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AussieAri's weblog
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last modified Dec 22, 2001 at 22:31
Oh fuck yes. They set a weight and a date!
stay tuned reader (that means you Cheryl), for proscription pain killer drug induced stories about what it's like when you fracture your ribs, go to the hospital in santa fe, and recover while still being unemployed but not accepting it.
Honestly i don't know what to make of Bag Lady Sue. Other than i'm surprised there isn't someone in Santa Fe by that name. Mostly i am undecided because her clips are sort of short- and all cover similar jokes about vaginas- which is obviously not a problem for me. Funny things about fannies are great. I just wonder if she talks about anything else besides genitalia? Go wash- i mean WATCH for yourself.
"...using stock photos of meat and add[ing] perspective to create a word made from beefs."
via. Raygun
The Marines keep sending me things in the mail.
I am sore all over and even down in my deep torso muscles. Why?
In taking a break to re-build my body on nutrients to get rid of fatigue combined with someone giving me a back injury during training, i haven't trained let alone really exercised in 2 months. Surfing and walking do not count for me.
That and last night we did knee on belly training drills all class.
ouch.
Not training sucks.
The list is divided into four parts: Clothing, Personal Stuff, Cooking and Camping Gear, and Motorcycle Stuff.
The first part, Clothing, is simple:
1. Two changes of underwear.
2. Long underwear.
3. One change of shirt and pants for each of us. I use Army-surplus fatigues. They're cheap, tough and don't show dirt. I had an item called "dress clothes" at first but John penciled "Tux" after this item. I was just thinking of something you might want to wear outside a filling station.
4. One sweater and jacket each.
5. Gloves. Unlined leather gloves are best because they prevent sunburn, absorb sweat and keep your hands cool. When you're going for an hour or two little things like this aren't important, but when you're going all day long day after day they become plenty important.
6. Cycle boots.
7. Rain gear.
8. Helmet and sunshade.
9. Bubble. This gives me claustrophobia, so I use it only in the rain, which otherwise at high speed stings your face like needles.
10. Goggles. I don't like windshields because they also close you in. These are some British laminated plate-glass goggles that work fine. The wind getsbehind sunglasses. Plastic goggles get scratched upand distort vision.
The next list is Personal Stuff:
Combs. Billfold. Pocketknife. Memoranda booklet. Pen. Cigarettes and matches. Flashlight. Soap and plastic soap container. Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Scissors. APCs for headaches. Insect repellent. Deodorant (after a hot day on a cycle, your best friends don't need to tell you). Sunburn lotion. (On a cycle you don't notice sunburn until you stop, and then it's too late. Put it on early.) Band-Aids. Toilet paper. Washcloth (this can go into a plastic box to keep other stuff from getting damp). Towel.
Books. I don't know of any other cyclist who takes books with him. They take a lot of space, but I have three of them here anyway, with some loose sheets of paper in them for writing. These are:
1. The shop manual for this cycle.
2. A general troubleshooting guide containing all the technical information I can never keep in my head. This is Chilton's Motorcycle Troubleshooting Guide written by Ocee Rich and sold by Sears, Roebuck.
3. A copy of Thoreau's Walden -- which Chris has never heard and which can be read a hundred times without exhaustion. I try always to pick a book far over his head and read it as a basis for questions and answers, rather than without interruption. I read a sentence or two, wait for him to come up with his usual barrage of questions, answer them, then read another sentence or two. Classics read well this way. They must be written this way. Sometimes we have spent a whole evening reading and talking and discovered we have only covered two or three pages. It's a form of reading done a century ago -- when Chautauquas were popular. Unless you've tried it you can't imagine how pleasant it is to do it this way.
I see Chris is sleeping over there completely relaxed, none of his normal tension. I guess I won't wake him up yet.
Camping Equipment includes:
1. Two sleeping bags.
2. Two ponchos and one ground cloth. These convert into a tent and also protect the luggage from rain while you are traveling.
3. Rope.
4. U. S. Geodetic Survey maps of an area where we hope to do some hiking.
5. Machete.
6. Compass.
7. Canteen. I couldn't find this anywhere when we left. I think the kids must have lost it somewhere.
8. Two Army-surplus mess kits with knife, fork and spoon.
9. A collapsible Sterno stove with one medium-sized can of Sterno. This is an experimental purchase. I haven't used it yet. When it rains or when you're above the timberline firewood is a problem.
10. Some aluminum screw-top tins. For lard, salt, butter, flour, sugar. A mountaineering supply house sold us these years ago.
11. Brillo, for cleaning.
12. Two aluminum-frame backpacks.
Motorcycle Stuff. A standard tool kit comes with the cycle and is stored under the seat. This is supplemented with the following:
A large, adjustable open-end wrench. A machinist's hammer. A cold chisel. A taper punch. A pair of tire irons. A tire-patching kit. A bicycle pump. A can of molybdenum disulfide spray for the chain. (This has tremendous penetrating ability into the inside of each roller where it really counts, and the lubricating superiority of molybdenum disulfide is well known. Once it has dried off, however, it ought to be supplemented with good old SAE-30 engine oil.) Impact driver. A point file. Feeler gauge. Test lamp.
Spare parts include:
Plugs. Throttle, clutch and brake cables. Points, fuses, headlight and taillight bulbs, chain-coupling link with keeper, cotter pins, baling wire. Spare chain (this is just an old one that was about shot when I replaced it, enough to get to a cycle shop if the present one goes).
GF wakes me up before I need to be -1
GF looks great +2
I can’t sleep again and am still tired -1
Drop wallet in toilet -1
Have new wallet to use on hand +1
Stuff from old wallet still needs to be washed -1
Car battery dead after three week vacation -2
I have AAA +2
They asses battery, car turns over: it just needs a charge +1
I have motorcycle charger, which also works for 12 volt batteries +1
Car still does not start after charging at proper setting for proper time -3
I have a free day with more than enough time to run errands that need doing +3
Sometimes (like now) I get the menstrual craps real bad -2
Have drugs +1
Still am unable to do more than more from one resting spot to another -2
Hair is too long to put into Pompadour properly -2
Have hair appointment with my great hairstylist +2
Can make appointment (see above) -1
I am back from California. I spent most of it in Santa Cruz staying with Jessie and her family but i got some traveling withing Cali done too. I got a lot of beach time in including sunburn because i am simply so white i need more than 45 SPF. I managed to catch the best wave of the day once after i remembered how to surf but even with a 4/3 wetsuit I only ever managed to stay in the water for 2 hours max. It's surprisingly frikin cold in the Nor Cal ocean year round- about 49-55. Sitting on a board waiting for a wave and getting hit wind i ended up being miserable and shaking before i went in each time. I took a wine cruise around part of the Monterrey Bay on The Chardonnay II thanks to my friend working there. I biked around a fair bit seeing a great deal of Santa Cruz, slept as i wanted to, read a bunch of books, ate well and A LOT gaining 5 pounds (a good thing- now i can gain some muscle back as i burn the fat), Adela introduced me to the In-N-Out burger chain (i won't get start- i really am obsessed with the place). I got to see a Cal-Arts end of year party type stuff and decided not all arts schools would have been horrible for me. She also took us to rock formations made by two tectonic plates clashing in the mountains outside LA. They film westerns there. My time in LA left me wondering if there was anyone who wasn't just acting and if the whole place wasn't just a huge movie set. I had a crazy shopping day in there where i basically went to every shop on the main strip in Santa Cruz and bought several outfits with matching accessories (wasn't able to find an adequate hat though). Some of the stuff is just so outrageous i should post photos of it. I also attended a fabulous wedding in Davis with old Johnny friends and saw Cheryl play in a banked track roller derby match against the LA Derby Dolls who have an off the fucking hook set up. We both go haircuts and strolled around Santa Monica. I stayed at the worst lodgings i've ever actually paid for (Econolodge, downtown Sacramento) getting spider bites all over me after my night there. And I finished up by driving around the grid in Sacramento and seeing Erin who i don't think i've actually seen in about 3 years. Really great actually relaxing vacation.
I'm going to take Highway 1 next time if i have to go from So Cal to Nor.
I can not remember a interpretation of a tux made for a women i haven't liked...until i saw Rihanna wearing this. Ugh. Well, i suppose if it's her way of saying 'I am strong! No man is gonna punch me out again!' then fair enough.
I went to one of the local (soon to not be) arts college's final parties.
I:
1) Got beer split on me by a drunk guy for the first time ever.
2) Got looked at by all these easy to bed art kids
3) Encouraged Cheryl to steal the cheese platter (with crackers of course) so we could eat it outside. She did.
4) Encountered a semi stalker (not mine) that brought back all our favorite tales about other veracious Santa Fe stalkers.
So two out of four things that never happened to me at college finally did. While i don't feel like my college experience is now complete and fulfilled due to them, it did make me realize i'm really glad i chose St. John's over art school. ANY art school.
Sorry RISD.
Hours have been dropped- we'll see if they return after my vacation. With so many casinos around norther NM i guess there's always Oscar's Grind. Way to use my math degree.
via. Andy
Want!
Yeah it's not a full book but i'll take what i can get!
She lets you use bacon lube. Suck on them bacon lollipops! Kiss me in Bacon Lipbalm. Roll me in Bacon Salt. Dip me in Baconnaise and top with Squeez Bacon. And stock the pantry in case of Zombie attack with Canned Bacon (lasts ten years!!!) while i down a bottle of Bacon Vodka for courage and eat Bacon Ice Cream for desert. Now remove your fancy bacon smelling tuxedo. Don't forget to floss with bacon and be sure to set the Wake n' Bake for late!
Clearly, This is why you are fat.
Last week i went down to Route 66 Fine Line Tattoo In Abq and had Gilbert draw out a sketch of the back tattoo i've been thinking about for around 5 years now. It wasn't exact as to the specific markings of three cats i wanted but the point was to give me a concrete idea what it would look like to get a full back tattoo of wild cat markings. The details of line work, texture, and shading, aren't really worth putting in on a sketch like this.
From top to bottom the markings belong to: Khera the Tigress, Goliath the Clouded Leopard, Zanzibar the African Leopard.
The only things i would change off of this sketch as far as layout is concerned: I would probably make the tiger stripes wider, thicker and a bit more spread out. They should shove the clouded leopard's marking down about 2 inches. The clouded leopard markings would probably go wider on my back as well. The leopard spots look just fine- he really followed the line of my body well.
In general i was really jazzed and pleased with how it turned out.
There is of course the whole issue of actually getting this tattoo. There are a lot of reservation that come up regardless of how much i like it and how i KNOW that it will continue to be relevant and meaningful to me. I've had many ideas for tattoos over the years- and only the smallest and simplest of them all have i gotten so far. Who knows when and if i will get past my reservations. I may just wait till i'm 30 to get this tattoo like i have jokingly said i would so many time.
By then perhaps that removable tattoo ink will have been tested for the longer haul and better developed. They certainly have a pretty good list of shops currently using the ink. Many people argue that the very idea of removable ink is against the primary point of tattoos and therefore undermines their value.
I wish we had a chai wala. But then i also wish we had bubble tea in Santa Fe.
This past week things finally turned green here in northern NM. I noticed it on my drive down to ABQ yesterday. Last week on the drive it had looked barren, this week? Tufts enough to give the landscape a much needed splash of light and bright green, making you realize it's actually not a dead dust bowl. Knowing that there's life out there swiftly takes away my seasonal depression like the entire long gray anesthetization of winter never existed.
FINALLY.
Cheryl and I have been sprouting seeds. We had a batch of very old seeds going and out of that the Fava Bean, Crookneck Squash, Parsley, Basil, Slicing Cucumber, Lemon Cucumber, and Pole Tomato sprouted and servived.
We then bought current seeds and are they are now sprouting: Wild Beets, Baby Carrots, Oregano, Sage, Two kinds of Eggplant, Cilantro, Onion, Thyme, Sugar Snap Peas, Broccoli and Cauliflower. Most of which have already showed signs of life.
I've had gardens fail on me before so i'm trying to just be content with watching them grow from seeds- who knows what will happen when they get out into the garden area by the side of the house (a 4 1/2 by 7 foot area). The garden area still needs to be tilled and worked before we transplant. Gods, there's like gobs of info i need to learn before we plant- planting patters, co-mingling, root depth!? Luckily i made a new buddy who is starting a garden and also have some old friends i can talk to who have their own gardens.
My mum's family may have been farmers but we did sheep- and a few crops that pretty much took care of themselves or had already been established. We had a glorious orchard with many citrus and fruit trees out the back of the farm house and a drip watering system for it all. Yeah- so while i love such floral things and they inspire me and make me happy, i'm really much more intuitive about meat made things.
I headed ABQ way last night for Cheryl's first roller derby game of the season. Despite a super slick track and what seems to be a general lack of comradery most of the league based in ABQ has for their Santa Fean counter parts, her team- the Disco Brawlers- won! I'm so proud of her and them. She was playing fab-u. I hope they can work something out with the Star Center so that they can condition the track and have derby at the pace it should be played. Unfortunately, Cheryl is in bed with the shits today, completely unrelated to her derby performance though. It's good to have a sports team again. All those crazy feelings you may have conditioned out of yourself that come flooding back in over a game you're not even playing. I'm reminded of one of my buddhist mentors yelling at her favorite football team.
Percy, the old man, has been a wee bit sick. He got over his sinus infection but the part of it that spread to his left eye and is inflaming his under eyelid we're still medicating. He's all winky. At least he's eating steadily again despite what's called a 'chew tag' at the back of his mouth that had been irritating him. Poor old guy. He's a 17 year old cat you know!
I think today may be dedicated to Spring cleaning. It really needs to frikkin happen at our house. I think i'm going to give up even my favoritest of po-mo fiction books that are easily replaceable (no, not the jeanette winterson- stuff like 'desert solitaire' and 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance') in an attempt to try and limit myself to one book shelf. Of course- two of five shelves are taken up with my own writings and boring legal/financial papers, another shelf that is overflowing with everything related to swords/knives/steel/patterns/metal/ martial arts material that i need to keep for work, and another shelf is full of poetry books that CAN'T be easily replaced...so...this may just be a futile attempt in the name of spring cleaning. The quantity of family's stuff still haunts me- i'm not ready to take it on or make decisions about some of it. The fact that to make most art you need a bunch of shit on hand and the desire to live simply clash with one another. Let me know if you've got a solution. Sometimes i wish i could do less tricks, i wouldn't have to wander all over the place playing them.
My dad is moving to ABQ sooner than expected. I'm actually happy about this which was a dramatic change from when his moving was a nebulous thing. He got offered a job with the NM forestry service (no, auditing in their main office- not tromping around the trails). This is hilarious. This is hilarious because for all of our family's life up until i was in highschool he was an Oil man. A big international opportunistic not so environmental company's OIL GUY. I suppose it's kind of like a bunch of the staff and admin at St. John's, our beloved ivory tower of liberal arts pursuit and academia, having worked for Monsanto at one time or another. HA-HA. So dad will be grabbing a condo down town-ish in mid May and hauling more of the family stuff down this southern way. He's interested in getting land but i don't believe he realizes the prices even in this freaked out market.
If you'd like to start becoming an isolationist, now is a good time to start with this outbreak as your fodder.
"Are ha-has like hoo-hoos?" - Sandeep
"well...some hoo-hoos are like ha-has but not all ha-has are hoo-hoos." -Ari
Watching the second to last Star Trek TNG Episode wherein the entire crew minus Picard and Data have completely de-evolved.
*Picard and Data discover Deanna Troi has becomes a slimmy green amphibious thing.*
*Cheryl screams*
"Oh that's horrible!" - Cheryl
"Nah, she's just de-evolved into being Welsh again!" -Ari
Yo-kay. I got sick of the internet and most modern technology/artificial things in general about a week ago and have been in a funk reminiscing this since. Don’t worry- I’ll be dropping off the face of such things for a restorative vacation in May so my general irritation should go away and I’ll blog more. It’s been snowing in Santa Fe. What a fucked up spring. I am not down with global warming anymore- we are officially at odds. Where is the warm??? Buggery alle thys for a larke- I’m going to California!
In the mean time, I’ve been asking myself- Command, Science, or Engineering?
Mostly I came up with Engineering even if ‘mustard yellow’ is not an attractive colour. We’re going for Geek Chic anyway!
A while ago I blogged about certain Japanese fighters (the men that is) that get flashy with their outfits and entrances. Well…it seems there are cos-playing is another favorite pastime of some fighters. And basically wearing underwear when fighting MMA. Um. And pantsu wrestling. You’re just going to have to look that one up on your own though.
I am refraining from singing ‘short shorts’ at this very moment.
I happened to listen to Eminem’s ‘We Made You’ recently. On the one hand, it’s entertaining. I’m not one of those feminists who’s going to get all up in arms about one of rap’s biggest stars writing a song almost entirely supported by the gossip and rumors about popular females in the news. It just ain’t worth it. On the other hand, this latest video just isn’t as smart in his self aggrandizing/self deprecating, pop star dissing fun as his other ones. Worth a watch.
I need to try this. I heard it’s bloody painful though.
The Santa Fe Complex seems cool. I really have no idea what they’re about though.
There’s a local guy who runs: Electromagnetichealth.org
Despite many alarmist ‘sensitive’ wirdos that I have the displeasure of coming into contact with around here, I don’t have a stance on this yet. The results are becoming more and more apparent as more studies are being done though.
The Chive.com has been entertaining me when I run through lolcatz to look at.
You know, Australia really should have it’s own weird news website, along the lines of ‘Weird Asian News’. Hum, now that I think of it, maybe it should just be Stupid Australian news…here’s the first article they can list: Rugby Players Fined After Quokka Chucking Incident.
Once upon a time young Ari always wanted to play her cousin's video games. Especially one of them that was called Leisure Suit Larry in the Land Of The Lounge Lizards. Being such a young pup i could never answer the age verifications properly so i rarely got in to play it.
It seems Larry has kept on kicking around one way or another. I regret that the mobile version IS NOT available in the US and neither is the game to download. Maybe it just so lame in the way it makes fun of Americans that it sells better elsewhere where it doesn't seem as lame.
Anyway. Here's the gay song from one of the volumes of the game.
A neighborhood boy whom we have dubbed 'Pork Chop' for reasons that are...highly descriptive, just came to the door with three bars of chocolate in his hot hands saying he's selling them for his school.
For a brief second i was torn between making a joke about taking candy from strangers and telling him that i make chocolate (which i KNOW is better than what he's peddling).
Instead i give him a dollar and am able to select a bar from the small selection, "any one you like but they're a little sticky"
When was the last time i supported education anyway? Not that pouring more money into schools is the answer to all the ignant people i see but maybe if young squire Pork Chop does well selling chocolates it may be a small success for him. Weather of not they're for his school i have a feeling success is something he's in desperate need of.
This still leaves me with a nasty bar of chocolate: 'World's Finest' i am told. What the f am i gonna do with this thing?
After the jacket, for better (read: non-painful) touring performance it would be really grand to get:
Airhawk air cushion. So my arse doesn't hurt for several days after the ride.
Chrome cruise control with easy set/release. If you've ever taken a long trip on a bike without cruise control or even if you had a throttle rocker you'll understand.
And a reusable oil filter would be pretty functional.
"Our cats are so creative they pee outside the box." - cheryl
"i'm going to go blog that." - ari
"you like it? awesome. I'm going to go change the litter." - cheryl
T.I.A.I.L.W.: Amanda (fucking) Palmer. Luckily for me, she's coming to town!
Since my father is moving to NM to be closer to me (his only child), i've decided to run a craigslist add for him for a companion. He's not good at making friends himself and i don't want to be his only source of interaction. I'm really hoping this won't turn out to be some cocked up woody allen like situation but who ever heard of the internet hurting people right? HA!
I'm surfing facebook and low- to the left is this caption advertising Olivia Cruises:
20 years.
150 trips.
100,000 lesbians.
Nothing could make me run screaming in the other direction faster.
You know...too much of any one thing.
Firstly, My Puss.
And now that we've got that straight-
Secondly, this is one sweet motorcycle jacket. Really sweet actually. Since the demise of my old biker jacket (no i don't want to talk about it) i need a new one and so far this one is in the lead for favorite.
There's a new show up at Kakawa which i like us having up. Not just because it's ballsy, not just because it's for a good cause, but because the paintings are clearly done with love and sensitivity to the subject matter. That subject matter is starving and often AIDS infected African children.
People in Santa Fe just don't like this kind of art. They rile against it. Evidence of which can be seen in two cases i'll recount.
First, some people (obviously up tight PC arsehole that only moved here recently) a few years ago complained about a statue of children playing that was in the down town area. Why were they so upset? The statue depicted one child 'shooting' the other. In play. And so it was removed by some pandering legislators who also said it was about time to make way for a 'new' statue anyway. Why, that one had been there several decades!
Then there's the what i like to call 'the holy handgrenade'. It has not only been pulled over by someone's truck causing thousands in damage to the gold plate finish, but also spray painted, and had the pin pulled out. Finally what has set people at peace with this object they so wish to do violence to? It now sports plastic doves affixed to it. Don't get me wrong- i like guerrila art and re-action to art like that but the message is clear.
Santa Fe does not want any of your art that may make them uncomfortable. Anything that reminds them of suffering, pain, oppression, hunger, filth, insanity, violence, bodily fluids- you name it, let's just call it 'dark', is right out. There's just no place for it in these high desert skies.
I've walked down Canyon Road many times and have tootled in many a gallery there. The only things even remotely similar to the themes i mentioned above that i've ever seen were a painting of a cougar with a freshly killed deer hanging from it's mouth, an indian brave ridding into action, a cowboy with his six shooter out, and a few of the more dramatic pictures from the ring cycle which we can file away under 'acceptable and known myth that approaches fantasy in people's minds'.
I start to think about the big artists who changed the art world of the past century and i realize very few of them would have shown well in Santa Fe. Dali's painting of the subconscious, so often run through with fear and displacement. Picasso's women- in all their tortured and whorish forms. Don't even mention HR Geiger. Insert your own favorite artist from the past century's name and see it would hold true.
Let's hear it for the end of the L Word one more time from Lizzy the Lezzy! And if you honestly miss that crap, i suggest you either rent The D Word or watch through this parody, The F Word.
..
...
.Quiefing!!
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