Monday, April 30, 2012

What is an Epic Journey

For all of my life I always thought an Epic journey to be one big adventure, traveling from one exotic location to the next, always trying to go to someplace new, never the same place twice. So here I sat planning my next trip, going over my usual roadblocks as little ever goes to plan. Mentally I placed myself in Vietnam, my mind took in everything it was, everything that it would be. I read over travel reports, looked at various locations, with each one I Imagined what it would feel like to be there.
South East asia is amazing, the flora and the fauna absolutely explode in your brain. Sites inn the philippines almost brought me to tears, if there was a garden of Eden surely it was somewhere nestled in Asia. I took in the sites of Hanoi, In my mind I rode on creaking trains which bounced back and forth on the tracks, bumped into crowded people, and road on boat thru a bay where rocks jutted up thru the water. But when my mind came to the legendary water puppet show I felt something was wrong.
I sat there and looked about the crowd, scanning over the faces as they looked on in wonder. The crowd would laugh, clap husbands smiled as their wives arms weaved into their own. I looked down at my own and saw nobody there and I knew what the next epic journey had to be. You see I have always got to do things others did not, I rode trains thru Europe, hiked an active Volcano in the Philippines, stood on Red Square in Russia, and pushed thru street Vendors in shady Mexican Border towns.
But all the while I did it alone, now don't get me wrong, it was amazing, but each time I had someone to greet me when I came home. My friend Scott picked me up at the airport after Europe, kept me out of jail as he held me from splatteringn a cooks nose across a grill at a greasy truck stop over a burnt steak and rubber eggs.
 Dads always seemed to be home when I would call from some crazy location, he would always ooo and aww at what I told him, and tell me how much he wished he could be there. But each time I came home there was someone to greet me, someone to carry my luggage with the secret intent of seeing what treasure I had brought for them which lay hidden inside. But this time I knew as I stood at the water puppet show in my mind, there was no one, no one to share all those great experiences with. Dads voice would not be there when I called to report in. Scott would not be at the airport, both of their souls were already in heaven, they had already made their final journey.
So it brings me round to what is the epic journey, I guess it is whatever makes you who you are, for me it has always been Travel hands down, for most it is family. You see people look from their own life of monatany at those of us our exploring the world,, they take in every word in the story we weave of our trip. But they forget their own Epic journey lays in family, they to often take for granted the kids running around their feet, those times spent alone with their partner holding hands at a theater, and finally watching their children graduate. That is lifes epic journey, merely experiencing what life is, be it a rocking bus driving down a rutted road in India. Or helping their children pull in their first trout from a cold Montana Lake.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Why the Zombie Apocalypse will happen

For decades now we have had zombie movies with no real explanation to what causes the zombies, some were virus, others simply had zombies but no explanation of anything.
It became obvious to me one evening when I was discussing with a friend about the symptoms of his thyroid problem, quit literally he was losing his mind. The Thyroid controls so many aspects of your body, form your heart rate to your weight to even how you think. Its easy to see that when this goes, we could have a serious problem on our hand. Fortunately with todays medicine it can be corrected, but we should be asking is why we are exposing ourself to such a health risk in the first place? and what will the long term consequences be?
Recently I was diagnosed with a low thyroid so I began doing some research on how to correct it and what may cause it.
The obvious was radiation of course, as we all know we are to limit our exposure to Xrays, what  I did not know is there is an actual lead collar you can wear around your throat to help protect your thyroid from the radiation, never had one, have you?
My mind raced back to the last Xray I was pissed I even let the doctor give for a bone chip, seriously? I went for it like most people because you feel "doctor knows best" I wonder if that pushed me over the edge, one last little thing without the proper protection that really was not necessary and nothing more than a bank roll for hte hospital. 
At every airport we have body scanners bombarding our body yet again with low amounts of radiation, oh it will not hurt you they claim, really, I am being bombarded with enough radiation to show my willy naked but somehow it will not hurt me? No not now, but like most things we are told ok, in another ten years the danger of it will be revealed.
Those are the obvious ones, the not so obvious are of course hidden in our food, and our water.
Our wonderful government insists in many places on pumping fluoride into our water supply, and you guessed it, Fluoride is not good for your thyroid.
And of course we also have beef being bombarded with radiation so it is safe for human consumption.
Last we have nuclear plants, with the recent disaster in Japan and radiation being pumped into the atmosphere for over a year now it is obvious this will have some effect on people in certain area's as well.
And it simply is only a matter of time until yet another plant goes.
I ask, is this intentional? does this have to do when our loving and caring government smuggled  in Nazi Scientists after ww2? are we just one big experiment?
There is no logic to any of it as far as I can see, maybe there truly is a Devil and God fighting constantly.
But one thing I do know, someday there will simply be to much radiation and our bodies will have had enough.
When that day comes medicine will slowly run out, society will break down, and we will all be left shuffling our feet looking to feed...............



Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Mountain Bike downhill

There  you sit looking down the trail, into oblivion, watching it snake thru the tree's like a trail to hell.
You take a breath, your nostels widen as you bring air deep into your lungs
You push off, your hands grip the bars, maybe a little harder than they should,  The break levers are given slight pressure through your gloves like the trigger on a handgun you take out a little creep for the moment you need total pressure, your feet find their place on the pedals as your knees bent slightly you support your body letting the bike work its science coming to this moment.
Nothing else is heard only the initial sound of your tires making contact on the ground, they sound like a snake hiss as you roll over the earth their tread digging into the ground like a tigers claws as it digs in giving pursuit to its game
Your heart begins to pound as your blood pushes thru your body and adrenaline gives you strength
The wind blows into your glasses your eyes begin to water slightly and the roar reaches your ears and the rush has now began.
You come off your first drop, silence, not even the wind is heard as the tires leave the ground, then you come to earth and feel your tires fangs bite deep into the terra your arms feel the sudden shock and your voice begins to work again as you howl in excitement.
 You lean slightly as you enter the first corner, inside pedal up for clearance you touch your rear brake and slide the rear end around pointing the bike where you want to go as you toss up dirt and rocks are tossed helplessly off the trail into the grass.

Now your on the straight pushing hard looking deep for your next target, your body flexed ready for anything, you pick your line and power thru the rut and grunt as your suspension gives way.
Now your looking hard at the tail of the rider in front of you, cursing as he kicks up rocks bouncing off your shins.
You look for the pass but another corner comes, you brake hard and try to look past him for a place to go, anyplace to pass.
Now the ground is flatter, your not rolling so fast and your legs begin to pump hard trying to keep you rolling fast.
The hump is over and your screaming downhill again and the world blurs around you again your eyes only seeing the trail before you. 
You rail into the next corner, looking thru seeing the end is near you tuck feeling the last bit of air pushing at your shoulders and then you roll over the final stretch, you sit up smiling, your heart begins to slow and you know that once again you are safe, but only for the time being until the next decent begins.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Evil of Home Cooked Food

Thats right, my Step Sis just dropped off some Banana Bread and Chili, oh I had at it, I ripped into it like a zombie tears into brain. Within minutes I had half a Loaf Of Banana bread ingested, oh my but the taste, I must eat more, no no, I have to stop god my belly aches.
I cursed and vowed not to touch it again, but like the fool bachelor that I am I left it on the table, right were I would have to walk by it, "oh only another bite" I told myself god its so good, just melting in my mouth, yums, but no more, NO MORE I have to lose weight and yesterdays ride would not be enough.
I put it in the fridge, next to the Chili she packed, that evil Red Headed Temptress also included shredded cheese and Onion, what the hell is wrong with her, can I really make it to lunch?
Thankfully Chad called, and needed some help, I left the house with the Chili in the back of my mind, yes, yes at least a half an hour I am away from the fridge.
A half an hour turned into an hour thankfully, but soon as I walked thru the door there was a wif lingering in the air of that homeade chili in an intentionally poorly sealed container.
My mouth watered, my stomach still bloated with banana bread rumbled it had room and I would give in, opening the door, dumping the contents into a bowl and popping it into the microwave thingy.
I spilled some, it was to be expected, my hands shook as I watched the timer count down on the microwave.
The buzzer beaped and I tore into it like Robert Downy Jr breaking into a bag of coke, I cant stop, my god it needs crackers though, "more calories" the angel on my shoulder said "shut the hell up and eat you look good fat" the devil replied and I gave into the temptation and added crackers and hot sauce, knowing the devil was right and my side profile was that of envy.
"Burp"
Yea, its ok I feel better, my addiction solved for the moment, maybe another small bowl, there is enough for just one more bowl.
God if this continues I will have to go into treatment at the homecooking clinic.
Sigh
I have to admit though, her cooking has improved dramatically from the days I used to have to scrape the black off the the toasted cheese sandwich. when she was a child :D