy to see many of the green initiatives I undertook have actually paid off. These things such as reducing my heat to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, turning off lights and unplugging appliances when not in use, and riding my bike instead of driving have saved me tremendous amounts of money. I average about $30 a month in savings. This isn't much but overtime that builds up and really makes me appreciate the amount I was wasting beforehand.

I have discovered new things that I love to do and things that were difficult to maintain. One of these was recycling. I started a paper recycling box and a plastic milk jug box. Personally, it was difficult to begin recycling. I was so used to just throwing everything away before. It was so simple and easy to just toss everything. It was also a very hard habit to break and begin the recycling effort. Through these last few months, I have literally forced myself to recycle. The day I started this effort, I dumped all of my trash cans and looked for material that could be recycled. I wanted to recycle everything but after dumping my trash, I learned that nearly 80% of it was paper. Paper was easy enough to separate and recycle so I decided that I would only recycle paper. Then as I got more into it I started to recycle milk jugs too. In the entire process I have become more aware of what I purchase and specifically try to buy products that I can easily recycle. Though, I have found that recycling milk jugs is kind of funny. At least in Laramie, they only recycle the milk jug. The lids they do not accept. Obviously, I know, that there are a lot more things I could recycle but I wanted to start with the things I could manage. Plus, I noticed that paper was the biggest thing I wasted. It really surprised me. Now I can really see how much paper I wasted before when I look into my recycling bin.

Not every effort was hard. I actually enjoyed some sustainability efforts. Becoming sustainable is really about changing bad lifestyles and replacing them with conserving ones. I discovered one that I really enjoyed was cooking instead of going out to eat. My roommate and I both undertook this project and decided we would each have a designated night to cook on. This would save us on food costs and time spent cooking. It also was a great time to spend time with one another through our busy schedules. This has saved a lot of money and was a great sustainable idea. It was by far my most favorite of all of my sustainable efforts and it wasn't hard at all, unless you think cooking is hard. Some nights I was tempted to not want to cook and instead go out to eat but I forced myself to cook and ended with a great sustainable idea.

A few of my efforts I know that I will not be able to maintain going forward from this sustainability project. I could hardly manage to maintain these things while I was doing this sustainability effort. The hardest one was unplugging unused appliances. While this did save my a lot on my electricity bill, it was very difficult to remember to unplug all my unused appliances, especially late at night. However, there are a few appliances that I will continue to do this on like my cell phone charger, toaster, and television. These appliances were easier to remember to unplug. I only use my cell phone charger to charge my phone so I can easily just plug that in and out when I need it. The toaster is along the same lines. The television is easy for me too because I have it now plugged into a surge protector that I can just flip a switch and have it turned off and unplugged. However, I found it not feasible to turn off and unplug my computer every night. Things that were just too time consuming really weren't worth the effort. I'd like to not waste electricity but some things just aren't as easily managed. This is especially evident with all the other little devices that are plugged in such as lamps and my microwave. It was a good project to do but I cannot maintain unplugging everything.

Overall, I got a lot out of this sustainability effort and was glad to be forced to under go it. I challenge anyone out there to just for a month try to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. Your eyes will surely be opened to a number of things you have never realized before.

Eco-tourism

2008-10-22T08:04:00.005-06:00

In class on Monday we talked about eco-tourism. Eco-tourism is the responsible travel to areas with the intent to conserve the environment and sustain the local culture and welfare of the native people there. Thanks to a comment on my blog earlier I was given a link to Conservation International, which has an entire eco-tourism website. Eco-tourism sounds like a great idea, but just exactly what does it mean? How do you know where to go and what to see? Just what do you do on an eco-tourism vacation? Luckily, Conservation International has resources on these topics of eco-tourism. They provide articles and news, popular destinations, and tips and tricks to make your own vacation more eco friendly.

I think this is a great concept and something I can relate to. I'm from Wyoming, most famous for being the home of Yellowstone. I'm also a kayaker. I enjoy being outdoors and camping and I've seen firsthand just how destructive people can be when I'm out and about paddling down a river or hiking in a forest. One person might not make that much of a difference but bring in thousands, millions in the case of Yellowstone, and it adds up very quickly. Multiply that by the ineptitude of some towards the environment and suddenly there are serious problems. Everyone likes to take vacations. But the truth is, some vacations aren't so great for the environment. Many of the amazing places in the world are slowly but surely being affected and aren't as pristine as they once were. Add to that the environmental impact of flying, driving, hiking and everything else that goes into them, and soon enough, vacations don't seem like such a great idea. Which is why eco-tourism is so promising.

Things I'm doing

2008-10-21T22:29:00.005-06:00

This journal project has really gotten me to think differently and make some drastic changes in my life. I have decided to make a list of the things I am doing to reduce my impact on this planet. It helps me to see what I am doing and the benefits that I have realized because of them. I don't think being green is any good if it doesn't benefit you. Most of these things are easy to do but they take a complete paradigm shift from where I once was. I have to break old habits and constantly remind myself to do them. My efforts are being rewarded however. I have seen results. Here are a few of the things I am doing and some of the benefits I've realized.

Items in bold are the specific actions I am taking. Italicized items are the benefits I have realized and things in regular type are just extra info or thoughts on the item.

Riding my bike exercise and not using gas
Walking more exercise, more time to think, and not using gas
Driving less save money on gas
Taking shorter showers. 7 minutes currently down from 15. Less energy used. Lower gas bill.
Unplugging unused appliances Especially my cell phone charger and my old unused desktop PC. Go MacBook. Lower electric bill.
Turning off lights Lower electric bill.
Having meal nights. My roommate and I have certain nights of the week where we cook meals for each other. This helps to spread the cost of food and gives each of us a break from having to keep up our own food cabinet and time to cook everyday.
Keeping the thermostat on 60 degrees Fahrenheit (or off) Lower gas bill.
Keeping a recycling bin: paper, plastic milk jugs, and metal. This was hard to start doing because throwing stuff away was so easy. I have to constantly remind myself before I throw something away to look at it's recyclability.
Being more conscience of what I buy. I now look for items with very little packaging or material that I can recycle more easily.
Saving plastic grocery bags for other uses

I used to spend around $50 a month on fuel for my car. I now only spend $25 or less.
The gas bill was $16.84 last month. It now is $10.43.
The electric bill was $26.31. It is now $21.67.
I am saving approximately $36 a month. With that money I am donating $10 every month to my Christian organization on campus called the Navigators and saving the rest.

If you have any other ideas let me know.

Wide open

2008-10-19T22:06:00.004-06:00

The road out to Snowy Range mountains. Wyoming is full of wide open spaces. I've been out east and you don't get to see such expanses of land. Being out here makes me really appreciate the power of mother nature.

With the world population increasing places like these will be hard to find. As I stood there taking this picture, I felt incredibly small. The earth is much more powerful than me. Yet 7 billion+ people on our planet have been able to plow down mountains and change the course of rivers.

"Green" yard?

2008-10-19T22:02:00.002-06:00

This is from the yard next door to the house with the private property signs. Not my favorite shot but the rest were blurry.

I'm not sure how "natural organic" and ' low water" this yard really is. I mean, if it was truly natural it would be brown weeds and red dirt. I think this guy is just lazy but kudos to not having to mow the lawn.

Mike-and-ike

2008-10-19T21:58:00.002-06:00

Litter. Mike and ike and lots of packaging peanuts. Seeing nonsense like this really makes me mad. I want to smear that person's face into this mess.

Hot air

2008-10-19T21:31:00.007-06:00

I did laundry today and realized what a waste it is in many ways. First, it takes quite a lot of time to do. I have to drive over to the laundry-mat, then spend and hour washing and 20-40 minutes drying. It costs $2.25 to wash one load and $.25 cents to dry for 8 minutes (no joke). I waste an incredible amount of time, money, gas, water, detergent, and electricity all in the pursuit to smell good.

Just what can I do to counter this... Well, some suggest to not dry your clothes and instead put them out to dry on a clothes line. The problem is I don't have a clothes line and even if I did, Wyoming is extremely windy. I don't want to be chasing down my shorts. I've tried in the past to dry my clothes by hanging them up around my apartment but that definitely did not work. I wasn't trying to be eco-friendly, I just didn't want to pay to dry my clothes. The problem was my clothes hung up forever and they were still damp and wet for many days. I'll just have to continue going to a laundry mat.

Ride em

2008-10-19T21:27:00.002-06:00

A student waits to cross the street on his bike.

Global Warming?

2008-10-19T19:00:00.017-06:00

For class on Monday I read an article entitled 450 ways to decrease global warming by Bill McKibben.

This guy is an idiot.

I don't necessarily believe in the theory of global warming. It's still a theory. I think we should be concerned about it. We need to be aware of it so that we can take necessary steps to prevent it but when I read articles like this that are just full of irrelevant and misguided information, it really makes me mad. This writer uses scare tactic after scare tactic to fool unknowledgeable readers. He skews data to fit his view and then makes ill conceited arguments of completely unrelated things. Don't take everything you read at face-value.

McKibben begins by writing, "Everyone without a severe ideological kink knows by now that global warming is a looming problem."

Hmmm really? There must be some serious ideological kinky scientists at NASA then because they have data that shows that ocean temperatures have actually been steadily decreasing the past ten years. Oceans are the great regulator of earth's temperatures. If data is showing that they are cooling then obviously global warming is not such a looming problem. I am actually more concerned for global cooling because that affects crop yield and food production. That is a scarier prospect than global warming. People that come up with data that shows the earth is warming are taking surface readings where concrete and buildings reflect and retain more heat giving them false readings. This is most obvious in places like Dallas, Texas. Look at surface temperatures there from 100 years ago when Dallas was much smaller compared to those of today. Could it be that concrete is giving us false readings and not CO2? Hmm....

Then he goes on to say, "Even in the United States, two decades of energy industry disinformation is finally wearing off: Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Gore have finally blown most doubt away."

This is completely erroneous. I cannot believe anyone would write this. First of all, hurricanes have been happening for many many thousands of years. Hurricans are natural and have have occurred before the industrial revolution. The reason Katrina was so bad has nothing to do with CO2 increases. Katrina was bad because it happened to strike New Orleans dead on, a city below sea level. This is a scare tactic and he has no basis to make such claims. Katrina has NOTHING to do with the theory of global warming.

Now on to him skewing data to fit his argument. McKibben states, "Before
the Industrial Revolution, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was roughly 280 parts per million."

Do you know what parts per million means? It sounds really big. It sounds horrible. I even was caught up in its deceptive nature until I looked up what it actually represents. Parts per million refers to the percentage of gas in the atmosphere. So 280 parts per million really means 0.0280%. A part per million means you shift the decimal point over six spots. Putting that number in perspective now doesn't sound so impressive does it? Earth's atmosphere is roughly 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 1% argon, and carbon dioxide makes up 360 parts per million or 0.036% of our atmosphere currently. Helium, methane and the other random gases make up the rest.

McKibben then states that, "CO2, by virtue of its molecular structure, regulates how much of the sun’s energy stays trapped in our narrow envelope of atmosphere—Mars, which has very little, is cold; Venus, with a lot, is hellish."

His argument about Mars and Venus, also totally irrelevant. The average temperature of Mars is -80 degrees Farenheit. That includes the extreme cold temperatures at the poles (-200) and the warm temperatures at the equator (+80). Venus's average temperature is 850 degrees Farenheit. Mars and Venus have such drastic differences in temperature because of their distances from the sun, not because of their carbon dioxide make-up. Mars is colder because it is further from the sun and Venus is extremely hot because it is closer to the sun. For example just look at Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. It has very little atmosphere and is just as hot as Venus. The atmospheric make-up has some part to do with retaining heat but is no way the sole cause.

I write all of this because I cannot stand people writing irrelevant and biased information, passing it off as scientific proof. My journal to reduce my carbon footprint is my personal effort to reduce my impact but also to point out others misconceptions and failings. Global warming is still just a theory. Just as bad (and more of a concern) however, is global cooling. There is more data that shows that earth goes in natural cycles of glacial periods. Humans may have an impact but as of yet it is all theory. Don't get fooled by articles that throw information at you. Look up that information and understand what is being said.

Here is a great article by Edmund Contoski, an environmental consultant, that explains my stand on global warming and includes scientific data unlike McKibben's article.

A stroll

2008-10-14T18:52:00.000-06:00

Today was such a beautiful day that I decided to walk to class. The leaves are all turning a bright yellow color and it was very peaceful. It is days like today that make me appreciate the wonderful world that we live in. It also made me think of Genesis 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

We have dominion over plants and animals but with such power we must also protect it.

Things that "litter"

2008-10-14T18:03:00.000-06:00

This tree is littering the ground with it's waste. Yet, there is a difference between the litter that we throw on the ground and these leaves. Nature's "litter" is part of a cycle. It is part of a system that is reused. It's a closed system. These leaves break down after only a few months into new top soil for future growth. Our paper, metal, and plastic waste takes years and years to break down. It is part of linear cycle of resource to product to waste.

Footprints

2008-10-07T18:05:00.000-06:00

I saw these footprints all over a black stage. I thought it was interesting but also relates to my journal. Every person on earth is making an impact on the environment. Some steps are more noticeable than others, but each and everyone one of us has an impact.

Butts

2008-10-02T17:49:00.000-06:00

Outside of my apartment is this disgusting area. Cigarette butts litter everywhere. Someone tried to alleviate the problem once by placing an old coffee can but most people have just ignored it.

It's sad how just a few people can ruin the environment for us all. Their disgusting neglect for our world is an attest to our need to change people's attitudes. Smoking not only ruins the environment with the waste it produces but also from all of the resources that go in to make a cigarette that could be used for something more productive. Not to mention that it destroys the health of the smoker. I don't smoke. I cannot stand people that smoke and when I saw this gross negligent dump of butts, I had to take a picture. Horrible.

Is it really trash?

2008-09-29T18:04:00.000-06:00

Walking to class, I noticed this trash can. Inside is a lot of material that could easily have been recycled. Yet it is overflowing because people don't take the iniative to seek out recycling bins. Granted, the recycling bins on campus aren't easy to find, but they are there. That needs to change because students will just throw stuff away if it's more convenient.

Ride a bike

2008-09-26T17:17:00.000-06:00

My first goal to reduce my impact is to ride my bike. I already ride my bike regularly to class but I thought I could expand that to more places.

I now not only ride my bike or walk everyday to class but I also ride to work and for small grocery runs too. Biking has greatly reduced my impact on the environment. I used to spend $50 or more a month on gas. I have cut that to less than $20 a month. Riding my bike instead of driving reduces my energy consumption but it also gets me out and exercising making me more healthy too.

Where I'm going

2008-09-25T17:52:00.000-06:00

As I started thinking of what I could do to reducing my impact, I began to notice the gross negligence of others around me. I knew right then and there that my goal with this project was not only to reduce my impact but to show the gross negligence of those around me. I figured I could have a bigger impact if the things I show you changes the way you think too. I'm putting my life out there, why not others? So, in this journal, I will not only write about my struggles to become more sustainable, but I will show you what I am doing and what others are doing through my photographs. I will use this blog to record my effort to reduce my impact on the earth and will share my struggles and triumphs. I welcome any of your ideas and comments on this project.

Footprint Journal

2008-09-19T16:50:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a sustainable business practices class this semester. This is a class to actively engage in thinking of ways that businesses can become more economically sustainable while being economically profitable. For example, if a company were to redesign its packaging to reduce material waste and decrease the size of the package, it would allow for more products to be shipped in the same area with less material usage. This saves costs by reducing material usage and shipping costs.

On the first day of class my professor informed us that we would need to keep a personal journal of our own efforts to actively reduce our impact on the earth. My professor wants us to not only think of what we can do but actually walk the walk to reduce our own carbon footprints. He recommended the following websites for help calculating our current footprints on the earth. Most of these websites offer helpful tips to get you started right away. I've listed them here because they are interesting.

ecological footprint calculator:
http://www.ecologicalfootprint.org/ www.globalcool.org/myco2/

Buy Less Crap http://www.buylesscrap.org/

The PB&J Campaign http://www.pbjcampaign.org/

We Are What We Do www.wearewhatwedo.org/index.php; this site has an action tracker that you can participate in

personal footprint calculator at the New American Dream Website, www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=calculator

carbon footprint calculator at conservation international, www.conservation.org/act/live_green/carboncalc/Pages/default.aspx?gclid=COS7uKrOi5QCFQZinAodUFc3Wg

setting up a nag, (like good old mother earth : ) http://www.thenag.net/

My results using http://www.ecologicalfootprint.org/:

Really? 3.92 Earths to sustain my current lifestyle.

I took this class because I knew it was going to stretch me and get me out of my comfort zone. I'm not a "green" thinker. I hardly recycle and after the first day of class, I realized that I do waste a ton of things and I could reduce my impact greatly. This journal has already gotten me to actively look at areas of my life where I am wasting more and not reducing enough. My mindset now is more of that of a backpacker leaving a campsite. There is the old adage: "Leave a campsite better than they way you found it." I will approach this journal project in the same way. How can I leave the areas I impact better than how I found it?

RTC Chronicles

2008-07-28T12:21:00.037-06:00

The following is a collection of my journal entries for my graphic design internship at RT-Corporation. This will be updated as I complete them:

Date: May 8 2008

I receive an email from Jenny, my graphic designer professor, informing me of a internship opening at RT-Corporation. I immediately respond to the offer.

Date: May 14 2008

Today I went to an interview with Lee, the marketing directory at RT-Corporation, and with Bob, the head director at RT-Corporation. They ask me about my graphic design work and inform me they are looking for someone especially skilled in inDesign. They are also looking for someone to do photography work. The interview goes really well.

Date: May 15 2008

I got the JOB! I will be working 20 hours a week and I can work from home. This is really nice since I am working at IT too. Working from home will give me extra free time.

Date: May 19 2008

Today I went in for my first day of work at my graphic design internship. I go over what I need to do. I meet Kara, another intern that I'll be working with. She is in the graphic design class above me and seems nice. We all talk and get to know each other. I find out that Lee is a kayaker too. We both have fun trading stories about our paddling adventures. Then down to business... Lee wants us to design layouts for the main catalog and come back with our initial ideas. We'll take the best elements from both of our designs and combine them into the final catalog. He also wants us to design covers. He gives us the previous year's catalogs and all he tells us is to vastly improve upon it. EEEEK! I hate wide open assignments like this.

Date: May 26 2008

This week I worked on designing the layout for the main RTC catalog. I wanted to get away for the cut and paste template look of the previous year's catalog. I design mostly in reflex blue. This is RTC's logo color. I show my designs to Lee and I see Kara's designs too. I really like her cover designs. She printed them out and they look really nice. I need to print my stuff out because that seemed to really impress Lee. Having something to hold is much more powerful than seeing it on a computer screen.

Date: June 5th 2008

I received a new project from Lee. He wants me to design the Pharmaceutical Reference Standards catalog. This will contain all of RTC's products. He wants me to design about 16-32 pages of color including logos, and photographs. The rest of the catalog, approximately 200 pages, will be black and white. This will save on printing costs. He also wants me to design the cover. Lee wants the cover to be innovative to show that RTC is moving forward.

Date: June 12th 2008

I work on the initial layout for the catalog. Lee sends file after file of content for me to layout on the pages. I scour istockphoto for images to use for the catalog.

Date: June 19th 2008

I work on the initial layout for the catalog. Lee sends me file after file of content for me to layout on the pages. All the products are in an excel database that I must pull to use in the catalog. There are literally thousands of products. Copying and pasting takes hours. My hand hurts from laying product after product out. I scour google for an easier way. I learn that excel documents can be imported as tables. Then I can more easily layout the products from there. This saves me hours of work. Wish I would've done that sooner.

Date: June 26th 2008

The past two weeks I have spent laying out a basic template for the catalog and have worked out two ideas for the cover. Shown here:

Lee wants me to go with the 2nd design. I have learned that what I have been taught in design classes doesn't really apply to the working world. I'm not free to design how I believe or know how it should be. Basically I'm just there to get whatever whimsicle idea the boss has to show up on paper. Even if that means making swooshes and other non-sensical elements on the page. I just have to make sure that those swooshes and things are graphically good design.

Date: June 27th 2008

My initial layout for the product list is approved by Lee. The cover is also approved. I now begin laying at the pages and scour istockphoto for stock photography. iStockPhoto rocks! Throughout the week Lee sends me corrections to certain pages.

Date: July 3rd 2008
The catalog is done! Lee creates an FTP site for me to upload all of my files and images to. I talk to the printer to find out what they need exactly. I prepare my inDesign files to send off to the print press.

Date: July 14th 2008
I get a frantic call from Lee while I am on vacation. The printers need 8 more pages to bind the catalog correctly. I'm on vacation but I tell him I'll do it. It shouldn't take too long. To get the best printing costs a book's pages should be divisible by 16. For the next best price it should be divisible by 8. Anything in between cannot be done because a book cannot be bound correctly. This is why you often see blank pages at the beginning/end of a book.

I complete the extra pages that night and send the file to Lee. Then he calls me saying that the head boss wants a different footer on the pages. We push back the print date. I'm frustrated at this. Argg....

When I get back I meet with Lee. He has more bad news. Bob, the main boss wants to change the product list and he doesn't like my innovative cover. He wants the cover to look like last year's catalog. This really upsets Lee because it means pushing back the printing date even longer. I'm upset too because I had everything approved and now I have to practically redo everything. Argg... They give me a strict deadline to have all the redos completed in four days! AHHH!

Adding and/or deleting products from my layout means going through by hand and readjusting every single page because deleting something from one page makes the layout change for every other page. To get this done in time I work non-stop all day. My eyes are literally numb from staring at my computer screen for so long and my wrist aches. I contemplate just quitting this job because it's not worth it. Working with others on a project is a pain in the butt.

But, I finally get it done. I post my updated files to the FTP site. Here is my more conservative cover compared to my other cover:

I actually like this new cover because I took last year's boring cover and made it my own. I didn't copy a thing but used elements that were the same. I kept the blue streak from my other catalog and put chemical structures inside of it. I got rid of all the pictures that were actually a bit distracting. I actually like the redesigned cover a lot. Plus it saves a lot of money since I only used two colors.

Date: July 22nd 2008

The catalog is shipping! It will be here in a few days. I'm going to Las Vegas so I won't get to see it right away. I'll be excited to see it when I get back.

Date: July 31st 2008

I get a copy of my catalog! It is so exciting to see all of my work in printed format. I can't believe that my work is being shipped to people all over the world. Lee gives me another catalog to work on. It is the PT Catalog. He wants me to design the cover and redesign the inside. He also wants a new logo to show that RTC is a green company.

The green logo for RTC should look like the recycle logo with RTC in the middle and in green.

Date: August 7th 2008

I finish working on the cover and creating the RTC green logo. I kept elements from last year's catalog. I changed the cover by lining everything up using a grid system. The RTC green logo is the RTC main logo with recycling arrows around it. Lee likes the idea. I also completed the layout of the magazine. Now I'm just waiting for text and other changes to add to the body of the catalog.

Date: August 14th 2008

I finish the PT Catalog. Lee gives me an extra assignment. The RTC limited company in Great Britain wants me to reformat the RT Pharma catalog to be in A4 paper size format. Different countries have different standards in paper size. The United States commonly uses A3 and letter sized while most of the rest of the world uses A4. To resize the pages I have to go through and re format all of the pages.

This also is the end of my official internship. If you want to see the actual catalogs instead of just pictures on this blog, please let me know. The RT Pharma Catalog is 208 pages. The PT Catalog is 64 pages.

RTC

2008-07-28T11:35:00.004-06:00

This summer I have been working two jobs. One at the IT computer support help desk and the other is a paid internship over at RT-Corporation. RTC is a pharmaceutical manufacturer/distributor. For more information please visit their website at http://www.rt-corp.com/. My task is to work with the marketing department and design their catalogs and other marketing materials. This involves working in Adobe inDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. In order to get internship credits at the University of Wyoming, I have to chronicle my experience. Check by in the next few days as I post what I've been up to this summer.

Some of the material I am working with at RT-Corp is priviledged information and/or material that will NOT be posted to this blog.

Spring Break!

2008-03-24T22:26:00.006-06:00

I'll write more about my incredible spring break trip to San Diego and Phoenix later. In the meantime, pictures speak 1,000 words.

Ode to my beard

2008-03-05T21:44:00.006-07:00

Hello beard,

I love you. You're so amazing. You frame my face and make me look dignified. Without you I'm naked flesh. I just wish you wouldn't grow more than 1/2 an inch. But I do like you. Even though I curse the day I shave and watch you wash away. I miss you as you clog my drain. You're dark and so warm. The wind blows but you stay with me and keep me warm. Your only job is to hang around but you do so much more. Some people hate you. I think they're just jealous. You're actually really nice, when rubbed the right way. But don't get me wrong you can be just as rough. You're exactly like me but you show it much better than I ever could. Teach me your secrets. How do you bait those with smooth cheeks and pretty eyes? I'd bring them closer to you if I only knew. You must really love me to stay attached to a hopeless romantic like me. Thanks. I think I'll keep you this time. Why? Because it's cold outside and you're staying around until the first day of 70 degrees. Or until I grow weary of you. Then my friend you'll go down the drain. But you'll come back right? Of course, you always do.

Happy Leap Day

2008-02-29T14:28:00.009-07:00

To celebrate "Leap Day" I introduce it's "better-than-ever" Sea of Steve redesign. Supposedly 10x more super awesome than the last 20 redesigns of yester years.

But wait! Look up now and see something even greater. I finally got a favicon up. You know the little itty bitty icon next to the address bar? : )

Illustrating a sunset

2008-02-25T22:42:00.010-07:00

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
~Rabindranath Tagore

Look at the above image a little closer. Did you realize it is NOT actually a photograph but a drawing? If you didn't notice, I take that as a compliment :) Here is what it looks like with just the outlines of all the shapes.

Here is the original photograph. Click to view it larger.

Harmony
Originally uploaded by one4all2nv

While I'm very happy with my work, I'm still no way near the technical skill and absolute jaw dropping spectacular mastery that some artists have. Check them all out.

Drawings were done using Adobe Illustrator CS3.

ice cycle

2008-02-20T14:47:00.004-07:00

I hate snow, ice, wind, cold, and especially slush. But sometimes you just have to look at their beauty more often than not.*

This "ice cycle" caught my eye.

It also appears that I am not the only person ever inspired by such a contraption.

* I have never found beauty in slush, unless the muddy grime on the cuffs of my jeans is beautiful. Please come quickly Spring!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T07:39:00.005-07:00

Cupid found shot with arrow

By Albert Heartless
Associated Press Writer

HEAVEN, Kingdom (AP) -- February 14th. Steven, known by Cupid to nearly the whole world, was found murdered this morning, his heart pierced by an arrow. Archangel Michael discovered his frail, battered body high in the clouds as he was out for his early morning jog. The moment he was discovered a trumpet blast resounded from heaven and every angel bowed their head in sorrow. A beloved angel and friend has fallen.

At this time, authorities are more concerned about the whereabouts of Cupid's bow and arrow. "In the wrong hands the world below may never fall in love," stated Michael. "Humans below relied on Cupid to bring them together. Without his arrows the humans might seize to exist."

Cupid's death is a shock to all in Heaven and on Earth. Valentine's day will never be the same. Thankfully, Cupid was able to bring love to many on earth before his death. Sources close to him say he only had a few more arrows left when he flew off the night before. He was found on a cumulonimbus cloud somewhere over Virginia. This was where Cupid spent most of his time and is most likely why the state motto became Virginia is for lovers.

Happy Valentine's Day?

2008-02-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

As Valentine's Day approaches - my happiness level decreases proportionally. It's really the one day of the year that makes me feel like crap. On this day I'm reminded that no one cares for me and I have no one to give chocolates, expensive roses, or even a lame teddy bear.

Granted, being single isn't the greatest feeling the rest of the year either, but I deal with it in the best way that I can. However, once February 14th rolls around there is no way of escaping it. It's everywhere and it is definitely not a day for us single people. Hearts find themselves pasted to everything and endless rows of chocolates and Valentine's Day cards make it difficult to even go grocery shopping.

Those of you out there that have someone to share Valentine's Day with, consider yourself lucky. I, Cupid have shot you with a love arrow to bring you happiness, while I fly around whimsically watching you all hold hands, kissing, and falling in love. I'm envious but I bring it upon myself. I just wish someone would shoot me. But whom? I'm Cupid.

Christmas in Seattle

2007-03-15T09:20:00.000-06:00

I traveled to Seattle, Washington with my roommate at the end of Christmas break and I never did put up some of the pictures. The trip was made on a complete whim. We bummed around the city, saw the space needle, frequented some really great restaurants and went to a concert. The most fun I had however was taking an entire day to drive down to the the ocean.

The ocean... Wow! everytime I see it, it is the most amazing thing ever. It awakens the inner child within me. I woke up early that day so we could get a good days worth at the ocean since it would take a 3 hour drive to get there from Seattle.

We ended up at this quaint ocean town called Seaside. Once there we stopped and ate at a seafood restaurant. I had a tasty medley of fresh prawns, oysters, clams, and crab legs. After that it was time to go the the beach.

It was long and sandy and the ocean waves were crashing in. Outside a bright blue sunny sky welcomed us to a warm 38 degrees with no breeze. It was gorgeous. The smell. the sounds, it was honestly perfect.

Now you might be saying 38 degrees! That's freezing! but compared to the weather here in Wyoming that was warm. I kicked off my shoes rolled up my pant legs, sank my toes into real beach sand and ran into the frigid water. WHOO HOO!

I sat there on the beach for almost 3 hours just watching the people walking by. Taking so many pictures. I just kept saying to myself I am really here.
The beach was great.

Walking along the beach I discovered a huge tree stump. It was out in the open, in the middle of the beach. Isn't this the coolest thing ever?

A Look into Paranormalcy

2007-01-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

My friend CJ ran across a contest on YouTube a couple of days ago hosted by horror movie website, FEARnet. The contest is designed to promote the upcoming horror film, The Messengers. The contest asks anyone crazy enough to want to win (a free screening of the movie for 100 of our friends) to put together a short film that "illustrates that children are messengers trying to warn us of paranormal threats."

So check out our entry.

A Look at Paranormalcy

on YouTube.

Pass it along and if we win you just might be lucky enough to be included in our 100 list of friends.

I star as Bob the Entity. Click on Bob above or follow this link to watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19pR0kb5Z-Q

Official contest rules here, the YouTube FEARnet contest page is located here.

Time to book

2006-10-19T23:31:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by my friend CJ to try my thumb at this novel quiz thing (a long time ago). Seeing that I haven't posted in quite some time I thought this would be a good way to get things churning.

A book that didn't change my life: Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Horror really doesn't change my life unless I'm the one panic-stricken. Though that happens more often then not. I'm sorry King but this book just wasn't that scary and didn't change my life. SSDD.

A book I’ve read more than once: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino. I first read this book long ago. It has definitely influenced my life and the way I view the world. I highly recommend reading it.

A book I would take with me if I were stuck on a desert island:The Bible. Seriously, if I'm stuck on an island I better have something that can help me convert the island inhabitants and save myself.

A book that made me laugh: The Life Before Us by Romain Gary. After reading the The Kite Runner (which I also highly recommend) I was searching for another book with a Middle Eastern perspective. I found this one but I almost didn't read it because the book had the worst cover art but I picked it up anyway. I was glad I did because I laughed, cried and pondered the whole way through this fantastic work.

A book that made me cry: The very first book that I ever made me cry was Sounder by William H. Armstrong. I won't be admitting anything more as of late.

A book that I wish I had written:To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A fantastic story that I try to apply to my life. Especially the character of Atticus Finch. A wonderful classic novel.

A book that I wish had never been written:Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I was forced to read this book in high school. I just never got into it. This was probably due to the fact that nearly everyone in my class wrote papers comparing it to the Survivor TV series.

book I’ve been meaning to read:The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This was recommended to me but I haven't picked it up yet.

I’m currently reading:No novels. I'm too busy this semester with a 19hr credit load and 15hrs work schedule. Though I'm not stranded on a island, I am working on reading through the Bible in a year. What's in your library?

Yen time

2006-09-13T08:01:00.000-06:00

While I was in Japan I often frequented 100 Yen Shops. In Japanese: hyaku en shop. They sell a wide range of products for 107 Yen per item (100 Yen plus tax). This is roughly one US dollar per item. 1.15 Yen = $1

There are thousands of 100 Yen Shops across Japan, ranging in size from multi-level "department stores" to small corners in shopping malls.

One of the largest 100 Yen shops I visited had 4 stories. It had everything you could ever want. I would compare these shops to Wal-Marts but with better merchandise and the lowest prices ever.

"Who cares", you're thinking, "Japan isn't the only country with dollar stores selling useless crap." Well it may be hard to believe but dollar stores in Japan actually sell good stuff, useful items that you can use more than once and aren't ashamed to have bought. A new shop called the 99 Yen Shop actually sells food! (For kicks check out their website)

Imagine the fun of shopping in a grocery store where everything is only a buck. Not only that but they have almost everything you could want, plus the staff is hardworking and polite. They always welcomed me by saying, "Konnichiwa giazimus." None of their products are junk, and most importantly, you get to listen to their theme song. Kyu, Kyu-Kyu, Kyu-Kyu, Kyu-Kyu-Kyu! (kyu means 9). To the theme of knick nack paddywack give a dog a bone: It was only slightly annoying after they played it constantly.

Now I can't even fathom what I would have done in Japan without their 99 yen 1 litre carton of low fat milk, or their 99 yen orinji rice sandwiches. You rock 99 Yen Shop!

4th of July and tired

2006-08-02T16:51:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this next email. I'm really busy these days. Here's one of my favorite days in Japan. It was July 4th, the first time I have ever missed an American holiday because I was away in a far far away land.

Happy Independence Day all you Americans!

I can't believe that this is the first time in my life that I haven't celebrated a holiday. I'll miss the fireworks but how can I give up this wonderful experience in Japan? I keep forgetting that everyone is a day behind me here but by the time you get this it will be the 4th of July.

Ok well... Today. Today... hmmm where to begin.

Ohayoo (goodmorning pronounced like the state Ohio). It was a perfect morning. The first night that I slept the entire time without waking up in the middle of the night due to jet lag or really early in the morning due to birds. I had some wonderful vanilla yogurt for breakfast and while eating it the doorbell rang. Erin was already gone and Felix was in the shower. I opened the door and it was a package delivery man. He spoke in Japanese and tried to motion that I should sign for the package but I was clueless as to where. I said I didn't speak Japanese. He said "No Japanese" in English but then spoke in Japanese again. I motioned for just a second and yelled for Felix. It's really hard to function when you can't talk. The package was for Felix's computer help business. I felt bad because even for something as simple as a package delivery I couldn't do much.

After Felix was ready we both headed for the train station. He had to go setup a wireless network and I was going to Kobe (pronounced co-bay) to go hiking for the day up in the mountains. We had to pack into the train like sardines. I really had to suck in my stomach and turn sideways so my backpack didn't stick out the door of the train. Morning rush hour indeed.

Arriving at the Nishinomiya main train station, I got off to catch another train to Oji-something station. This is where the city of Kobe is, where I first went to go to church. When I got off I walked a few blocks and again found myself in another covered street mall area. There are so many of these covered street malls and they all look the same, which is why I thought I was in a place I was before but wasn't. They all have different stores and this one seemed to focus more on fruits. I just walked by all the little shops because I wanted to begin my hike before the hot sun came out and made it too unbearable to hike. I thought I would come back later to browse the stores if I had time.

I walked out of the covered street mall and started climbing the steep graded streets of Kobe that looked like a good place where I could find the cable cars that Erin talked about. Now when I say steep graded I don't mean just steep but a tad below nearly almost practically vertical. I'm not kidding and people walk this all the time because they have apartments up there. As I was walking I noticed that the places I saw looked familiar. Soon I found myself standing next to the Kobe Union Church. The door was open so I went in to fill up my water bottle. The pastor was there and a couple of other people. They remembered me from Sunday and gave me directions to the Maya Cable Car. I thanked them and also thanked them for the water. Then I set off.

(In the picture you can see Mt. Maya in the background and a canal that runs down the center of the street.)

Before I left I snuck into the chapel and took this picture.

Their directions were great I found the Maya Cable Car station after about a 15 minute walk up steep hills and after looking at many signs with Japanese characters trying to match them to what the pastor wrote down on a little note card.

I went up to the ticket booth and bought a pass to the very top of Mt. Maya. Then I sat down and waited for the train. It was there that I felt a sudden rush of "Oh No." My nalgene water bottle! I left it at the church!!! Oh well I thought. The cable car station had vending machines with water bottles. I purchased one because the day was already getting hot and I was sweating. I sat back down again and an older Japanese man said konnishiwa and I also said konnishwa (hi). Then he started talking in Japanese and I was bewildered. He caught on after awhile that I couldn't speak Japanese and then spoke in English. I was amazed and thankful. Not too many people speak fluent English and those that can are usually younger.

He said he was 76 years old and he goes up this mountain nearly every morning to go hiking and to enjoy the fresh smelling air. He asked if I would like to join him because he wanted to know what I was going to do up there and I just said I was going to hike around and try and find interesting things. He said that he knew of a beautiful lake that is his favorite place to visit and told me I had to see it.

I was happy to meet him and while on the cable car ride up the mountain we talked about lots of things. He said he visited San Francisco when he was my age and he went to school there. He also told me about a friend he has in Florida that works in cruising. I figured out later that he meant that his friend works on a cruise ship. He wants to go visit Florida someday so he said he wanted to talk to me to make his English better. He asked what my name was and I told him and he told me his name was Ichiro. Like Ichiro Suzuki the famous Japanese baseball player on the Seattle Mariners. He was really excited to talk about baseball and said that I should watch a Japanese baseball game in Kobe. He told me that Ichiro Suzuki actually lived in Kobe, Japan.

Now the cable car ride was amazing. Immediately the ground dropped off and we were high in the air above lush green forests and the city of Kobe was masked behind the morning fog. The ride took about 15 minutes to get to the very top of Mt. Maya, the tallest mountain in the area at 690 meters. Which if I remember my conversions right from chemistry, should be approximately 2200 ft.

Now for a 76 year old man he was extremely fit. Though I've noticed that all the older Japanese people get around very well here. I've even seen really old people riding around on their bicycles like they were still young kids.

We hiked the trails on Mt. Maya for a few kilometers. Then he went off of the main trail and said "follow me". We went down a long embankment and after pushing through dense jungle vines and trees we came to a clearing with a wonderful lake. It was great.

I asked if it was a natural lake or if it had a dam. He said that it was man made and that if I wanted to go see it. I said sure and so we headed off again on another unmarked trail and soon came to the dam. Then we went back to the main trail and he took me up to see a famous temple on the side of the mountain.

He said here it is, but all I could see though was thousands of marble steps.

We began climbing, step after step. Nearly halfway was a place to pray and ring a bell. Then step after step... finally we reached the top where the temple was.

The temple had many religious statues and they were all wearing red "eating aprons" as Ichiro described them as. I liked the frog and this giant impression of a two feet. Many of the statues were also places to pray and people would give offerings to them. Every single one of them were wearing these red aprons. I asked what their meaning was but Ichiro said he didn't know because he is not of this religion but said that a few days ago every statue was wearing white aprons.

After the temple, we hiked up Mt. Maya again. We came to a place that had a cable swing and rope pulley. I zoomed down it and Ichiro took a picture. Then we waited for the cable car to go down and went to an overlook area to view the city of Kobe. From the top of the mountain I could see Osaka and the airport that I flew into.

(It's passed midnight here and I'm tired so the following will be quick)

We took the cable car down. I told Ichiro I needed to get my waterbottle at the Kobe Church and he had me ride on a bus with him. We got off and he purchased an ice cream cone for me and I thanked him very much. Domo Arigoto. Then he said sayonara and wished me a wonderful stay in Japan. I thanked him for his kindness.

I walked tiredly up the steep streets to pick up my nalgene water bottle at the church and after that I finally went to the train station and rode home to Erin's apartment. There Felix had prepared a wonderful delicious soup that was so good that I will be dreaming of it tonight.

Then we went out to eat at a wonderful place that served Japanese style pancakes. These were amazing! Very delicious. They are a mixture of egg, cabbage and whatever else they put in there. Absolutely wonderful. And now I shall sleep.

Goodnight all.

Love,

Steven

Back from Japan

2006-07-21T18:15:00.000-06:00

Konnisha wa!! Well...I'm back from Japan. I've been back for some time now but I haven't gotten over my terrible jet lag yet completely and didn't want to worry about posting. Now that I have semi-gotten under control my sense of what day and time it is I thought I would finally update the blog. Look for a post a week. I'm going to continue using the emails I sent everyone to base my posts off of. My blog posts might contain a few surprises here and there that I didnt' talk about in my emails and of course what you all want to see PICTURES!

Alrighty then on with the post...

Showers, Squid and the Sea of Steve Oh My!

Many of you wrote to me while I was in Japan asking why showering was interesting in Japan. Well... I don't know if this is true of all Japanese homes but in Erin's apartment she has an entire room devoted to just the shower and bath. This room is about 25 square feet. Now you first walk into the sink and laundry room. To the right of this room is the bath and shower. To enter the shower you have to step up about a foot and open a water tight door. Once inside you see the tub against the wall. This is a larger tub almost like a one person hot tub in the USA but not as big. The shower is actually a long hose with the shower head at the end.

This entire room has drains in the floor everywhere. The cool thing is actually on the tub itself. You turn it on like you would a television set to get hot water. Once you press the blue button (shown in this picture) a Japanese voice comes on and says something but I don't know what she says. On this dial you can set the temperature of the water, 30 to 40 degree Celsius is about right for a shower. Then you turn a knob to make the water come out of either the tub or the shower nozzle and you have a shower while standing on the floor of this large room. I always felt like I needed to lean over the tub though because I didn't want to get water all over the floor. I had to keep reminding myself that the whole room is a shower and I didn't have to do this.

Now what is most interesting about this tub contraption is when you make a bath. The tub actually sings to you as it is filling up with water. Since it is computerized the tub automatically knows when it is full of water and the Japanese lady comes on and says the "tub is done gushing" in Japanese (I had to ask what she said this time). Actually she says, "It is nearly done gushing" first so that you can prepare to come in and then a few moments later she comes on and says, "It is done gushing." According to Erin, Japanese first clean themselves by taking a shower and everyone in the family does so. Then they run the bath and each person takes a turn in the tub and they share the same water. It is a place to relax and become warm. Erin however told me that I could take a bath with soap if I wanted to. I just can't get over how amazing the tub is. It sings to you as it is filling up and automatically shuts off. So amazing. I think the best is being able to set the temperature of the water to your exact liking. Tomorrow I think I'll go for a 37 degree Celsius shower. But you know Wednesday it might be warmer outside so I think I'll have a colder shower of 32 degrees. In America you could never do this but here it is as simple as pressing a button.

Now on with today (Monday, July 3). Today I experienced life completely on my own in a foreign country. Erin had to go to work and Felix had to meet a client of his. In the morning Felix showed me how to get to and from the train station so that I was comfortable making that trip. He also showed me how to go to a supermarket and a 99 yen store. At the 99 yen store I bought a couple of sandwiches and those rice sandwiches (onijiri) that were really good for lunch. After that, Felix gave me a map, a cell phone (in case I did get lost) and he waved goodbye.

Then it was just me, a blonde headed, backpack wielding, sandal footed, no Japanese speaking, man meandering about. It was amazing! Now I truly know what it feels like to be alone and how hard everyday tasks are if you can't understand a language. It really has made me appreciate life so much more.

Now completely on my own, I headed for the train station because it seemed so easy when I went with Erin and Felix. However by myself it took a little more concentration of the map and trying to find where I was by matching the Japanese Kanji and Katakana characters. This really wasn't too difficult and I got off of the first train at Nishinomiya, the main station. Here written nicely in English but not every station was this kind.

I wanted to familiarize myself with the area around Nishinomiya station since it is a main station that I came to and it leads to almost every other station I would need.

I went out about on the streets making sure that I remembered each right and left turn I made so that I could go back. I tried to find a shop of some kind but mostly this area was residential. They did have a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) that I walked by. I looked at the pictures on the menu and I really don't think that they serve that kind of stuff in Kentucky. After walking around there for awhile I went back to the train station and took the Omeda Express train.

Now they have many types of trains. Express trains go fast and skip a lot of in between stations and just go to major ones. Then they have local trains that stop at each station and some other trains that I haven't been on and probably won't ever go on because I might end up in Tokyo if I'm not careful and I don't want to do that.

Ok so I thought that Omeda was the place that I went to yesterday where I purchased a bunch of T-shirts at a covered street mall area but it turns out it was in the complete opposite direction. However, for me, Omeda looked just like this other place because it too had a covered street mall area just off of the train station. I wandered about this area trying to find the UniQlo store that I found all those 500 yen shirts at but I couldn't find it.

As I was walking down the covered street, I looked down a side street and saw some flashing lit up signs. This seemed like an interesting street to go check out so I headed off that way. As I was walking, I began to notice that these signs had Japanese woman on them in scantily clad clothing and seductive poses. I thought that hmm this is very strange maybe an advertisement of some sort. Then about in the middle of this street I came to a building that on the side was writing in English "Sexy Live Show." Oh my! I have found the dark side of Japan. Really though it wasn't that bad but I quickly made my way back to the covered street mall.

Here I found a shoe store that was selling these really interesting wooden sandals. I bought two pairs of these as gifts for other people because they look so cool. A block of sanded down wood molded to a shape for your foot. Very very cool. Erin said she loves them too.

After that, I headed back to the train station because it was nearly lunch time and I wanted to eat my sandwiches. Once back at the Omeda station I couldn't find the Express train back to Nishonimiya. I waited and waited at the place that I was sure that I got off of but no train ever said Express Nishonimiya. Now I started to get a little concerned because I thought I had become disoriented especially after going through that "Sexy street." I finally followed my gut instinct and just took a local train in the direction that I was sure that I came from because I didn't want to get on an Express train and then be really far away if I was wrong.

I made the right choice. However because I took the local train it meant that I had to stop at all the local stations in between Omeda and Nishonimiya. I got off at one of these in between stations and decided that I would find a park to eat my sandwiches at. This became an adventure because I didn't know where a park was located at and I didn't know how to ask directions to a park. Heck I can only say Konnisha wa (Hello), domo arigato (thank you), ohayo (good morning), sumi masen (excuse me), hai (yes), and iee (no) but you never so no in Japanese because it just isn't polite. If someone asks you if you like something and you really don't like it, you say things like "maybe next time" or "I'm not sure" but you never say no. Anyway that was a long way to say that I couldn't ask directions to a park.

Ok so I just walked in a straight line and hoped that I would run into something... anything that resembled a park. I walked and I walked. I walked some more. Japanese people walked by and smiled and bowed their heads at me. I continued to walk by apartments and stores and canals. No parks. Finally I saw an area of trees ahead of me. I thought large trees must equal a large area of some sort maybe even a park so I went over to it. It turns out this was some kind of school yard. They had a large area to play soccer on but it wasn't grass but dirt. They did have a bench so I sat there and ate my sandwiches.

Then I headed back to Erin's apartment. Felix called and said that he was back there and I needed a little nap because I woke up at 3am (due to jet lag) and couldn't sleep for about an hour and the birds woke me up early after I went to sleep again at about 5am. I'm a light sleeper. Once I got to the apartment though I wasn't tired so Felix and I went to the post office because he had to pay bills. Then we went to the market and bought some dinner for tonight. He got some fish that looked like a zebra and this weird looking package with some sort of yellowish white thing in it that I had no idea what it was.

Back at the apartment I started writing this email and he prepared the fish and this yellowish white thing that turned out to be a vegetable but I still didn't know what it was. Then Erin came home and we had this small dinner. It was very good and the yellowish white thing turned out to be very delicious. Erin said it might be translated to English as a pickled radish. I love it soo much. Mmm very good and very tasty.

After this dinner I began typing away at this email and then decided that I would take a nap finally. I had Erin show me how to run a bath first. This is how I knew that it sings to you and was very relaxing. Then I took a long nap until about 8pm.

At eight, we decided to go to a sushi restaurant. Now this was quite an experience. The sushi goes around on a moving track and you pick off little colored plates of what sushi you want. The colored plates determine the price that you pay. A gold colored plate is the most expensive and yellow was the least amount. The prices arranged from 600 yen plates to 100 yen plates. Felix and Erin picked out many dishes for me to sample and they were all good. The raw tuna was really good. It melts in your mouth. I also had raw squid. Yes raw rubbery slimy squid. Ha! It wasn't too bad. Just like rubber. Quite an experience. I had to give it a go.

Sunday in Kobe

2006-07-06T17:44:00.000-06:00

The next morning was Sunday and I awoke to pouring rain. Maybe pouring isn't the correct term however because it dumped. We went out in the rain with umbrellas to go to a church service. Erin and Felix go to an amazing church here called Kobe Union Church. The service is in English so I could understand. The pastor is actually from Hawaii. I met a French guy at church. He was extremely excited parler to me and he is from Nice, France.

The town of Kobe, where the church is located, is very mountainous. It reminded me of Alaska with all the green and mountains.

After church Erin and I went to a supermarket to just give me the experience of what they are like.

Erin recommended that I try an onijiri. It is a seaweed wrapped rice sandwich. The sandwiches come in different things like fish, fruit, meats and vegetable. Very good. I also had some Japanese chocolate called Meiji. American chocolate just does not compare at all This had a much more heavier taste of chocolate and just a hint of maybe cherry but not really a cherry flavor. It was amazing. Then Felix met us in a church driven vehicle to take us closer to a train station.

In Japan they drive on the opposite side of the road and thus the driver is on the right. It takes some getting used to especially when crossing the street because you have to look the other way first before crossing.

The trains are very fast and interesting because they go everywhere.

We stopped at an outdoor street mall. However Erin tells me that it's not really a mall but just a street which happens to have a huge collection of stores. I found an amazing store called UniQlo. They had a sale on T-shirts for 500 yen which amounts to around 5 dollars US. I bought a lot because they were very cool and I found one that Eric will love but I won't describe it because it will be a surprise for your birthday. Mom I got you a beautiful Yakuta and I also bought one too. Though the male versions aren't as vibrant as the females.

Then we went to a China town and I bought a Jackie Chan style shirt. I also had some Taiwanese ice-cream. Absolutely amazing. The man mixed the ice-cream with a large spoon and it was like taffy because it stretched out as he lifted it up.

I don't even know where to began to describe its flavor. All I can say is that it was delicious and a welcome cool treat.

Though the heat isn't too bad here. Erin tells me that since it's been raining it hasn't been extremely hot yet. The humidity is not bad either. I little humid and wet feeling most of the day. I would compare it to Seattle with maybe a little more humidity and instead of misty rain, it pours here.

Oh oh OH!!!! Coming home we went to a supermarket to pick up some food for tonight and they had watermelon pop-cicles. Shaped like a watermelon slice and with a unique flavor. The black seeds of the watermelon were actually little pieces of chocolate. I wish I could send the flavor to you all.

Two cousins enjoying the watermelon pops

I did sooo much today that I missed talking about like eating at Mos Burger and about taking a shower. They were all good and interesting. I'll have more tales to tell everyone once I get back.

Flying to the land of the rising sun

2006-07-04T16:30:00.000-06:00

I can't hardly believe it....I'm in Japan!

(The following is a glorified version of my emails with pictures and more descriptions. If you aren't receiving my emails from Japan and would like to then please leave a comment with your address and I'll add you to my ever growing list)

My cousin Erin took this picture on her phone. We're on a bus from Osaka, Japan to her apartment in Nishinomiya, Japan! This is after my long loooooong flight and after worshipping being on the ground!

(left to right) Felix, Steven and Erin

My flights were great. There is nothing like flying. Everytime I go I get one of those warm fuzzy feelings the first time we take off. Here's a picture of my United Airlines plane that I took from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles at 6am in the morning.

I landed in Los Angeles at 6:48am due to a time change. Nearly an hour flight. Then I had a seven hour layover until my flight to Japan. Seven hours is a long time. I thought about going to the beach but the Los Angeles airport was such a zoo and I worried that I wouldn't be able to find my way back if I took a bus to the beach. I decided instead to take a free shuttle ride to the hotel Marriott and to just rest in their nice air conditioned lobby.

Once I arrived at the Marriott I walked around the building and somehow found a way to their swimming pool and outdoor commons area. This was perfect! They had lounge chairs that folded down flat and I just slept their most of the day in preparation for my 15 hour time change difference in Japan.

I took the free shuttle back to the zoo I mean airport with three hours to get my boarding pass and go past security. Luckily I needed every second because when I arrived I saw this.

Now multiply this by a quadrupleton and that's how many people were in front of me. This picture is towards the end once I could actually see the electronic signs for Japan Airlines that reassured me I hadn't stood in that line in haste for some other company.
Standing in line to receive my boarding pass took nearly two hours.

Then going through security took another 45 minutes. Finally I arrived at my gate to see the giant Japanese Airline plane that I would be sitting on for over 12 hours. Oh yeah double decker baby!

The flight was interesting. On the back of the seats was an LCD screen that you could play games on and view cameras from outside the plane and also see your flight progress including outside air temperature.

I had a window seat. There were three seats on the edges and 5 in the middle of the plane.

We flew up the coast of the western US

around the Aleutian Islands of Alaska,

then over the ocean, and down the coast of Japan until we landed in Osaka, Japan.

They fed me very well on the plane. Three main course meals and the bread was amazing! It was sweet and different from US bread because the texture was more chewy. All the bread in Japan is more chewy and wow I love it sooo much.

I sat next to an older Korean guy that was very talkative. However, I couldn't understand a thing that he said but somehow we both managed by gesturing a lot. I taught him how to play solitaire on the little LCD screen on the back of the airline seats. They had a remote control that also functioned as a game controller. Somehow by pointing and by playing a game on my screen he figured out that red goes on black and visa versa and that king, queen, etc comes next. The game made this more easier to learn because obviously it wouldn't allow you to put a card where it didn't belong. Then he showed me how to eat and what to do with all the sauces and things that you pour on the noodles and salads.

I slept periodically on the flight but I wanted to make sure that I didn't sleep through passing over the International Date Line. Once I passed over it I did a little cheer and took a picture.

I was the only person to give a little wOOt and I think everyone else must either travel over it a lot or were sleeping so they didn't care. I however thought it was fun to pass into the future like that. In so doing though, I effectively lost a day of my life. In some sense I lost two days of my life because flying all day from 6am to 2pm on Friday and then after crossing the line it became Saturday at about 2pm. So about 12 hours of my life are gone. I'll never experience those until I regain those hours coming back the opposite way.

My first view of Japan.

I landed in Japan at about 6pm and then Erin and Felix met me there after I went through customs and foreign passport inspection. The flight was long. 12 hours with little leg room.

Then we took a long bus ride to Nishinomiya station. I dropped off all my luggage at her lovely apartment and then we went to a little Japanese restaurant around the corner. I had some ginger-pork and a little croquette which is actually French. Also miso soup and a salad. Then I fell asleep. I don't have jet lag too bad because I slept during my 7 hour layover in Los Angeles.

The sun sets in the land of the rising sun.

Kon-nishi-wa I'm going to Japan

2006-06-15T16:21:00.000-06:00

Remember last summer when I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere in the world besides Mexica and Canada? Well... now that dream, that desire, that yearning of mine is no longer because now it is complete tangible reality!

That's right, I'm going to Japan!

I can't quite believe it myself. I just purchased tickets and I will leave the country on June 30th.

So why Japan, some of you may ask? Well... I had originally planned to go to Russia to visit my friend Andrey who was a foreign exchange student at my college. He kindly asked me to come visit him in his mother country. So before school was out for the summer I put in a request to get my passport and got information ready to send in a VISA. The kind courthouse clerk assured me I would recieve my passport in four to six weeks. Then I waited. Waited. Still w-a-i-t-e-d. I checked the mailbox everyday but nothing was addressed to me but credit card applications. Six weeks passed, still no passport. I was getting extremely worried becuase they had my original birth certificate. What if it's lost?

Then a bombshell hit. I was watching the five o'clock news. "Breaking news! Severe thunderstorms and wind gusts wreck havok on Interstate 80. We'll now go live to the scene." The camera pans across the road showing multiple tractor trailers off the road and many of them were overturned but there was one in particular the camera decided to zoom in on. It was a United States Postal Service truck, overturned on its belly and ripped open. Mail and packages were spewn about, covered in mud or blowing away. I thought for sure that my birth certificate and passport were among the victims fleeing the scene or drowning in a puddle of rain and mud. I even convinced myself that one paper in particular was my birth certificate.

Fortunately, my passport arrived addressed to me clear of mud and rain about half-a-week later. Thank goodness for the slogan, "Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, nor gloom of night" shall keep Steven's birth certificate and passport away from him. Now I have it. It was time to tell Andrey and then apply for my VISA.

Then another bombshell hit.
Andrey informed me that he is going to get married this summer. He had told me he was going to get married before but he didn't think he would be getting married until the fall or even later. Now he is getting married in the summer. However, he still told me to come to Russia. So I kept Russia hopes alive until I visited the Russian VISA application page. Almost seven weeks to get a passport and now I will have to wait to get a VISA and it requires so much information. I emailed him back and told him that I wouldn't be able to go until July or August. Then he wrote back and said that August is his wedding date and July wouldn't be so great because he is taking summer college classes and is busy most of the day. It was then that I thought that maybe I should think of going somewhere else.

The sun rises in the East.
Japan! The thought came to me. My cousin Erin is teaching English there and lives near Osaka, Japan with her new husband Felix. During her wedding last summer she urged everyone to come visit them while they will still be living there during her two year English teaching stint. This was my one and only chance if there ever was one to visit Japan.

I quickly emailed her and called my Uncle David and Aunt Brenda (her parents) about traveling to Japan. Everyone thought it would be great and I didn't need a VISA just a passport. My cousin Erin thought it would be wonderful too but she said to come during the first part of July because in August both Erin and Felix will be coming back here to visit family and friends and because Felix's younger brother, James who happens to be my age, will also be visiting them during that time. That would allow me to meet him and to have a traveling partner, although he doesn't speak Japanese either (that I know of). I think it will be fun to have a Chinese and an American wandering around Japan while neither of us can speak the language.

All this happened two days ago and yesterday I purchased the plane tickets. It was a quick decision but one that I have been wanting to make for a long time.

I am going to Japan! Whoo hoo!

Notes:

Felix married my cousin Erin. He and his family are from Hong Kong but Felix now lives in Japan with my cousin Erin. Felix is his American name. I'm not sure of his Chinese name.

Kon-nishi-wa means Hello in Japanese

My two cents on the quarter

2006-05-24T13:01:00.000-06:00

First let me apologize to the readers of my blog for not posting in over a month and I know it's been over 4 weeks but I'm still working on the surprise so Hakuna Matata. Until then here is a post for you to devour. So now without further ado.....

Edit: Surprise!!! Brand spankin' new, awesome and incredible design for your viewing pleasure. Hakuna Matata no longer.

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal unveiled the final design for Wyoming's state quarter Friday, and the initial reaction from some residents was a resounding, “duh.”
“Did anybody think we were going to do something different than the bucking horse?” asked Cheyenne resident Eileen Calhoon after viewing a picture of the design.

The quarter will feature a silhouette of the state's trademark bucking horse and rider beside the words, “The Equality State.”

The state's name arches over the top of the coin, along with the year it entered the union, 1890. The bottom edge bears the coin production year -- 2007 -- and the Latin expression, "E Pluribus Unum." Read the entire article here

Duh? I frankly was not one who had a resounding duh! My resounding came in the form of, "What the _____!

“Did anybody think we were going to do something different than the bucking horse?”

Om yeah, ME... ME ME ME ME!

Oh I just can't believe it! Wyoming's state quarter is going to be so boring.

Just look at other state quarters. One of the first state quarters that came out is still one of my favorites. Connecticut's quarter is so beautiful and I can get lost in all those intricut tree limbs...Wow.

But from what I have just read, Wyoming's state quarter will look something like this.

The most insipid design ever, wouldn't you agree? Come on Wyoming let's be serious. There is already a state with a horse and rider on their quarter. Delaware was the first state and their design of a horse and rider has much more depth than just a silhouette and they had less time to come up with a design. We've had more than seven years and the University of Wyoming logo is all we could come up with!!!

Please I could throw something together in less than ten minutes that would represent Wyoming better. The majestic Grand Tetons are something to behold by all people. I am especially fond of the mountains and so here is what I envision Wyoming's State quarter to be engraved as.
But Wyoming is dumb and the residents spoke with a resounding, "Duh" that they want to see the bucking horse and rider. Well, well "Duh" Wyoming residents, why not be honest and show true aspects of your great "Equality State?"

That's right. I think this quarter represents Wyoming perfectly. Now this quarter is something I would be mighty proud to flash off as I buy some chewin' tobaccey along with my fellow Wyominites because our great state gave women the right to vote before the 19th Amendment. Because of this our state became known as "The Equality State." Or was that really how we got our nickname? Could it be....?

Mmmmm.... Wouldn't you just love to fondle that quarter? Hey it even has a cowboy on it. No wait two of them. *Drools* That's more than what we get with the approved design of the bucking horse and one rider logo. "Duh" that is so cool.

Ahh ok ok, now that I have gotten this off of my chest I decided to exercise my civic right. I contacted Governor Freudenthal right away to let him know what I thought of the design he approved.

Governor Freudenthal,

I recently read an article in my local newspaper that you have approved the design for the Wyoming state quarter. I have to say that though the bucking horse and cowboy is an image that represents Wyoming culture well, I was a little disappointed that the design doesn't have any interesting qualities. Frankly it is flat out boring and rather dull compared to other state's quarters. Personally, I would like to have our quarter be something that others pick up and say, "Wow that's amazing!" but with the current design I believe others including myself will just pass it off as nothing exciting.

My suggestions to improve the quarter now would be to give it more depth. I would start by giving full detail to the horse and cowboy and to add a background. An engraving of the majestic Teton Mountains, Old Faithful or of Devils Tower behind the bucking horse and cowboy would add a richness and fullness to the design, not to mention being a place to freely advertise these great features of our state to tourists. This will surely give the Wyoming quarter more life and I hope that you will consider it.

Sincerely,

Steven Held

I sent that email on Monday and two days later I received a reply.

Dear Steven Held,
I received your email about the state quarter design. I want to thank you for contacting me and I appreciate your concerns. Unfortunately I have already approved the design in question and it is now with the U.S. Treasury for final approval.
My offices sponsored a state quarter design drive and most of the Wyoming residents sent in ideas centered around the bucking horse and rider with only a few recommendations of such landmarks like the Grand Tetons and Old Faithful. With such overwhelming support I decided to make the bucking horse and rider a part of our state quarter.
However, you have brought up a good argument to combine those elements of Wyoming. I might be able to take your ideas to the U.S. Treasury before their artists strike the final proof. The U.S. Treasury is still awaiting special approval to use the bucking horse and rider logo since it is a state trademark and University of Wyoming logo and the image can't be used on the quarter without express written consent by these institutions.
Steven, I'll see what I can do but I must also keep the other residents of Wyoming in mind and they want to see the bucking horse and rider logo.
Sincerely,
Governor Dave Freudenthal

Residents who said, "Duh" wouldn't you rather have this be your state quarter?

I hope so.

Gesundheit

2006-05-01T20:22:00.000-06:00

What’s so special about a sneeze?

The other day, I sneezed and someone said, "God bless you!" And I thought why do we say that? Why do we say God bless you, Gesundheit or salud only for a sneeze and not a thing for other involuntary activities such as coughing or burping?

A long time ago, people thought that when someone sneezed, they might accidentally sneeze their soul out of their nose. To keep the soul in the body people would bless them. I think that it would be nice if we said, "God bless you!" all the time, not just when we sneezed. How about when someone does anything wrong or out of the ordinary. Like that time I broke the window as a kid or just a few hours ago when a blue car cut me off, I could've said "God bless you!" instead of honking at him. I mean seriously, the guy could've lost his soul by the way he was driving.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this other than the fact that I'm delaying studying for my finals and for the fact that I haven't posted in almost a month. Anyway, it is still nice to bless someone when they sneeze. It's especially uplifting when walking down the street and a total stranger will sneeze and I will automatically say, "God bless you." They usually smile and say, "Thank you".

Even strangers appreciate someone who is concerned about their souls. Ah-chooooooooooooo!

Side note:
Look for the Sea of Steve to change a few things in the upcoming weeks, maybe two weeks, hopefully not three and if I go to four then assume that I will not be doing it. What is it? Here is a tiny bitty peak.

My 21st

2006-04-05T07:49:00.000-06:00

Today I turn 21! I cannot believe it. I've lived 21 years. Wow....

Now for something interesting, besides my birthday of course, that will happen today. Are you guys ready? Ok, set your watches and alarms to go off at one o'clock today. Make sure that you are ready at 1:02PM and 3 seconds. Why you ask? Because at exactly that time it will be 01:02.03 of 04/05/06! Isn't that awesome!? Too bad I'm not turning 7! Ok..ok if that wasn't amazing enough then you may like reading through this list famous people that were born on April 5th. I hadn't realized all the artists and composers before.

1588 Thomas Hobbes England, philosopher (Leviathan)
1595 John Wilson composer
1598 Laurentius Erhard composer
1626 Jan van Kessel Flemish painter
1643 Charles V Leopold Duke of Lorraine/fieldmarshal in Austria
1649 Elihu Yale England, philanthropist founded Yale
1698 Georg Gottfried Wagner composer
1725 Giacomo Casanova Italian writer/philanderer/adventurer (uncertain)
1727 Pasquale Ankossi composer
1732 Jean-Honoré Fragonard France, painter
1752 Sébastien Erard piano/harp manufacturer
1784 Ludwig [Louis] Spohr Germany, violin virtuoso/composer (Faust)
1788 Franz Pforr German painter/cartoonist (Lukasbund)
1795 Sir Henry Havelock British soldier (War in Afghánistán 1838-39)
1799 Vincenzo Fioravanti composer
1811 Jules Dupré landscape painter
1818 Lewis Baldwin Parsons Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1820 Nadar [Félix Tournachon] French painter/cartoonist/author/ballonist
1822 James Nagle Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1866
1824 Sydney Thompson Dobell poet (The Roman)
1825 David Rumph "Neighbor" Jones Major General (Confederate Army)
1827 Joseph Lister England, physician (founded aseptic surgery)
1828 Pietro Plantania composer
1830 Alexander Muir Lesmahagow Scotland, poet (The Maple Leaf Forever)
1832 Jules-François Camille Ferry French statesman
1837 Algernon Charles Swinburne England, poet (Atalanta in Calydon)
1838 Alpheus Hyatt US, invertebrate paleontologist
1839 Robert Smalls Beaufort SC, black congressman 1875-87 (Representative-SC)
1839 Stanislaw Pilinski composer
1845 Jules M Cambon French Governor-General of Algeria/ambassador
1853 Alfonso Randano composer
1854 Vicente Goicoechea Errasti composer
1856 Booker Taliaferro Washington pioneer educator (1st black on US stamp)
1857 Alexander-Jozef von Battenberg ruler of Bulgaria (1879-86)
1859 Wilhelm Harteveld composer
1862 Louis Ganne composer
1868 J F "Flooi" Du Toit cricketer (one Test South Africa 1892)
1869 Albert Roussel Tourcoing France, composer (Rapsodie Flamande)
1869 Karl Wagenfeld Low German writer (Daud un Düwel)
1871 Jeanne Bougeois [La Mistinguette], artist (French revue)
1876 Viktor Patrick Vretblad composer
1882 Don Blackie cricketer (Australian off-spinner in 1928-29 yes, age 46)
1885 Dimitrie Cuclin composer
1886 Jacques Handschin Swiss musicologist (Der Toncharakter)
1890 Fie Carelsen Dutch actress (Malle Gervallen)
1893 Clas Thunberg Finland, speed skater (Olympics-gold-1924, 28)
1893 Pál Szabó Hungarian farmer/author (Talpalatnyi Föld)
1899 William Hornby Steer barrister/judge
19-- Chao Li Chi actor (Falcon Crest)
19-- Cindy Weintraub New York NY, actress (Terry-Baker's Dozen)
19-- Shawn Stevens Morristown NJ, actor (Oliver Martin-Days of Our Lives)
19-- Willy Chirino Spanish singer
1900 Spencer Tracy Milwaukee WI, actor (Father's Little Dividend, Adam's Rib)
1901 Chester Bowles Massachusetts, ambassador/writer (Conscience of a Liberal)
1901 Melvyn Douglas [Hesselberg] Macon GA, actor (Hud, Ghost Story)
1901 Alexander Alexeieff Russian/French painter/graphic artist
1903 Thomas Baron Pitfield composer
1905 Bill Raisch one armed actor (Fred Johnson-Fugitive)
1905 Jef Maes composer
1906 Arthur Guy Clutton-Brock English agronomist
1907 J Zeldenrust Dutch pathologist/anatomist
1908 Bette Davis Lowell MA, famous eyes (Of Human Bondage, Jezebel)
1908 George Schick Prague Czechoslovakia, conductor (Chicago Symphony)
1908 Grady Sutton Chattanooga TN, actor (Pruitts of South Hampton)
1908 Herbert von Karajan Austria, Berlin Philharmonic conductor/Nazi
1908 Mary Hemingway writer (Ernest Hemmingway Biography)
1909 Alberto Romero "Cubby" Broccoli New York NY, film producer (James Bond)
1909 Gerald Bond cricketer (one Test South Africa vs England 1938, 0 & 0-16)
1911 Goddard Lieberson Hanley Staffordshire England, recording exec
1911 Gordon Jones Alden IA, actor (Mike the Cop-Abbott & Costello)
1912 John Le Mesurier Bedford England, actor (Jabberwocky, Dad's Army)
1913 Alan Cheales dominican priest
1914 Frederick Angus Armstrong journalist
1916 Gregory Peck La Jolla CA, actor (To Kill a Mockingbird, MacArthur)
1916 Baroness Delacourt-Smith of Alteryn
1916 Bernard Baily comic artist
1917 Richard Yardumian Philadelphia PA, composer (Come Creator Spirit)
1917 Robert [Albert] Bloch US, sci-fi author (Hugo, Psycho)
1919 Sir Douglas Henley British auditor-general
1920 Arthur Hailey Luton England, novelist (Hotel, Airport)
1920 Barend Biesheuvel Dutch premier (1971-73)
1921 Lady Fisher founder (British Women Caring Trust)
1921 Robert Q Lewis New York NY, TV host (Masquerade Party, Robert Q Lewis Show)
1921 Les Jackson cricket bowler (England twice, 1949 & 1961)
1922 Christopher Hewett Worthing Sussex England, actor (Mr Belvedere, The Producers)
1922 Gale Storm Bloomington TX, actress (My Little Margie, Gale Storm Show)
1922 Tom Finney British soccer star
1922 Harry Freedman composer
1923 Nguyen Van Thieu president of South Vietnam (1965-75)
1923 Stanley Orme chairman (British Labour Party)
1923 Ernest Mandel Belgian philosopher/economist
1923 Michael V Gazzo Hillside NJ, actor (Cookie, Fear City)
1924 Mart Kempers Dutch graphic artist/sculptor
1925 Oldrich Flosman composer
1926 Roger Corman Detroit MI, producer/director (Little Shop of Horrors)
1926 Milton O Thompson astronaut (Dynasoar, X-15)
1927 John Gilbert MP
1928 Will Gaines jazz dancer
1928 David Farquhar Andress composer
1928 Michael Bryant London England, actor (Sakharov, Girly)
1928 Peter Moore Principal (London Business School)
1928 Tony Williams Elizabeth NJ, singer (Platters-Only You, Harbor Lights)
1929 Nigel Hawthorne actor (Tartuffe, Pope John Paul II)
1929 Hugo Claus Flemish writer/director (Cool Lover, Sugar)
1931 Denis Lawton director (London University Institute of Education)
1934 Frank Gorshin Pittsburgh PA, impressionist/actor (Riddler-Batman)
1934 Tina Maria Stone runner (1 year distance record of 15,472 miles)
1934 Stanley Turrentine jazz saxophonist (Wonderland)
1935 Donald Lynden-Bell British astronomer
1935 Peter Grant rock band manager
1936 John Albert professor (Master of University College Oxford)
1936 John White composer
1936 Michael Livesay British Admiral/president (RN College Greenwich)
1937 Colin Powell Bronx NY, General/advisor to President George Bush (Nat Security Affairs)/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)/Secretary of State (2001- )
1937 Stuart May senior partner (Theodore Goddard)
1938 Colin Bland cricketer (South African bat Maybe the best cover field)
1938 Ronald Anthony White Jr singer
1939 David Winters London England, choreographer (Steve Allen Comedy Hour)
1939 Lonnie White vocalist (Smokey Robinson & Miracles-Shop Around)
1939 Andrew Buxton CEO (Barclays Bank)
1940 Aliza Kashi Israel, actress/singer (Merv Griffin regular)
1941 David LaFlamme New Britain CT, electric violinist (It's a Beautiful Day)
1941 Michael Moriarty Detroit MI, actor (Ben Stone-Law & Order, Bang the Drum Slowly, Q, Stuff)
1941 Dave Swarbrick rocker (Fairport Convention)
1941 Eric Burdon England, rocker (Animals-House of the Rising Sun)
1941 Roman Balayan Nerke Azerbaijan, director (Filer, Biryuk)
1942 Allan Clarke Salford Lancashire England, rock vocalist (Hollies-The Air That I Breathe)
1942 Arthur Barrett cricketer (West Indies leggie early 70's)
1943 Jonathan Lynn Bath England, actor (Danny-Doctor in the House)
1943 Max Gail Detroit MI, actor (Barney Miller, Whiz Kids, DC Cab, Normal People)
1944 Dave Holland heavy metal rocker (Judas Priest-Breakin' the Law)
1944 Ann [Elizabeth] Maxwell US, sci-fi author (Jaws of Menx)
1944 Crispian St Peters rocker
1944 James Buckley CEO (Baltic Exchange)
1944 Nicholas Caldwell rocker (Whispers)
1944 Peter T King (Representative-Republican-NY)
1944 Willeke van Ammelrooy Amsterdam, actress (Cidke de Rat, Antonia)
1946 Jane Asher Paul McCartney's former girlfriend/actress (Deep End)
1946 Jennifer Penney ballerina
1946 Larry Frederick Wendt composer
1946 Robert E McKee CEO/managing director (Conoco-UK)
1949 Dr Judith Arlene Resnik Akron OH, astronaut (STS 41D, 51L-Chal disaster)
1950 Agnetha Fältskog Jonkoping Sweden, rocker (ABBA-Waterloo)
1950 Franklin R Chang-Diaz Costa Rica, PhD/astronaut (STS 61C, 34,46,60,75)
1950 Mildred Douglas Surinames/Dutch singer (Mai Tai)
1951 Everett Morton rocker (English Beat)
1951 Roosevelt Ferguson Arkansas, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1953 John Buchanan cricketer (Queensland batsman 78-79, Shield coach 1995)
1954 Christopher S Nelson New Orleans LA, actor (Sons & Daughters)
1954 Stan Ridgeway rocker (Mosquito-Garage Sale)
1955 Janice Long British radio host (Crash FM)
1955 Renate Bruemmer astronaut/cosmonaut
1957 Vince Gill Norman OK, country singer (When I Call Your Name)
1958 Cammie Lusko Los Angeles CA, Guinness' World Strongest Woman
1958 Johan Kriek South Africa, tennis player (US Indoor 1982)
1963 Jimmy Osmond singer (Donny & Marie Show)
1964 Martha Faulconer Indianapolis IN, golfer (1993 ShopRite LPGA-5th)
1964 Robert "Bob" Kaehler Burlingame CA, rower (Olympics-5th-1992, 96)
1966 Brent Hughes New Westminster Canada, NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres)
1966 Larry Norman Toronto Ontario Canada, canoeist (Olympics-92, 96)
1966 Scott Dill NFL tackle/guard (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings)
1968 Gianna Amore Warwick RI, playmate (August, 1989)
1968 Tasia Valenza New York NY, actress (Dottie Thornton Martin-All My Children)
1970 Erlan Sagymbayev hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)
1970 Tim Jacobs NFL running back (Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins)
1971 Bob Kuberski NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1971 Finidi George soccer player (Ajax)
1971 Stuart Peele Australian rower (Olympics-96)
1972 Shigemasa Ito WLAF offensive linebacker (Rhein Fire)
1973 Ed Hobbs WLAF RB (London Monarchs)
1973 Emile Palmer WLAF DT (London Monarchs)
1973 Estefania Knuth Barcelona Spain, LPGA golfer (1992 French International)
1973 Spencer Folau NFL/WLAF offensive tackle (Baltimore Ravens, Rhein Fire)
1973 Tony Banks quarterback (St Louis Rams)
1973 Yutaka Kawaguchi hockey defenseman (Team Japan 1998)
1974 Mike DuHaney New Haven CT, soccer defender (Olympics-gold-96)
1974 Rick Terry NFL defensive tackle (New York Jets)
1975 Nikki Dryden Calgary Alberta, 800 meter swimmer (Olympics-6th-92, 96)
1976 Ike Hilliard NFL wide receiver (New York Giants)
1976 Ryan Drese San Francisco CA, baseball pitcher (Olympics-bronze-96)
1977 JoAnn Sevin Dubois PA, air pistol (Olympics-1996)
1977 Sevilay Ozturk Miss Turkey-Universe (1996)

What?! Miss Turkey-Universe! Ok that just screams for some editing.

~~1977 Sevilay Ozturk Miss Turkey-Universe (1996)~~
1985 Steven Michael Held, Artist and blogger extraordinaire

Ah there we go.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2006-03-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! Wow, you're half-a-century old! I can't believe that you're 50!

Love,
your son

I'm for real

2006-03-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

I came across this little clip of The Simpsons opening credits filmed with real actors. It was created by Britain`s Sky TV network.

"We used regular actors, not so much for their resemblance -- you can`t copy a bunch of yellow characters -- but because you can easily identify with them," a Sky TV spokesman said.

Incredible huh? I thought so.

On a completely different note here is a story of a conversation I had with a telemarketer the other night.

[RING...RING..RINg]
Me: Hello this is Steve.
Telemarketer: Hi Steve this is blah blah from Yada Yada research. I'm conducting a survey and may I ask you a couple of questions?
Me: That's one.
Telemarketer: Ok. How many people live in your residency?
Me: Om... [I still live in the dorms.]... Well...around 220.
Telemarketer: Did you say 220?
Me: Yes.
Telemarketer: Please sir be honest.
Me: I am.
Telemarketer: Alright are you saying that you live with 220 people?
Me: Yes.
Telemarketer: Ok well how many of them are between the ages 18-24.
Me: All of them.
Telemarketer: What? Sir you're not being honest, I can tell when people aren't being truthful and you are one of them.
Me: I'm totally serious. [But now it's time to be mean because he doesn't believe me.]
Telemarketer: Ok sir are you between the ages of 18-24?
Me: No, I'm not.
Telemarketer: What about between 24 and 35?
Me: No.
Telemarketer: Between 36 and 50?
Me: No.
Telemarketer: Between 51 and 65?
Me: No.
Telemarketer: [sounding a bit flustered] Over 65?
Me: No.
Telemarketer: [definitely a little confused] Under 17?
Me: No.
Telemarketer: So... you live with a 250 18-24 year olds and you aren't of any age.
Me: Nope.
Telemarketer: ... Okay then... Have a... uh... nice day...
Me: Sure. You too. [hanging up]

I hate telemarketers.

Wishing for Somplace Warm?

2006-03-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

It's time to reveal my final t-shirt design. Drum roll please.... ba da ba ba Ba Da ba DA BA DA BADA

TA DA

Click for larger image

The first image will go on the back of the t-shirt and the second will go on the front.

and to think it started from this

That's all folks! Cheers!

Clawing Out My Sketches

2006-03-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

In my last post I took you through my initial idea stage and posted my early sketches. I left off by asking if "You're thinking what I'm thinking."

So what is that cowboy thinking? Of putting that crawfish in a nice warm pot of course! The first time I drew the crawfish, he looked too smug. He needed something else, something that would balance his happiness. Aha! I sketched in a beer mug. Yes! This is great!

Also my first hitchhiker looks a little too happy. If he were actually cold, he wouldn't have a big grin on his face. It also doesn't make sense for him to be as happy as the guy in the pot. So I drew another more depressed looking crawfish.

Now normally I have to come up with a number of different ideas to arrive at a finished conglomeration but this sheet of sketches seems to be coming along quite well.

However, looking at the entire sheet of sketches all I could see was a huge mess! Time to go through the process of cleaning things up and redesigning parts.

My first order of business.... GUILLOTINE! Yes that's right Mr. Cowboy, you just aren't working over there. Boot to the head! I redrew this part moving Mr. Cowboy and Joe Schmo's heads to the other side and redesigned the car a bit.

Then I scanned all my sketches into my computer so I could work with them in Photoshop and Illustrator. Now if I had a tablet PC I could've skipped this step entirely and drawn all this out on my computer screen. Maybe someone out there would like to donate or buy me a gift for my birthday?

In my next post I'll show you how I cleaned the images up and put them together for the final design.

On the Side of the Road

2006-03-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

A lady from my dad's workplace contacted me to design a T-shirt for their 2006 Crawfish Boil. She gave me free artistic license to do what I wanted but suggested one of her ideas of a crawfish wondering around the cold snowy fields of Wyoming dreaming about a nice warm pot to be boiled in. I decided to go along those lines of what she suggested and began thinking of how best to depict that.

Before sketching I had to know what those little crawfish boogers looked like. This is why I love Google and the Google Image Search. Here's an image I got, dang aren't they ugly?

Well that crawfish is fine but seriously who would want that thing on their shirt unless you're Cindy Crawfish?

I then searched for crawfish cartoons to see how other artists drew those ugly things so they could possibly look adorable. I came across a page completely dedicated to the creatures. Trapper Arne's Crayfish Page.

Ok... Well that's really facinating Trapper Arne, but as much as I love crayfish, as you call them, I have a project to do. This cartoon image on Trapper Arne's website gave me an idea, not only was this crawfish (or crayfish) nicer looking but it gave me the idea to draw a crawfish hitchhiking out here in Wyoming with a sign saying Someplace WARM. Here are some of my early sketches.

Then I needed some guys to pick this creature up. Hmmm the guys I drew first are really crude and uglier than crawfish, let's give them some character! Why not a cowboy hat on one. Yeah! Go Cowboys! and some lines to indicate that they are in a car. Viola!

Stay tuned for the next post as I continue my Crawfish T-shirt design and if, "You're thinking what I'm thinking."

Goodbye Blues Hello Yellows, Oranges, and Greens

2006-03-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

You may be getting tired of hearing how I keep changing my layout/design, so I won't bother and I'll just say that this is an extension to my original post a few days later. Yeah that's exactly it.

Anyway this is the color scheme I have been working on and I wanted to use it earlier but things just didn't look right. In fact they still don't look right because I'm still working on it. I'm still trying to find the correct hues and saturation levels that will just work. I thought I might as well post this style since it does look better than the all blue prior, but it just isn't there in the way that there in bold should make one feel. I'll continue working on my little design patch with my hues little by little, inch by inch. Maybe you lovely people out there have suggestions. If you do they would be appreciated. Please feel free to be as brutal or as kind as you like because in the end I'll ultimately do what I want anyway but I take your comments seriously.

Edit: Things are looking better. I'm still not liking the dark green sidebar but the post background looks good. I'm also trying to change everything over to CSS. It's taking time and that's why a few items are totally outta wack such as my recent bookshelf. I challenge you all to try and change old html (bad) coding to CSS with (good) html.

Edit: Dark green sidebar is history reverted to my trusty blue.

Being kind... and gentle

2006-02-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Trudging through the mass pages of muck provided by blogs on the internet you sometimes come across a great one with an entry that is inspiring. I found such a story on the blog Random Asides.

True character is measured by the way we treat creatures more fragile than ourselves. Here, Tarra the Elephant observes a fledgling bird.

With gentle curiosity she creeps closer to learn more about this funny little creature perched on a wire. (Check out more pictures of Tara here and here)

I find this inspiring that a creature as powerful as an elephant is intuitive enough to tread lightly around a little bird. All too often it seems that those bigger than others, whether in social stature or in other ways, overlook everyone below them. I guess you could call it a big head. Wouldn't it be nice if humans could learn from Tara's example? It is a good lesson and one that we all should learn from. As Winnie the Pooh once said, "If people were superior to animals, they'd take better care of the world."

If you like these pictures please visit The Elephant Sanctuary. It's an amazing place where retired elephant performers can live out their lives in peace. No chains, no tricks. They're free to play and socialize in a free-roaming environment which is a stark contrast to the show circuit.

Steve 'Seas' a New Look......yet again

2006-02-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

I swear I don't have an excessive compulsive disorder.... I just, om, have to change the look of my site until it looks like the picture I have in my mind. This new layout is exactly that.... Maybe...

What it used to look like.

'Toon Trouble

2006-02-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

After my recent death threats I turned to Jesus for guidance. He quickly sat me down and had me watch on of his shows, 'Toon Trouble. Needless to say I was enlightened, "Right Jesus?"

Death Threats

2006-02-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't often like to cause political uprisings here on the Sea of Steve but that decision of mine to publish a cartoon stirred a lot of resentment and reminded Muslims of the Danish political cartoons. It seems that they believed that I was depicting the prophet Mohammad without his turbin. My drawing meant no harm and I didn't think anything of it until I started to receive strange phone calls and emails. Most of the phone calls I received I passed off as wrong numbers. One call was in broken English and I thought he was trying to sell me some sort of dye salt for mohawks. It made no sense so I hung up, passing it off as a telemarketing scam. It wasn't until I sat down and watched CNN that all this became clear. I'm getting death threats! OH MY! It wasn't dye salt for mohawks at all but, "Die for insulting Mohammad!"

I cannot believe that a cartoon can cause all these protests for Muslims. Now no one can tell me that artists don't wield any power because heck we can start protests and don't you mess with me because I will draw you in a lewd manner and start war!

I believe the reason people are protesting against the Danish cartoons is just their scape goat for wanting to blow things up. I don't believe Christians would blow things up, set fire to buildings and burn flags in protest if Jesus were depicted in a lewd way. Maybe it's because Christians already depict Jesus in cartoons that we have become desensitized to it or maybe it's our core moral values that we wouldn't commit such acts. I surely cannot imagine a group of Christians marching down Broadway throwing molatov cocktails and setting fire to objects while chanting, "Down with those Muslim cartoons and the Middle East for depicting Jesus with (insert mean noun here)!" Islam get over it seriously.

Note: If I don't post in awhile please send a search party and call the FBI Counter Terrorism Number or the Office of Homeland Security.

In all reality folks, I do not agree with making fun of other religions (Om Steve you just did up there. Shoot! I guess I did, didn't I? Dang it! Well crap.... Go Dannish cartoon makers! Keep up the work of freedom of expression. Shut up Steve and tell the Islamic activists you're sorry. Oh alrighty then.) So to all the Islamic activists and Muslims out there that I may have offended with this post, I extend my deepest regrets and may I ask where you guys received those Sea of Steve flags, because I could really use one?

Real Note: I don't want to offend anyone as this is just a joke but weren't the Danish cartoons also jokes? So if anyone out there wants to protest and set fire in the name of Sea of Steve well then go right ahead. I actually look forward to it. Just make sure that when you do that you get my url www.seaofsteve.blogspot.com correct because I could use the extra visitors.

I'm no athlete

2006-02-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight I twisted my ankle ~~playing~~ trying to play the sport of getting a stupid orange ball to go through a hoop. I wasn't pushed or shoved nor was anyone near me....

I thought this would be a good time to give life to one of my mostest grandest absolutely awesomest quote.

I'm not an athlete with balls

referring to my incredible atheletism with the round objects.

The Gopher saw his shadow

2006-02-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Father Winter must've remembered he still had a job to complete.

These images are from my window during last night's snow storm.

The flakes begin to fall.

I changed some settings on my camera and took this. I thought it was unique

but nothing like this....

It may look like a lot of snow but I just used the flash. Look at the cool lens flares!

Qi Qiao Jie

2006-02-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

In preparing my Valentine's Day themed title, (View it here), I searched and plundered google for how to say Happy Valentine's Day in Japanese because the picture I use for my title, The Great Wave Off of Kanagawa,
is taken from one of the prints from the 24(36) Views of My Fuji by Hokusai and I wanted to try to integrate a Valentine's Day part of their culture into my my title or at least to change the Japanese characters on the right side of the print to say Happy Valentine's Day in Japanese. Anyway, while searching and searching, did I mention that I was searching?... I happened to come across a great story of Qi Qiao Jie. This story is not Japanese but Chinese, go figure, but at least from Google I easily found out how to say Happy Valentine's Day in Chinese.

If you look at my title closer I ended up using these Chinese characters.

(If you're Japanese or can communicate in Japanese, I'd love to know how to actually say Happy Valentine's Day in Japanese. I'm talking to you, my sweet Japanese speaking cousin Erin!)

So Happy Qi Qiao Jie. Well. . . actually that won't be for a few more months because it is not Valentine's Day (February 14th). Qi Qiao Jie is another day of love very similiar to the idea behind Valentine's Day. This Chinese holiday falls on the seventh day of the lunar month seven on the Chinese calendar and thus its meaning, The Night of Sevens. Okay enough already and on with the story. There are actually quite a few different versions, one of my favorites is this one.

It is said that the seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven, on one of their visits to earth, caught the eye of a Cowherd, Niu Lang. As the daughters were bathing in a river they were observed by the Cowherder who decided to have a bit of fun by running off with their clothing. To get their clothing back, the sisters decided that the prettiest daughter, Zhi Nu (the seventh daughter), would ask the Cowherd to return their clothes.

Of course, since Niu Lang had seen the daughter, Zhi Nu, naked, they had to be married. The couple lived happily for several years. Eventually however, the Goddess of Heaven became fed up with her daughter's absence, and ordered her to return to heaven. However, the mother took pity on the couple and allowed them to be reunited once a year. Legend has it that on the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nu to cross to meet her husband.

In another story, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu were fairies living on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Feeling sorry for the two lonely sprites, the Jade Emperor of Heaven actively tried to bring them together. Unfortunately, he succeeded too well - Niu Lang and Zhi Nu became so enraptured with each other that they neglected their work. Annoyed, the Jade Emperor decreed that from that point on, the couple could only meet once a year - on the seventh night of the seventh moon.

Today, star gazers celebrate Qi Qiao Jie by gazing up at the star Vega, east of the Milky Way which represents Zhi Nu, and at the constellation Aquila, on the west side of the Milky Way, where Niu Lang waits for his lover to join him.

Happy Valentine's Day all

(Love), Steve

Walking to Class

2006-02-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just take pictures for no reason except that the mood strikes me. I thought this was an interesting shot with the criss-crossing angles of the shadows from trees across the sidewalk and standing trees holding together the composition. The colors are nice too.

P is for Palestine I for Israel and boom is the sound of a nuke

2006-01-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post about news stories but our world is changing and the recent election in Palestine, which has given the Hamas a majority 76 seats to Fatah's 43 in a 132 member legislature frightens me.

Watch How the Hamas' victory affects Americans
2:50

According to Wikipedia: Hamas, acronym of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Arabic: حركة المقاومة الاسلامية, literally "Islamic Resistance Movement" and Arabic for 'zeal'), is a Palestinian Islamist movement and political party.

The Hamas are viewed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other European powers and are bent on the total annihilation of Israel.

An incoming Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, had this to say about Israel, “Why we are going to recognize Israel? Why? Is Israel ready to recognize the right of return for Palestinian people? Is Israel ready to recognize an independent (Palestinian) state, including Jerusalem? We (will) not recognize anybody on the expense of our national interest.”

What does the Hamas's victory in Palestine's parliamentary elections mean for the world in general? My opinion is that a Palestine under Hamas rule puts an end to the already hopeless road map for peace, this election will perpetuate the conflict, and reshape it from an Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a greater Jewish-Arab one, and I think it could be argued of a Western-Muslim one. Such a conflict, backed by the jihad movement and Iran, has neither a solution nor an end.

Iran congratulated Hamas for its election victory and praised voters for choosing “to continue the struggle and resistance against occupation.”

The United States has already taken precedence in attacking nations harboring terrorists. Tensions exist between us and Iran and much of the Middle East. With the United States trying to spread democracy in the Middle East, our nation has to respect the Hamas victory in Palestine or risk losing all progress in the promotion of democratic policies. Since our nation is already heavily involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestine we're going to be thrust into another a very stressful time. Whatever our nation does is going to be viewed or construed by others as the Americans trying to impose their beliefs and ideals on people that don't share those values.

Sources from which I read:
A Hamas leader says the group has no plans to recognize Israel
Hamas win sets precedent for Arab democracy
Iran Cooler on Russian nuclear proposal
Thousands of Fatah Members Protest in Gaza
Furious protesters demand Abbas quit
Video: The impact of Hamas

TNT or "Titles Now on Tour"

2006-01-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.
~Michelangelo

I'm saving my titles from the black abyss of the internet and giving them a permenant berth in a post. In order of first appearance.

The first Sea of Steve Title

I add a border

I decide to add some color

Halloween

Thanksgiving

I try to make my Title pop with more color

Christmas

Current Title less contrast version
It goes on tour too because who knows when I'll change it to something else

Valentine's Day

Everyone set sail on the Sea of Steve

2006-01-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all my family and friends that I have finally opened my website up to! Enjoy!

In celebration here are some interesting clicks for everyone.

Emily sent me this link of an awesome website of an UK Honda Civic ad that is stunning! An a cappella choir sings all the sounds effects. Click this link http://www.honda.co.uk/civic/ and skip the intro. Once you’re at the screen showing the car, down below you will see links of Home Explore etc . . . click on Watch and thoroughly enjoy!!!

While you're still tapping your fingers give this website a click.

I have been working at putting together another website to showcase my artwork. It is still in its construction stage but you're more then welcome to visit Steve's Art Pad Let me know what you think.

Moi quoted bequeath pity upon me

2006-01-18T00:12:00.000-07:00

It really is time for a post in the year 2006 (I have failed miserably at my New Year's Resolution) So for all you poor folks that keep clickin' here and those weird people that search for the darndest things and wonder across my blog, I give you a post that will truly make you appreciate the National Enquirer or maybe the incredible true articles from the New York Times but most of all to 'poke' fun at myself.

Yes I was quoted in my school's newspaper, that is if you can call it a n-e-w-s-paper. Rather it's a joke-a-page except for the comic section which is duller then a pencil sharpened by our president. (Yeah I make jokes at both sides because I'm a moderate. Don't be harsh because I too am about to poke fun at myself) Anyway, so I was quoted in this fabulous publication known as the Branding Iron. Do they even have a website? Oh I guess they do. Now you're all waiting for this great quote by moi, because it will quite frankly change the world.

Steve Held is a sophomore art major who works in the UW Telecommunication and System Services Department. He said that everyone he knew had an online account. "Facebook is a fun Web site," Held said.

Ah frick. I was going to post the article but it seems that the in·co·her·ent BI website isn't complete yet. Probably never will be. Take my word for it, it was a terrible article but for only the cost of shipping and handling you too can get your grimy fingers on this article. So act now. Hurry! while supplies last. Or maybe I'll just scan it for you.

Click on it to make it bigger and thus legible. *edit: corrected spelling from ledgible

Ok...ok not too bad, about a 5th grade level wouldn't you say? (Not my quote you idiot, the whole article) The article was supposed to be about social networking sites and was titled, Social networking sites abound. Ohhhhh abound wow really....hmmmm... AWESOME! except that the whole article only focuses on one www.facebook.com and boy that does abound doesn't it sheep?

Now not to make fun of facebook because and I quote, "Facebook is a fun website." In fact why don't you join and add me as a friend. That is if you don't mind having the famous person of that quote as a friend.

Prayers for my grandfathers

2005-12-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Baba Yetu

My family is going through a rough time right now. Both of my grandfathers are in the hospital. It's been hard on our families, especially since it's around Christmas time. They're both truly great men and I'd appreciate all of your prayers.

The song you heard or should hear is Baba Yetu, composed by Christopher Tin. It is sung in Swahili, a language of the Eastern Africa origin, a place more commonly known as The Cradle of Life.
The song is actually Our Lord's Prayer spoken in Swahili. "Baba Yetu" means "Our Father." If you don't know the Lord's Prayer, it is from Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

CHORUS
Baba yetu, Yesu uliye
Mbinguni yetu, Yesu, amina!
Baba yetu, Yesu, uliye
Jina lako litukuzwe.
(x2)

Utupe leo chakula chetu
Tunachohitaji utusamehe
Makosa yetu, hey!
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe
Waliotukosea usitutie
Katika majaribu, lakini
Utuokoe, na yule, milelea milele!

CHORUS

Ufalme wako ufike utakalo
Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni. (Amina)

CHORUS

Utupe leo chakula chetu
Tunachohitaji utusamehe
Makosa yetu, hey!
Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe
Waliotukosea usitutie
Katika majaribu, lakini
Utuokoe, na yule, simama mwehu

Baba yetu, Yesu, uliye
Jina lako litukuzwe.
(x2)

This is not just a beautiful song, it is a work of art with great meaning. It represents so much and is fitting of fathers. You can download it as well, for free, from Christopher Tin's website http://christophertin.com/samples.html

Merry Christmas

2005-12-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

on
this
holiday
season,
I would like to
thank the readers
of my humble blog.
I wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year 2006!!!!!!
This blog would be nothing without
readers like you. I am truly thankful
for each and everyone who happens to
visit The Sea of Steve and for all my loyal visitors!
May all your lives be blessed!
Peace
Love
Steve

The Kite has fallen

2005-12-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Good books leave you satisfied, great books change the very fabric of who you are. The last page of The Kite Runnerwas dog eared this morning. I was struck at how much I cared for the main character, then hated him, only to absolutely hate him, finally to like him again, and after repeating this cycle a few times I ultimately cared for him because I could see myself through him and in the other character as well. I'd like to believe that I mostly resemble this other character, Hassan, but very few people in the world can ever attest to having a stature like that. For this I will recall a great phrase from the book

"there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft."

I'd feel like I was stealing from Hassan by comparing myself to him even if he is a fictional character.

Final's Week

2005-12-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

The dreaded week of final tests is coming up, but I'm not studying. Why? I'm not worried and it's not time to begin oiling the rusted studying gears quite yet. Don't get me wrong I will study, I'm not that much of a nerd, but I'm not going to be hunkered down in the barracks of my sardine sized dorm room studying like a wombat caught in a trap until at least the weekend. For now I'm enjoying a good read. In fact I'm worried I won't be able to study if I don't finish this book. It's that good. :-)

That's one small snowflake for the ground... soon one giant heap of all kinds.

2005-11-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

The beginning of a snow storm, From outside my dorm window

Winter is a beautiful time of year but burrrrrrrrr....... The white stuff has fallen a couple of times already and I continually find myself hating it more and more. Not so much the snow but the agonizing, bitter, freezing wind. Then it is a thing like this that will change my mind. I happened to stumble upon this beautiful site of the sun shining throught the limbs of a tree early in the morning. The tree is one in front of the Fine Arts building, refracting iridescent snow and light.

Heaven woven quilt

Isn't that beautiful? I couldn't believe it. I would've missed this had I not gone in early to work on an art project and brought my camera to take pictures of my piece. When I saw this tree, I almost forgot I had my camera with me. I just stared for ages and I remember saying to myself, "Aww dang I wish I had my camera." Then it dawned on me that I did have it, although it took forever to unbundle myself to get to it. I'm thankful I did.

If it must be cold at least God still has a hand in the creation of beauty for us all to behold. Let us all be thankful for everything we are given and able to behold. Remember to see the beauty in everything we would otherwise miss.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Banjo and Bass playing Bach?

2005-11-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

If Bach never wrote works for the banjo and bass it may very well be because the banjo hadn't been been created. In today's world anything is possible and I just came back from a concert that left me in awe. Bach was played on the banjo and double bass along with other classical compositions from Tchaikovsky and Chopin. My ears danced to a new sound created by these two virtuoso musicians, Bela Fleck on the banjo and Edgar Meyer playing the bass. If you can imagine this sound then you can't even savor the other genres played from bluegrass to jazz, not to mention the banter back and forth between the two musicians.
I know what some of you may think, isn't the banjo all twangy soundin' and the bass just boring low harmony? Well yeah in many cases yes, but not by these two, who are masters of their instruments. I'd have to say that Edgar Meyer is the world's greatest bassist and Bela Fleck, the world's best banjo player. If you knew what a harpsichord sounds like then you have heard how this guy handled the banjo and the bass was strung and plucked with the ease of a violin. Simply put, their concert was a feast for the soul.

Listen to a sampling of their latest CD, Music for Two. My favorite, and I heard it live, is Woolly Mammoth.

Maintenance

2005-11-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Problems fixed. Actually I just reverted back to old code. Internet Explorer, you are terrible.

Sorry for the inconvenience. The Sea of Steve is currently experiencing technical difficulties with Internet Explorer users. Since I don't have a Mac I'm not sure if you are having difficulties. If you are a Mac user, specifically Surfari users, and also notice something strange let me know.

Those using Firefox shouldn't experience any problems.

Steve Seas a New Look

2005-11-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

You came, you saw, and I hope you enjoy the new look of the Sea of Steve. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The site is what it is and that's all that it is. I only ask what you think the site to be or not to be, that is the only question. I'm beside myself with joy over the new look but soft what light through your windows do you see? It is the best, and Steve is the sun? Or could it be another black sheep of the blogging community?

Macnopoly

2005-10-26T17:20:00.001-06:00

I was reading the newspaper today and I came across this ad.

I always thought Microsoft had the biggest monopoly ever. So this ad can only be saying one of two things, that either Microsoft really got split up after the anti-trust case, which allowed for McDonald's to take the lead of the world's monopolies, or more likely, that Microsoft and McDonald's merged forming a international conglomeratation of food and technology. Obviously it's the latter and more evil one.

It might be hard to choke down now but just think of the similarities here. First consider the Mcdonald's logo, the golden arches.

Does this not promote Bill Gates to the core? Golden Gates....Bill Gates. He's rich, no wait he's golden and his last name is Gates. Other ways to describe the nerd might be the "Quarter Pounder" and "Sausage McMuffin with egg." With all these McDonald's products promoting Bill Gates how could he not merge with them? And not to mention that a big "M" could easily promote Microsoft too.

So what does McDonald's get out of this merge?. Well I thought about this one too and it is quite obvious. McDonald's now offers free wireless internet access in their stores, "Would you like fries or wireless internet with that?" and they get to fire that annoying clown, Ronald McDonald, in favor of the more annoying, Microsoft Windows Paperclip.

I even came up with their new saying,

"Did somebody say onopol.

Hey Hey to the Monkeys

2005-10-14T17:11:00.001-06:00

Monkeys peel the banana the correct way

I've been really busy lately and I lost the monkey that turns the crank in my head. I figured it's time for my monkey and I to get the cranks turning again, and what better why to do that then to incite him? So I looked around my room for something to post about, anything that Mr. Monkey would find amusing.

I saw exactly that, just lying there, soaking up the mid-day sun, reverberating their color while stretching out on a table. They were laying on their sides with their long skinny necks, curved slender bodies and smooth skin glistening in the warm rays. In no time at all Mr. Monkey sprang to his feet, started turning the cranks, and salivated over the beautiful sight before him. He was very curious and started spinning the handle like a barrel full of monkeys going over Victoria Falls.

I'm Talking Bananas!!!

and let's face it, YOU don't know the correct way to PEEL A BANANA!!!

Have no fear I will show you chimpanzees, the correct way. It's really quite simple and it makes a lot of sense. I too used to be an ignorant ape that peeled the banana the wrong way, so you can change your primate ways too.

Now that I have your Curious George attentions, let's begin the correct instictive primatal way to peel a banana.

Start by finding a banana of course. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. I prefer the yellow ones. Hold the banana by the part that attaches to the plant, also known as the stem of the banana. Now peel the banana from the other end known as the tip. Ok...ok, I know you've always been taught that the stem was the top, but you're wrong. Want proof? Here you go.

Notice that the stems are on the bottom and the bananas curve up and around the plant.

By peeling the banana from the true top you'll notice a few things especially when the banana is ripe.

* The banana easily flowers or fans out into three sections length wise.

* Those nasty little stringy things on the sides of the banana that you always have to peel off after you remove the peel the incorrect way is non existent when the banana is peeled from the top.

* You have a handle by which to eat the banana. You wouldn't eat a pop-sicle by holding the pop-sicle end would you?

* The banana is symmetrical while you're eating it.

* The peel looks more aesthetic after you're done. A banana peel from a correctly opened banana can resemble a fountain, a squid or a palm tree. An incorrectly opened banana peel resembles nothing at all!

* The banana flower sat in the end you open. Implying you should open the banana in the same direction the banana flower once opened.

As if that wasn't proof enough here is more.

Bananas are depicted in cartoons peeled the correct way.

Even Nintendo draws the banana in this manner. If Bugs Bunny instead ate bananas he too would peel it in this fashion.

Finally if none of the above has convinced you, then this will be the clincher of all arguments. Obviously if any creature knows how to peel a banana it would be the monkey. It comes naturally to them and believe it or not monkeys peel the banana from the non-stem end. You can't argue with that, for when it comes to bananas, monkeys are the true banana experts.

Nothing Is Sound

2005-09-25T09:49:00.000-06:00

I wake up this morning and groan. Why? because I am coming down with a sickness, the kind of thing that lingers in the upper back pallete of your throat. It bugs me. Nothing is sound anymore except for the fact that I went to the very first concert of my entire life......Switchfoot!

They are a truly unique rock band with an intense longing for meaning, something I search for in the music I listen to. Their concert was gnarly! Thought I'd throw in a California surf word. It wasn't just great because it was my first rock concert I've ever been to, but because their concert was absolutely bodacious. The lead singer had a lot of presence. He jumped up on the drummers platform, rocked out on the bass drum, almost knocking it over, and then jumped back down. He also got into the crowd and sang. Yeah...wow...
Our crowd was tremendous. The sheer decible noise was intense, louder then our football games by far. The kind of screams that you can feel in the pit of your stomach and then it got louder something I didn't think was possible. The whole experience was amazing and I diffently am going to have to listen to more of their music because my friend CJ got me interested in their stuff and now that I heard it first hand I'm psyched.

My good friend Nate might like to know that Switchfoot is coming to Brisbane Oct. 3rd. He should go and convert some 'lost souls' at the concert. Too bad I have no way of 'contacting' him... *UT04 2AM* if(sleep==true) return sorry; else run fragBySteve;

The world as my palette

2005-09-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

In my life I never would've thought I'd be a published artist, ever! Now I have been published twice and the second time my work will travel the world round. This drawing I completed on YouDraw is part of a collection of 3 posters of two thousand drawings each, to celebrate the milestones of one hundred, two hundred and three hundred thousand drawings posted on Youdraw.

My drawing of Edvard Munch's Madonna (Which by the way was stolen alone with The Scream, neither of which has been recovered.) is in the third YouDraw Poster.

I included that picture just to show the immensity of all the drawings. If you can find my drawing in there kudos to you. Click here to see a larger view of rows 21 through 24. My drawing is on row 24, thirty drawings over.

Edit: Someone later asked what was the other piece I had published. Here it is. (If you Google Steven Held this is also the first link you get :-)

Wallazamuo

2005-09-13T20:56:00.000-06:00

Isn't nature awesome!? This spectacular waterfall peeks out from the lush forest after about a three mile hike in the wonderful state of Minnesota. I was there for my cousin Erin's wedding in August. Here my brother and I stand next to the two love-birds. Awwww...

Seeing that no one who reads my blog knows my cousin, I'll skip over the whole wedding and get to the great waterfall. So without further I do's, I mean ado, let me tell you about The Great Waterfall Expedition.

The morning after the wedding everyone gathered at a national park somewhere on the outskirts of Minneapolis for the reception. Long picnic tables of food glistened in the sun. After gorging ourselves my cousin Erin told us of a great waterfall called Wallazamuo. I just made that name up but it was something similiar. She pointed to the trail.

A group of about five decided to go. We trudged through the mud and cut through thick overhanging trees. After traversing up a mountain side, crunching the twigs below our feet, we saw a clearing ahead. A small creek had carved out a shallow pool. My cousin Paul was the first to jump in. He took off his shirt and made a face with his belly to Yoshi, a Japanese girl.

"Gross!" She had the look of upmost horror on her face.

"What you don't like my fat American belly? Do ya hear that Pudgy, she doesn't like you? She looked at him quizzically until Paul snickered. "I'm going to throw you into the creek, unless you say you like Mr. Pudgy." She obviously doesn't know my cousin because she didn't move until it was too late and well the rest is comical.

Hmmm...it seems I have deleted those pictures of Yoshi being thrown into the creek. Dang... Just imagine a 90lb Japanese girl being tossed by Paul into the creek screaming and afterwards placing a kick into the Achilles Heel of manlihood. The two of them later hit it off. My cousin is a character, he always makes me laugh.

After Paul recovered and Yoshi dried off, we set off for the waterfall. I could hear the water but the thick forest shielded the waterfall from our view. Then around another bend I saw Wallazamuo Falls or whatever it's called.
I love how the light shines down in this picture.

Then we climbed up and behind the waterfall. This is a great experience. The roar of the water pounding the rocks throwing up mist that tickled my skin as I watched the colors dance off the sparkling water. I could have stayed behind that waterfall forever, it was that beautiful.

My Sentiments

2005-09-09T08:41:00.000-06:00

I've wanted to post about Hurricane Katrina, give my sentiments, pray for the people there, but I thought I couldn't offer anything of great importance in my blog. However, the more I think about it the more I believe my sentiments can effect people a lot more than I originally thought. The other day I overhead a college student (probably a freshmen) ask what was Hurricane Katrina! Granted the person lives in Wyoming, has probably never seen the ocean, let alone even been outside the 100 mile radius of their birthplace and if they have a television it is most likely permanently tuned to MTV. For this I can't blame them. Just as I can't blame that bird nesting in the tree outside my window. I really cannot blame stupidity or ignorance but I would like to. I would like to shake some sense into them, peel back their eyelids and force them to see what's going on in the world but I can't because I'm a nice guy and even if I were they probably wouldn't care.

This attitude reminds me much of the message from the novel Brave New World. In the novel the people used a drug called soma. This gave them instant gratification and they didn't care about what was going on in the world. We might not take Soma but we surely don't care what is going on the world. The United States is in a war and people go about their lives normally, Hurricane Katrina devastates millions and most go frolicking about their lives without a thought of what's going on. Maybe it's a good thing, a sort of a semi-retarded coma state. Why care about the world if it doesn't effect you?

I'm just as guilty, though not in stupidity but in ignorance. I sit here with a nice computer glowing, the sun shining through the window, birds chirping while those effected by Katrina are without. Even more ignorant on my part is that I went to Six Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver last week. I went with a group of friends and we were flipped, twisted, spun around and sprayed with water all while laughing about it. So call me a hypocrite if you will. I'm not saying we should all become depressed and not carry on with our lives. I'm just saying we need to reflect upon what is happening in the world and lives of others whether or not they directly effect us. A Haiku that sums this point up beautifully.

When my house blew down
there was nothing left to see
but the rising sun

That's the outlook on life we all need. Let us all appreciate what we have and to give what we can to those in need.

Black Bird Singing in the Dead of Night

2005-09-01T14:05:00.000-06:00

My cousin Mark received the Black Crowe drawing I completed for him for his birthday a few of months ago. I had forgotten to take a final picture of it and I asked him if he would send me one. I really like the picture he just sent me. His face is reflected back in the glass glare of the drawing and he really looks as if he is in a reverie. Mark called me when he received the drawing and was ecstatic!!! He complimented me over and over again. I was so happy he liked it because when he first asked me to draw a Black Crowe drawing I had no clue what to do.

He asked me to make a drawing of the lead singer if I could. I thought I would personify a black crow as the lead singer instead.

One of my many sketches (From this sketch I made the final piece)

My drawings begin to take form

For those of you unfamiliar with my cousin Mark, he was in a car accident eight years ago which left him mostly paralyzed. He is in a wheel chair but can manage to walk short distances with extreme effort. When he was younger he played the violin and used to call me Baby Steven, actually he still calls me that. He was in a coma for 2 years before coming out of it right before they nearly pulled the plug on him. He still is very knowledgable, writes very well and has a quick wit. He is a riot to take into a mall because he will hoot and holler at all the girls. He loves the Black Crowes, his ultimate favorite Rock-n-Roll band..

Going Buff to Celebrate 100

2005-08-31T13:04:00.000-06:00

I've passed the threshold of ONE HUNDRED drawings on the YouDraw website!!! I am totally elated!!!!!!!!! I had to make a drawing that would represent everything that I have taken in and learned while drawing on this miniscule drawing pad. I chose two represent myself but to take aspects from two other artists that I admire. In this piece I have become Adam from Michelangelo's The creation of Adam. The left panels of the piece are left semi-unfinished as if I'm still in the process of creating or drawing my own self. This idea was taken from a charcoal drawing by Kathé Kollwitz entitled Self Portrait.

Obviously I'm in the buff in this piece. I have already received a few comments by unscrupulous idiots on this drawing that don't understand the message of my piece. A drawing with nudity is simply a drawing of God's greatest image, that of man. Nudity isn't the focus of my piece and that should be obvious since it does not have a very significant position. I will not ruin art by plastering a barrier over anything anyone considers cliche. Michelangelo didn't do it nor will I. As with any artwork depicting nudity it's the beauty of the human figure that is on display and nothing else. Clothing often becomes distracting and in a few years time will become obsolete. Imagine if Michelangelo was forced by the leaders of his day to put loin cloths over his figures because they deemed his figures as unholy and pagan. It strikes me as funny that today we still view nudity with the same attitude as in Michelangelo's day. Why? Haven't we progressed as a culture yet? There is as much a difference between nudity and pornography as an apple and orange. But I'd like to know your opinions. Even though I have lead you to the correct way of thinking I imagine there must be someone that would challenge it. So bring it on tightie whitie.

A few drawings before I reached my one hundreth mark.

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Blogging

2005-08-22T18:15:00.000-06:00

This is a long and philosophical post. Let me apologize now.

Life Changing

So I've been blogging for quite some time now. It has taken over a large chunk of my life and I give all the credit to my friends CJ and Nathaniel for getting me started. I always thought keeping a journal would be an extraordinary thing, but something I would never have time for. Now here I am keeping one and exposing it to the world.

Exposing is the key word. People really show themselves in blogs, they can't help but do so. They tell us about themselves, both in what they write, and what they don't write.

Wondering if someone is listening...

Sometimes I write stuff that seems inconsequential to me and I am pleasantly surprised by the quantity of comments I get. Sometimes I write stuff I believe is rather good, that I value and I get... nothing back. That's quite painful, though I may not show it.

It has lead me to believe how important it is to leave comments on other blogs. Just that little extra effort to respond to another blog has introduced me to some really great people and from their blogs I have discovered many exciting new things such as getting inspired to take pictures and signing up for Flickr to finding a nifty free 3D animation software called Blender.

An unfinished book

One definition of love is: to be willing to educate the other about who you really are. Deliberately or not, that's what's happening in blogs. And no, I'm not saying all we need is love. I am standing up for the extraordinary value of people sharing their experiences. I really enjoy reading about other peoples' lives. For me reading about someone I don't even know is like reading a story, but in this case they are real people and it's a collection of stories from their lives that will take you on a never ending rollercoaster of climaxes. Some bloggers don't reveal their personal lives, but through their writing style and of what they post about you still get to know them far better than you ever would know them in the flesh. Take for example my friend CJ. From his blog he seems like a very knowledgable person but in real life:

Haha :-) I'm just kidding CJ! Maybe that's Mr. Mosty!?! I can never distinguish between the two of you.

My true nature

I reveal a lot about myself at the Sea of Steve and it has taken me a while to find out what I'm actually all about and how much of me I will reveal (Which is a lot considering any stalker can look at my google map and find where my hometown is :-O). This blog reveals so much about me that it often scares me.

In the real world I'm not so revealing. I'm a quiet person that many don't really know because I'm not the typical college student that parties, drinks, or takes part in the R rated sorts of things. It's always been my sort of nature. So be glad that you get to know me here and for those of you that I know outside of this blog, you must be a wonderful person because I choose my friends carefully.

There's something to be said for vulnerability

Please don't read this as an admonishment to post more comments to my blog or anyone else's (though don't let me stop you). For me, there is great value in recording my thoughts for myself, whether or not anyone else reads them. I'd just like to share that though this blogging may look easy, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes I worry myself with what people might think about me when I write a post or even when I leave a comment on someone else's blog. I could worry myself right now with what you may think of this entry. ("Good gracious, what's gotten into Steve? Why can't he get back to good, solid, unphilosophical posts with more pictures?")

If that angst is the "agony" part of being vulnerable, there is also the "ecstasy" side. I've been emailing a fellow blogger for quite some time now. From the moment we started emailing it was a great, touching conversation that I look forward to each day. And in those moments I realise the huge value of taking risks and saying what I think in here - because we only met because of our blogs, and we only connected with the openness that we did because of it. (You know who you are and I thank you)

Next week, I'm off to college and I hope that I will be able to continue this blog there. If my posts become shorter and come further apart, let me know! Give me a swift kick in the butt by commenting and tell me you want to hear from me. I may not have much of anything interesting to post about but surely I can find something.

Take a look back at the history of my blogging career:
My first blog on MSN Spaces. I didn't like MSN Spaces. Everything was too concrete, nothing could be changed. I eventually moved to Blogger

A look at the old www.seaofsteve.blogspot.com Back then this site was entitled "No Answers.......Just Better Questions" until I realized that title had nothing to do with my posting style and I reverted back to "Sea of Steve." (Look at how bland my site used to be before I learned how to change things using HTML)

And voilà you're now looking at the current "Sea of Steve" with much better graphics. I hope you enjoy and.....

Thanks to all my readers!

Puget Sound Vacation Vol. IV

2005-08-20T08:34:00.000-06:00

Throughout my vacation in Puget Sound, I kayaked. There is nothing that amounts to the emotions taken in while out on the waters paddling in a place touched by the hand of God. The colors from the setting sun and Mt. Rainier hovering nearby were absolutely stunning. I loved listening to the sounds of nature, the birds and splashes from seals.

I really enjoyed kayaking with the seals. They would pop their heads up to see what I was doing, some would grunt to get my attention. I would look them in the eye and they would stare back. Then another one starved of my attention would make a splash and I'd have to look at him. They followed me kayaking as if I knew where a great source of food lie. I tried to get a picture of them but the second I held out my camera they all ducked beneath the waves. I tried having my camera ready for when they would pop their heads up again but not one would ever come up until I put my camera away. The very moment my camera was off and inside my kayak they splashed up and grunted, as if saying ah ah ah you can't get a picture of us. I think they were playing with me.

I did get the better of one seal though. I was kayaking up along the beach early in the morning when I saw what I thought was a sparkling white rock. It glittered in the sun. As I came closer I was amazed to find out it wasn't a rock at all but a seal. I quickly pulled out my camera and snapped a picture. The seal didn't move, it was asleep. I silently paddled closer inching my way towards this seal. I was now within 15 feet from her, she was still asleep, when I took this picture. I sat in my kayak just admiring my luck when one of her eyes opened. She closed it lazily as if still in a slight dream when suddenly both eyes rolled open. She let out a shriek so piercing that I almost fell out of my boat. When I looked again she was gone beneath the rippling waves.

One of my most favorite memories of going to Martha's Cabin is visiting the ocean. We decided to drive to the coast again on this trip. We left early and arrived only to find the Pacific blanketed in a white fog. I could barely even see my hand in front of my face. We waited nearly all day for the fog to lift by stopping in a little town nearby to eat lunch and buying a sweatshirt because it was very cold. When we went back the fog had dissipated a bit but the full glory of peering out to the ocean seeing the slight curve of the horizon was still shielded by the fog. I was slightly disapointed but nothing could dampen my excitement of standing in the Pacific Ocean.

Thus ends my Puget Sound Vacation.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

2005-08-18T15:24:00.000-06:00

Phew! I'm finally home. What an experience it was, let me tell you: I went to my cousin Erin's beautiful wedding in Minnesota. Oh the wedding was glorious, just stunning, beyond words! Anyway more on that later... see because I have to tell you a funny little story that happened to me, that is not at all funny for me.

My whole family decided to drive to Minnesota (a two day drive) because we're crazy I guess. I thought we should fly but my mom believes she would die on a plane. So anyway on our return drive home we again had to make the worst trip through Nebraska. (Think of the most boring thing you can and then stare at it for hours and that is Nebraska) Then we drove nearly the whole way across Wyoming and finally after 11 excruciating hours of driving...driving...driving, our beloved town of Green River came into view. I've had to go to the bathroom for quite some time now and was glad that I soon would be able to. Ahhhh home sweet home.

I was driving and after taking the exit to Green River I noticed that all the stop lights were out. Hmmmm... that's strange.... It took longer to get through the city because without stop lights traffic becomes a gnarly mess. We all want to get home, we're sick of the car. We've been sitting in the car for 11 hours and on top of this the order to go pee is imminent! After getting through the mess of all the stop lights, I turn down the street that winds its way to our house. The home stretch... almost there... almost there. OH NO! I'm stopped dead in the road when I see all these flashing lights. The whole street is blocked off by police vehicles. I have no clue what is going on. All the electricity in our half of town is out, our very own street is blocked off by ten police cars, what the crap??? At this point I really have to go to the bathroom. A police officer motions for me to turn around.

OH GREAT!!! I have to take the long way home and finally pull into our drive-way. Yip-PEE I'm so ready to go to the bathroom but without electricity our garage door doesn't open. HOW WONDERFUL! It even begins to rain, a drenching rain. This doesn't help my situation. Not to worry my mom has a key to the front door. I'm right beside her dancing the best I-Have-To-Go-Pee-Performance of the world. She turns the key and opens the first lock then puts it into the dead-bolt and turns.....Nothing. It doesn't budge! I'm about to explode! I have my legs crossed and I'm squeezing with every ounce of strength in me. My mom tears through her bag and tries every single key but nothing turns the dead-bolt!!! AHHH!!

I REALLY HAVE TO GO and NOW!!! In a semi-run half waddle I lurched my way to our backyard. (NOTICE: The following is not PG) I ran to the side of the house and at the very last sliver of a moment before explosion I found a secluded area and let the flood waters out. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... Ahhhhhhhhh..... Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. How GLORIOUS! If you've ever heard Adam Sandler's The Longest Pee it was quite similar. That was my agony and the ecstasy.

After that I ran around the house but there was still absolutely no way into our house. We tried the keys again to no avail, the windows were all locked shut too. It was continuing to pour down rain. My family thought I was hilarious having to go pee in our backyard when we all sat dripping in our car. We were all anxious to get home only to find out we're locked out of our very own home for who knows how long! We sat in the car another hour as I read a couple more chapters from The Agony and the Ecstasy, the title of the book literally how I felt at the time, until the rain started to let up.

The thunder roared and split the sky. There was still no power, no way to get into our house. We took a walk down the street to where all the police vehicles were and discovered a crowd of people. It looked like a disaster scene from War of the Worlds. With sparks flying, police lights flashing, and a crowd of people jabbing each other for a better view. I saw two power poles in the middle of the street and across from that there were still power lines dangling and sparking. The power company was working at getting everything under control and to restore power. They told us it would be another 7 hours at the earliest until there would be any power. We all groaned. I heard rumors from the crowd that a big truck had caught a power line and dragged down the other two poles.

Seven more hours!!! It was already getting dark. Luckily we own a camping trailer. At least we wouldn't have to spend the night in a car. I slept well in the trailer despite being so frustrated with everything that had happened. I guess it was an adventure and now I have a story to tell. :-) That's my agony and the ecstasy story.

Nooooooooooooo

2005-08-10T12:50:00.000-06:00

I was going to try and get a post up of my last couple of days at Martha's Cabin in Puget Sound but when I hit publish button everything disappeared!!?! Ohhhh ARRRGGGH AHHH!!! It was so lovely too, the photographs, the nice beautiful post... everything.....g.o.n.e.... Ohhh well... Anyway I've let bygones be bygones and will post again sometime soon but tomorrow morning our family is leaving for my cousin Erin's wedding in Minnesota. I'll be back next Thursday. Maybe if I feel up to it or have nothing else to do while I'm at the hotel, I'll retry the post but don't expect anything.

The above is a scanned image of my face (something rather strange and fun to do) that I changed with Photoshop.

Just so this isn't a complete post waste I've added a new feature to my blog. I found it on this blog. I am pretty excited about the new Guest Map (the link is also on the right column) please check it out and leave your mark!! I am always interested where readers of this humble blog are located, so "Guest Map" was a bit of geekiness I couldn't resist implementing.

The guestmap has a satellite, map view feature or hybrid. You can scroll about the globe and leave comments and links to your own blog/website.

Just find your spot on the map (you can move the map with your mouse or use the sliders on the left of the map), zoom way in, click on your location, a message box will pop-up, enter all the fields and leave an icon marker (if you don't select a marker the message will not appear). Finally, click the button Place! and voila you're done! Nifty eh?

Puget Sound Vacation Vol. III Canadian Edition

2005-08-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

Early in the morning my mom incessantly said, "Steeeeeve honey time to wake up."
"Ummm....arrggg....It must be 6 AM mom."
"Actually here it is 5 AM we're in the Pacific Time Zone. I wanted to leave early to beat the rush hour traffic."
"Arrgggggg." THUD! I rolled out of bed. "Alright I'll get ready."

After appearing that I was awake by taking a shower and dragging a comb through my hair, we got in the car and headed for Port Angeles, Washington. Here there is a ferry that takes mainly tourists across to Canada. None of this was on my mind as I lulled off to sleep again. I finally awoke again when the car changed speeds and my mom told me she was getting gas. Already the sun decided to greet the day and my eyes by glinting off of anything remotely reflective. "Only one more hour and we'll be in Port Angeles," my mom said as I finished tapping off the gas tank.

We arrived in Port Angeles and started looking for the place to buy tickets to get across to Canada. I thought we drove around forever. Turning around once we even made a trip down a one way street! After receiving evil glares from passing cars we finally stumbled upon a sign, 'Ferry Parking $5.' "Go here mom!" We parked in a nice spot and my mom read the instructions on how to pay.
"Steve you don't have $5 do you?"
"No why?"
"You have to pay this metal container thing and there is no way to receive change back because there is no assistant or anything. I only have a $20. Let's go buy tickets and then I'll have change."

The ticket office was just off of the dock and I stopped to take pictures while my mom purchased the tickets.

She came back with one of those looks that you just know something wasn't right. "Guess what?....We'll have to bum around for three hours because we missed the ferry by 15 minutes."
"What!!!"
"It left at 7:00 and the next one doesn't leave until 10:00."
We're going to miss our whale watching tour now, I thought. This really stuck a stake through my heart. Anyone that truly knows me knows that I absolutely adore dolphins. My mom could see on my face how crushed I was and quickly pulled me out of it.
"I called the whale place and they changed the time to 11:15 for us, so don't worry okay? Let's just go eat I'm starving."

We found a little cafe and sat down. It took them forever to hand us a menu let alone prepare our food but luckily we didn't care because we had to waste time. After eating we strolled along the streets looking at all the nick nack shops. My mom found a post card of Mt. Rainier in one and filled it out until finally it was time to board the ferry.

"Please have your customs sheet ready before getting into line," bellowed a speaker every few minutes. A sign said, 'Prepare for random searches of all backpacks and bags.' We got into line, inching our way up to the end. A young customs agent waved us over to him and asked us a few questions before we could board the ferry. He sounded like a recording too I thought.
He quickly said, "Do you have any firearms, drugs, illegal plants, animals, or have a warrant for your arrest?" We both said no and he eyed our driver's licenses and then said, "enjoy Canada then!"

The ferry across takes about an hour. The last time I was on it I remember staring out into the sea hoping to see dolphins. The ferry was overpacked back then and there wasn't a place to sit for my parents but I didn't care because I was hanging over the ledge hoping to see some dolphins. (Orcas more commonly referred to as Killer Whales are actually dolphins) When I finally saw some I screamed, "Whale!" You could feel the whole ferry tip to one side as nearly everyone rushed over to where I was looking. This opened up a lot of seats and my parents and brother could finally sit down.
My mom reminded me of this and said, "If we can't find seats this time I want you to yell whale again," but there were lots of empty seats this time. I didn't see any whales this trip. Instead everyone watched two US Coast Guard boats on either side of our ferry esccort our ship out of the harbor. I thought they would just follow us a short distance but they followed us until we reached the Canadian border. Look at those machine guns! Scary how in ten years, since I was last on the ferry, our world has changed.

Like I said I didn't see any whales but I did find a seagull below me gazing at all the tourists dropping crumbs and snapped this picture.

We arrived in the Canadian port of Victoria City as I was taking pictures of all the ships and buildings. We had to go through Canadian Customs now. They just wanted to see our driver's licenses and quickly let us through. After that we had to rush over to the whale watching tour place. This would be about all we would have time for. The whale watching tour was four hours long and the last ferry back to the United States was at 4:00 giving us only about an hour to stroll around Canada once we got back from the whale watch.

My mom and I adorn our whale watching suits.

The whale watching expedition was incredible!!!!!!!!! I could write another 5 pages just about that experience but I'll save my blog audience from that and just tell you about one amazing encounter.

We were next to a pod of about 5 orcas. One came to the surface, sprayed her spray and then turned straight towards our zodiak. She was right under the surface. I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to and then she swam underneath our boat. Everyone including me screamed in excitement. This was so incredible that I forgot to take pictures but thinking back on it now I'm glad I didn't because I'd rather have this memory then to have looked through a view finder losing the experience.

Another zodiak next to us ooos and awws over an orca next to their boat. This is how close we got to the whales.

Look Whale!

The whale watching tour was definitely a huge highlight of my entire trip. Our whale watching tour guide was a great guy. He was Canadian and would launch our zodiak over huge waves making me bounce out of my seat. Oh it was great! He had his commentary too, explaining the blah blah blah of blah blah about everything whale. I especially liked the speaker that he turned on so we could hear the orcas clicking away, eh.

Once the whale watching tour was finished my mom and I picked up a few Canadian shirts and then boarded the ferry back to Port Angeles.

Coming up in Puget Sound Vacation Vol. IV, Sea Kayaking and going to the Pacific Ocean!

Puget Sound Vacation Vol. II

2005-08-03T22:11:00.000-06:00

The First Night

The sun sets on Mt. Rainier our first night at Martha's Cabin. I remember watching the colors dancing across the sky.

Sea Shells

The next morning the tide was out. This is the best time to beach comb and both my mom and I were out collecting sea shells.

A boat is stranded in the sand by the outgoing tide.

Look at all the sand dollars!

This is my favorite photo. Look at all the colors in the water. These are all living sand dollars. They turn white when they die. Sand dollars are very interesting. They have little tiny hairs that trap food particles and slowly move them towards their mouths in the center.

My sandal leaves an impression in the sand. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

We set out our findings on the picnic table to dry. Does anyone want any sand dollars? I'm currently a millionaire with all of them. My mom and I both enjoyed collecting sea shells nearly everyday. Every crevice of my car was stuffed with sea shells when we made the journey back home.

The next day we head to Canada, in Puget Sound Vacation Vol. III

Puget Sound Vacation Vol. I

2005-08-01T15:42:00.000-06:00

The Drive

You have no idea of the meaning of eternity until you have driven across endless brown dirt dirt and more dirt of Wyoming and Idaho at 65 miles per hour. The miles upon miles of dirt were only broken up by my white Toyota with two colorful kayaks on top. My mom and I both shared driving chores. Along the way I read the Harry Potter book Prisoner of Azkaban and my mom was reading The Notebook. Every once in a while my mom would look up from reading and tell me, "Steven the guy in this book is exactly like you. I can't believe how much this guy reminds me of you. He even kayaks Steven. When I'm done reading it you really need to read it." I told her I would read it but I doubt he is like me.

Boise was our resting stop to split the drive in half. We stayed the night in a nice Hampton Inn which my cousin got us really good rates at because he works for one in New Mexico.

We had a fabulous breakfast there with eggs, ham, and all the other nice stuff the Hampton gives you. Then we started out for the trip to Martha's Cabin in Puget Sound near Gig Harbor. I had finished the Harry Potter book and started The Notebook. Mothers know a lot and she was right, Noah is a lot like me. All I need is an Allie and I need to read some poetry. I recommend this novel. I was immediately captivated by the story, reliving it, feeling it and savoring each and every emotion. I especially thought that the way love will endure all is a great message and the way it endures towards the end of the book is amazing. I won't give anything away. Tears are sure to be shed, and you will long for a love like the one Noah and Allie share.

Slow Up

I started driving again after Portland, Oregon and when we got near Tacoma, Washington it was bumper to bumper traffic. Traffic even stopped at times. We were so anxious to get there and being stuck in traffic was killing us both. Up a few feet...stop.... Pull up an inch....screech stop.. Read this a few hundred times and you will know what I went through. Finally! we got through and the slow up was caused by an accident but it was entirely in the other lanes going South and our lanes were only slowing down because of people goggling at the accident. Once over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge we were on the final stretch to the cabin. This is a challenge. Nothing is marked, and it would be almost impossible to find at night.

We reached the tunnel of trees which is my favorite road ending at Martha's Cabin.

The road to Martha's Cabin

Now picture the most beautiful setting. Martha's cabin sits on the Puget Sound facing Mt. Rainier. It is so beautiful that words can't describe. This is why I took fabulous pictures.

The backside of the cabin

The view from the window

Martha's Cabin

Trees frame the view across Puget Sound towards the floating Mt. Rainier

Next on the shelves of the Sea of Steve, Puget Sound Vacation Vol. II.

Back Home

2005-07-31T20:16:00.000-06:00

I just arrived home from the most slendid, fantastic, marvelous, magnificent vacation. My mom and I enjoyed our stay in a friend's cabin right on the waters of Puget Sound. Only my mom and I made the trek because my little brother said he couldn't stand the long two day drive, since in another week our family is going to Minnesota (a 3 day drive blah...) for my cousin's wedding and my dad had to work.
I took a whooping 168 pictures while there! I couldn't believe it myself, being someone that hardly took pictures to this is more then a great leap it's quite frankly unheard of. I have a lot to tell you and show you, but it will have to happen another day. You should probably be glad I could muster this little bit before I go to sleep. The drive back here wore me out. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come.
We arrive to find a floating Mt. Rainier

A world at my fingertips

2005-07-19T21:28:00.000-06:00

The globe sat in the corner of my bedroom. I put my hand on the glossy surface sliding down the tip of Africa and back down to the floor. "Where should I go," I muttered to myself? I spun the globe around. All the colors mixed and the globe became one purple murky color.

I've always dreamt of traveling overseas to a distant land, coming face to face with a different culture. Now I have that chance I'm going to study abroad but where? Where O' where?

Faced with such an un'earth'ly decision my attention turned to the globe again, now spinning slower. I lightly held my fingertip to the surface and watched as North America inched its way across and then my fingertip rested quite nicely upon the Atlantic Ocean. Checking to make sure there weren't any islands under my fingertips I give the globe a hard thrust. This time I jabbed my finger into the redish color swirling by. Immediately the globe stopped and my fingertip pointed to none other than the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. Hmmm.... Best out of three spins I thought.

The globe swirled again. Colors danced by. The spinning came to an end as my finger screeched across Asia and finally stopped in Europe. Yes! Now I'm getting somewhere. Austria. Hey not too bad.

Before spinning the globe I have been meandering through a list of places in my head. Europe is always on my mind as I keep thinking of places to go. Italy, France, Germany, England.... I don't speak any language other than English though. I have taken two years of Spanish, one year of French and I know how to say I love you in German but I don't think any of that will help me much. Ich liebe dich can only get you a smile from a German girl and a slap from an American girl. I don't know what to do. So won't you help me decide? Why yes you will!

Where in the world should Steve be? Vote! If you have a suggestion of another place, please leave a comment.

Weekend on the lake

2005-07-18T16:34:00.000-06:00

"Okay I'm jumping in!"

WaSPLASH! "Burr it's a lot colder then I thought it was going to be."

"Steven I can't get the camera to turn on! What button do you push?"

Shivering, "Mom the one on top you'll hear it start up and you should see Canon on the display."

"Okay it's on, now what button do I press to take pictures?"

Argg... "Mom just like any 'normal' camera it's on the top."

"This big button here?"

"Yes!"

"Eric throw your brother a ski."

Swish.... The ski comes sailing over to me. I grab it and fiddle with the bindings to get my foot in. "Okay I'm ready now!" I scream. My dad pulls the boat around me so that I can grab the rope. I slowly get into position by doing a little dance with my feet to get the ski to point up.

I yell "Hit it!" Suddenly the boat lurches forward. I strain with all my might. Arrrrrrrrr......... Swallowing gallon after gallon, my ski flailing this way and that. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... SNAP! The rope pulls away. I tumble over sideways.

"Steve you have to stay tucked down longer!" Yells my dad.

"I know I tried."

He pulls the boat around again and I line up. "Hit it!"

This time I clenched me teeth, held my breath, and tucked like an armadillo. Arrrrr ahhhhhh! I'm up, no I'm still down, no I'm standing up. "Whoooooo!" Such exhilaration, I haven't skied yet this summer and now I'm gliding across the water. I absolutely love this. I'm flying.

I swished right bounced off the wake and whipped right alongside the boat.

I had to sneak a picture of my brother from the cabin of our boat, he doesn't like his picture taken.

Then idling out in the middle of the lake my dad surprises my mom with a strawberry cheesecake! We sang Happy Birthday to her and enjoy the strawberry deliciousness as we all bask in the sun on such a lovely day.

Hurricane Emily

2005-07-17T18:22:00.000-06:00

Yahoo News reports Hurricane Emily pounded Grenada Thursday, tearing the roofs off hospitals and other buildings, destroying crops and causing widespread flooding.

Emily struck hard, tearing the roof from the operating room of a new hospital built with help from the Cuban government. On Carriacou, she destroyed the entire roof of the only hospital, forcing the evacuation of patients, officials said.

Elsewhere in the former British colony, two police stations and two homes for the elderly also lost their roofs, homes were damaged, streets were flooded and crops were destroyed. Authorities asked the public to remain at home or in shelters, where more than 1,600 people took refuge, as they assessed the damage.

Follow me

2005-07-15T14:56:00.000-06:00

Back in the 1990's, I often played a game called Lemmings. It's a puzzle type game that requires your almighty knowledge to lead the green-headed dimwitted Lemmings to their home amidst dangers, toils and sometimes even your own frustration with the nuke all button. Now you can play DHTML Lemmings with only your web browser. Enjoy!

Next week I'll be vacationing in the grand state of Washington on the waters of Puget Sound. We were going to be staying in the cabin on Puget Sound this week during my mom and brother's birthdays, but someone else wanted to go this week and so we'll go next week. I can't wait to see the ocean again! It is breathtakingly beautiful! Hopefully I will be able to view Mount Rainer from the cabin. It is usually overcast though and you can only see it from the cabin on a clear day. We will be up there for a week and might even go into Canada for a day. Last time I was there we took a ferry across from Seattle to Victoria City, Canada. The ferry was over crowded with people and there were no seats, I didn't mind though because I was hanging over the ledge, peering out to sea. Back then I was really into dolphins and stared out into the ocean hoping to see one. When I saw some killer whales I screamed, "Whale!" Once I said that the whole ferry dipped to one-side as ever tourist on board crowded over to my side to view the whales. This opened up a lot of seats and my mom could finally sit down. After our visit to Canada my mom told me to yell whale again so that she could get a seat. So if you find yourself on a ferry and need a place to sit just yell, "Whale!"

From Stones to Hydrogen

2005-07-13T17:04:00.000-06:00

I finished reading the first book of the Harry Potter extravaganza, world-wide hype, Muggle uprising, household name of a series. I'll admit that I was overtaken from my views that this was just some silly children's book. J. K. Rowlings captures the imagination with prose that drew me in. The characters in the book are unique, the plot is tied to things from the beginning and I had an extraordinary time reading it. It may not have been technically hard but if something is fun and stirs the imagination it is well worth it in my opinion. Next up Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.

I read the Reader's Digest and in the latest supplement issue entitled, Future, I found a contest that I'd like to share with the rest of my blogging friends/readers and whathaveyou. Tomorrow, July 14th, I encourage you to enter the Reader's Digest Win the Ride of a Lifetime contest.

Note: You can't enter until July 14th, so don't tell me the link doesn't work.

Win the Ride of a Lifetime

And earn bragging rights by being one of the first consumers to test-drive the new hydrogen-powered GM Sequel! One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two* to sunny Southern California in summer 2006. The winner will tour a hydrogen-fuel facility and meet engineers who are designing the cars of the future. GM's Sequel is emission free, nimble on the road, and fast! Go to rd.com/drive for entry form and official rules, or send a postcard to Reader's Digest, P.O. Box 235, Pleasantville, New York 10570-0234, Attn: Ride of a Lifetime.

If you happen to win the second person you take would be me, but I shouldn't have to remind you of that. ;)

Tag I'm it

2005-07-11T13:11:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged, handed the baton to keep this chain(letter) of a blog thing going because obviously I have nothing better to do? I am getting you back for this! I just don't know how, when, or the exact means but something is coming....Muhhahahahaha.

Total volume of music files on my computer: Holy jumping bananas Batman! 8.6 gigs. This isn't illegally downloaded music mind you but I'll come clean 117MB of it has been illegally downloaded. *Sigh* Nevermore, nevermore. I too am in desperate need of an iPod.

The last CD I bought: I purchased two and I don't remember which one went across the register first so here they are: Coldplay X&Y and Ben Folds Songs for Silverman

Song playing right now: Nothing currently because I'm on my laptop and my Bose speakers are sitting nicely on a shelf until my room is carpeted. The last song I played was in my car and it was, Phantom of Opera Think of Me. Great song, fabulous movie, wonderful book!

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: I'll also go by the highest play count on my iTunes and they are:

1. The Luckiest, Ben Folds (My favorite song it wakes me up in the morning)
2. Gracie, Ben Folds
3. Hallelujah, Rufus Wainwright
4. You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban
5. Ave Maria, Bobby McFerrin

Five people to whom I'm passing the baton:

1. Nate-Dawg's Castle (One last requirement before your mission)
2. Unknown Knowns and Other Ramblings (This should give you something to update your blog with CJ)
3. Chad Essley's Tablet PC SketchBlog (I don't know if he reads my blog all that often)
4. Natasha's Nook (Nathaniel's girlfriend. I'm out of people to send this baton too!)
5. Drifting About (I have officially ran out of blogs to send this to. This is what happens to you when you leave a comment on my blog)

Phew! I'm so glad there were only 5!

I see beautiful things

2005-07-09T19:10:00.000-06:00

My mom asked me to run a few errands for her this afternoon. As I was driving, trying my hardest to avoid pedestrians and stay in my lane, the glint of the sun hit my eyes. I looked up only to be immediately taken back. The sky was absolutely breathtaking! The clouds were glorious! Luckily I still had my digital camera hiding secretly under my seat from when I took pictures of the mural I painted. I was stopped at a stoplight and thought I really need to take a picture of these clouds they are amazing! So I stepped out of my car while all the other motorists eyed me suspiciously. I didn't mind I just held out my camera and clicked away. The light changed green as I was just getting back in. I'm sure I annoyed someone but I hope at least they too looked up at this beautiful sky.

There is a slight change to the Sea of Steve that I have just added. I've coded a recent bookshelf as well as the current book I'm reading into the sidebar. I'll update the recent bookshelf with the last ten books I've read beginning with the most current. Then the Well Thumbed Thomes well remain as great books that I read that have stirred my soul. The current book I am reading is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I have yet to read this series of novels, haven't intended to ever read them but a friend recommended that I do. If you have a book, novel, or story that you would like to recommend I read, feel free to leave a comment. I'll read it...eventually.

Mural

2005-07-08T15:31:00.000-06:00

I finished painting a mural of Wyoming on the side of a house. The clients didn't want too many colors and nothing too distracting. The design was already on the side of the house all I had to do was paint over the sterofoam covered in white sand. I thought it was really easy to paint, practically just painting withen the lines. In the back stand the Grand Tetons followed by the Medicine Bow Mountains in the far right, nearly in the middle spouts Old Faithful from Yellowstone, the mountains in the foreground are the Wind River Range and Devils Tower resides in the lower right corner.

London

2005-07-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

When I first opened the door my mom informed me of the terrorist attack on London. I felt fear and remorse. I quickly made my way to the TV and turned it on. Flipping through the news channels I tried to find any coverage of what had happened. All that I could find was on CNN or Fox News. All the other 'news' channels had their soap operas on and other senseless programming. If this had been an attack here in America every single channel would be airing the footage over and over again. I just feel disheartened over this fact. It seems that America does not really care. What's more important in life soap operas or an attack on one of our allies? Don't get me wrong, I believe that America is a great country and I'm proud to live here but I do believe that 'we' need to have more of a soft spot for what truly is important in life. You can find out whether Thomas is the father of Rachel's baby on a post-poned episode but right now I can give a rat's ass about All My Children and As the World Turns because our children in London have been killed as our world turns.

An 1800's Shindig

2005-07-03T20:32:00.000-06:00

I planted my boots firmly into the years of the 1800's. After opening the time machine that was our white truck, I was immediately thrust back into a world filled with memories. This was the area that I was born in. My senses soaked up all that they could. The smells of fresh wild flowers, pine, and aspen trees filled my soul as my family settled into our camping area near a little creek. Soon many campers, tents, and teepees decorated the hills.

People from all over the United States attended this 1800's style rendezvous of a marriage between two great people. Some dressed completely in the attire of the time period while others, like us, just had on cowboy style clothing, but rather strange was a clash between young and old when a young 'punk' kid and his girlfriend came with their hair in multi-colored spikes and dressed in complete black.

The wedding took place at high noon the next day. What a lovely day for the wedding too. The sun sat in the sky occasionally peeking out of a cloud as the trees swayed in the slight breeze dancing to the music that the birds created. Then the bagpipes began and the bride came walking down the field. The wedding was short and sweet. They exchanged vows and locked hearts forever. A fiddler played a few jigs and then it was time for the shindig to begin!

First we had a great dinner of Indian food. My favorites included the buffalo stew and fry bread that was filled with sweet honey. Then began the dancing. The fiddler played all the melodies of the times while people stomped their feet and danced. Once worn out everyone gathered by the television set of the 1800's. The fire. The flames danced around being the only source of light except for the luster of the stars above. Lots of tall tales were told as the sweet smell of the wedding cake began to drift in the air, slowly cooking in a Dutch oven in the coals of the fire.

The next day was full of activities. Up first was the tomahawk throw. I managed to hit the target a few times but never once did the ax part of the tomahawk stick. It was very difficult because the ax must rotate in the air and strike the target blade first. A little tiny lad hands up won the event. He flung the ax and each time the blade stuck. He had the cutest giggle each time an ax stuck, and everyone would cheer.

After the tomahawk throw, I traveled up yonder to the black powder rifle shoot. I had a blast literally. The man showed us how to fill the guns with the correct amount of gun powder and then how to stuff the ball down into the chamber with a ramming rod. This process took forever and I was careful not to drop the precious black powder grains. I don't know how the civil war era armies managed to load their guns like that wilst people shooting them. I salute them. The guns were powerful and loud! Everyone was required to wear ear protection and the shooters wore eye protection in the event of a black powder mis-fire explosion. I was one of the first people to go and as I focused on my site and put my finger on the trigger I nervously prepared for a major kick into my shoulder from the back force of the shot. I made sure to get my target in the sight of the gun and then slowly pulled the trigger back KABOOOOOM! It fired as a thick cloud of black smoke enveloped me and I was thrust backwards. Wow! I hit the target.

That night we had another fire and their was a science teacher sitting next to me talking about a comet and a NASA satellite that are going to collide in a massive explosion on July 3rd. Here's a website to watch it live in case you don't have a telescope or are in a city in which the night sky is overwhelmed by the city lights. We stayed up really late watching the stars and ohhing and awwing over the many shooting stars. I've never seen such a beautiful atmosphere then on that night. The stars blanketed the sky. I had the most glorious sleep that night, I slept soundly 'neath the stars.

In the morning we had a nice breakfast and then had more fun. There was a fishing tournament but I didn't do that because I'm not much for fishing, but there was an archery shoot and another gunpowder session. I did both. I especially liked the archery. Much faster then loading the black powder. They had 3D targets of deer, elk, moose, and bear all over their ranch. The archers stood from different distances with trees, boulders and even a pond as an obstacle to shoot over and try and hit the target. I became really good at pulling back the string of the bow, aiming and launching the arrow at all of the targets, after a few tries on some and a lost arrow in the thick bushes down by the creek. That afternoon everyone gathered by to perform a flag ceremony and my mom lead everyone in singing our national anthem. After that we packed up and got into our time machine, leaving this beautiful place behind.

Kayak Rodeo

2005-06-29T13:04:00.000-06:00

Giddy up!

Grab yerself a paddle and that dar thing that floats and show 'em here how a proper rodeo is done.

Kayak rodeos have nothing in common with those involving cows, "chewin' toe-ba-kee" and death... for the cows. In a kayak rodeo there are 4 divisions. Junior (younger than 18), Master (older then 40), Pro (those that make every other kayaker look like a beginner), and Sport (those who are too old for the junior class, too young for the master division, and not good enough to enter the pro class). I entered the Sport Division.

In a horse and cow rodeo the idea is to stay on the animal you are riding or chase down a cow and strangle the poor thing with a rope. The only thing remotely similiar between this kind of rodeo and a kayak rodeo is that you want to stay on the thing you're riding. In a kayak you want to stay in the whitewater part, in kayak jargon it's known as a hole. Once on that hole a kayaker wants to perform as many tricks as possible, in 45 seconds, as the judges add up the points.

I took 4th place, in the Sport division, of six other very skilled boaters. I had somehow sneaked by to 2nd place in the first round, but since I couldn't pull off the front flip, the other kayakers that could surpassed me in points in the second round. I was just completely enthralled to be able to show off my new trick that I learned this summer, the cartwheel. The person in the sport division that took 1st beat all of us by a quadrupleton of points. He was a beast out on the wave and looked like a pro.

After our division, the pro kayakers tore up the wave and had a huge battle that would rival that of WWII. They displayed their skills by launching double helixes, barrel rolls, space Godzillas, flips, endless cartwheels, and so many more that I don't even know the names of. As you can imagine by the names of these tricks they looked incredibly AWESOME. Here's some photos that I took and maybe a video if I can figure out how to host it.

Watch a video!

          Lady kayaker

             Flip

       The colorful boats

  Juniors watching the action

Note: I won't be posting for a week. A family friend is getting married in Colorado. It will be an interesting wedding. The wedding is on his ranch and it is going to be an 1800's style Rendezvous and they are getting married at high noon. The invitation said to come dressed in mountain man attire. Ha! There will be many old west style games and parties going on afterwards and a pig roast.

Creation

2005-06-23T13:27:00.000-06:00

The Creation of Adam Michelangelo

1               2               3

I meticulously completed this drawing on YouDraw. It is made up of three panels, because the drawing pad on YouDraw is too small to fit the whole thing in on one panel. Click on the Creation of Adam above or here to enter my gallery and vote and leave comments. I encourage you to draw something too!

The title of this post is 'Creation' for another reason. I stumbled across a great website yesterday. http://www.keo.org KEO is a satellite built to return to Earth 50,000 years after its launched at the end of 2006. On board it will carry messages that are written by people from all over the world. Describe your life, share a thought, pass on your experiences, aspirations and dreams… The satellite will bring back to our far away descendants every message that each and every one of us puts on board. My message is ready for launch. I found the site a little hard to navigate to get to write your message, so here is a link. Write your message.

Creation of this blog entry is winding down to an end. There's nothing left to write about except that I'm still digging dirt and hauling it away in a six wheeler. The six wheeler, which I have named Drivel because it sounds like it is spitting when it runs, is a lot of fun to drive. I really can't tell you why because it only goes about 25MPH but it does make you feel like you're flying, especially with the wind rushing past, blowing your hair. Ahhhh. Drivel is a great machine, without his help I'd have to use the little, flimsy, whimsy, tipsy turvy, wheel barrow of doom. I have not had a good experience with that contraption as you can probably imagine.

When you wish upon a star

2005-06-20T20:53:00.000-06:00

I saw the most fantastic sight the other night, a meteor bright
It torched the sky as it sailed by, past mountains it said goodbye
Now sailing by someone so very far away I wished upon that star
Only darkness now....
May my wish come true?
I only knew that the same stars I view are shining down on you
I wished that you will see them too

~Steve Held

Today I worked hard... The sun was unbearable. Sucking the life out of me, I continued to heave dirt and rock into the back of a six wheeler. Phew... All that work is well worth it though when it inspires drawings like this.

My cousins were here shortly for a visit before heading on to Yellowstone. It was great to see them because we haven't seen each other since Christmas. They were only here a day, on Father's Day, and we cooked up a great feast. I salivated over my personal favorites, barbequed ribs, asparagus, artichoke, and watermelon. MMM mmm MMM mmm good.

Tomorrow is the official day of summer, YIPPEE! I'll be enjoying it... well except for the working part. Next week I'll be entering the kayak freestyle rodeo. I'll have to take some photos of that. Until then remember to look up at the stars.

The Last Supper

2005-06-15T21:50:00.000-06:00

Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. ~ Matthew 26:20-23

The Last Supper

I have just realized some very odd occurences between Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper and my YouDraw drawing of The Last Supper.

Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to paint The Last Supper in 1495. Da Vinci wanted to experiment with a new style he had invented - tempera (egg yolk and vinegar) plus oil painting on dry plaster. That way he could use more colors and redo portions if necessary. The painting took him four years to complete - 1495 to 1498. His patrons were furious at the delay but Leonardo refused to go any faster.

Unfortunately, Leonardo's style experiment was a disaster. The paint almost immediately began falling off the plaster, the humidity was causing the paint to separate from the plaster on which it had been painted. Over the years, the piece has been vandalized and nearly fell apart completely.

600 years later - 1495 to 2005, I have made The Last Supper a permanent piece. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 4 years to complete The Last Supper, it took me 4 hours - 5:30PM to 9:30PM. Da Vinci experimented with a new style and I have as well by making this intensely detailed piece on a minuscule drawing pad. His piece suffered vandalism and so has mine with some comments by unscrupulous people. Fortunate for me these comments will eventually be removed by the very hard working and kind YouDraw Volunteers.

A cold in the summer

2005-06-14T19:26:00.000-06:00

This morning I woke up with a cold. You know the tight clenched up feeling in the back of your throat? Now I learn that it comes with a cough too. I definitely didn't order this. I hate being sick especially in the summer. I know that you get colds year long but I seriously can't remember the last time I was sick in the warm months. I perservered the sickness in my kayak classes today. The classes were really fun. I had a great group of young kids and that really makes teaching great. I brought a whistle because I knew that I wasn't going to be able to yell at all, heck I couldn't even yell if I wasn't sick but it really did help to get their attention. It is so funny to watch people being introduced to kayaking. I remember when I first started and I was just like them but it still gave me a few chuckles as they were flailing about and tipping over. Those kids just thought I was the greatest because I could roll my kayak back up. The looks on their faces just made my day and I almost lost sense of being sick, but now that I have settled in at home and write this blog entry, it creeps back and attacks my throat again. COUGH COUGH! Excuse me I think I should COUGH go.

Down by the River

2005-06-13T23:10:00.000-06:00

I went kayaking today and had a blast. The river is practically flooding, it's so powerful. Never once think for a moment that you can control Mother Nature because she will definitely put you back in your place. Kayaking has made me appreciate nature so much and has allowed me to see parts of the world that truely go unnoticed by everyone else living on it. Tomorrow I'm teaching about six sessions of middle school aged kids some basic kayak techniques. I've done this in the past and have had lots of fun with it.

Here's a couple of recent YouDraw pictures I have completed. Vote for my pictures and leave a comment, I'd appreciate it very much!

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