Where are the bears? 

Enjoyed a little camping trip this weekend. Nice to be out of town, if only for a day. Still, no one was out there and for good reason. It was the coldest night I've ever spent in the woods. Spent the whole night with my head under the sleeping bag.. which is usually way to hot. Worth it though.. beautiful here. There's actually there's a lot more forest land in New Mexico than you'd think.

Books:
Read a cool little book called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Its a humorous novel about an autustic math genus who tries to figure out who killed a neighbor's poodle and gets wrapped up in his parents dirty laundry. Well written with a very nice voice, I highly recommend it.

Here's a funny look at really bad halloween costumes for sale

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3294

Also.. today I was driving in Albuquerque and stuck in traffic when Rio Grande by Duran Duran came on. And I realized that at that moment I was crossing the actual Rio Grande which was kind of cool. Maybe this is a sign that the universe really has a whole synchronicity to it or maybe its just a coincidence.

Best Show on TV

Rapid Fire

Lotto Fever

I always think its funny when the nationwide lottery jackpots get really big and everyone rushes out to get a lottery ticket. We all know why it is.. its because the media coverage reminds most of us non-gamblers 'Hey, why don't you go buy a lottery ticket?' but it still strikes me as stupid. I mean, so when the pot is going past the $100, $150, $200 and $250 million mark are all these people saying 'No, its not really worth the effort.. after taxes and the lump sum.. its only worth about $38 million anyway.' There's not really any harm to it, unless you standing in a line for 15 minutes at some 7-11 and then you really need to evaluate your self. Besides, its always the crazy rednecks that win those things anyway.

Fighting For My Right to Post This

Heard something today I've heard a few times on talk radio lately and it gets me riled up. It was on Sean Hannity and this guy said something he didn't like in reference to the war and the host says basically: 'we'll your ignorant and those guys over there are fighting for your right to say ignorant things'.
Whoa there. We're we that close to being overrun by Iraq? Was Saddam really planning to invade New Hampshire at any minute? Look, if you want to say they were fighting to protect us from harm, I don't necessarly buy it, but I can see how you could make that argument. But the idea that the War in Iraq is what's keeping the 10 Commandments from being burned to tiny little ashes is a gigantic leap.
If you want to say that someone signs up for the military to protect the Constitution I'll agree any day, but people aren't dying in Iraq so that I can watch South Park.. that's just ignorant.


Arrested Development

God this is a good show. Just bought the DVD of Season 2 and laughed my ass off. Its no wonder the show doesn't do well in the ratings, its way to complex to catch up with while you're flipping through the channels. That doesn't mean that you have to be some comedy genius to get the jokes, but like those british miniseries about the 18 hundreds on PBS.. if you haven't been watching for a while, you're way to far out of the plot to get anything. Highly reccomend Seasons one and two.. Ask for them for Christmas.

Go Beavers

Beavers will beat the highly over-rated UCLA Bruins this weekend. Check the Bruins' schedule, they haven't beaten anybody good. No way UCLA is No. 8 in the country.

I guess Gargamel finally won. (Courtesy: AP)

Smurf-ageddon

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/10/11/unicef.smurfs.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

If you haven't heard about this, its kind of funny, kind of morbid.

Incidentally, while trying to look up how to spell Gargamel, I ran across this paragraph in a synopsis of the Smurf series.

"Despite its incredible popularity, The Smurfs did encounter some controversy. Some adults considered the show discriminatory in its portrayal of Smurfette, the female Smurf. In addition, there were some serious (and not so serious) comparisons made between socialism (feared at the time) and the Smurf lifestyle."

Never thought of the Smurfs as a covert tool of communists, but okay. They did the same thing to Sponge-Bob and Tinky-Winky.. but did we say anything about GI Joe? No way. They're just cartoons.

Here's my new house. Yep, Its tan.

New Digs

After a year and a half in a very nice high rise (by albuquerque standards) apartment, I'm finally moving out.
Renting a room in a house with a 29 year old wildland firefighter. Found it on Craig's List and the guy was nice and the house was nice so I decided to go through with it.
While I loved the layout and comforts of my apartment, it was just too darn expensive, and since I want to get out of here in 16 months with some freedom to wait for the job I want, it just seemed like the right thing to do.. since I'll be saving about 400 bucks a month.
The funny thing is.. while I loved living alone, I think just being in the same house as someone else will motivate me to be cleaner, eat healthier, and get out more. Since I haven't been seeing anyone lately, there hasn't been much reason for me to clean up the place.. and its getting out of hand.

But in case my new roommate turns out to be psycho and chops me up into little bits with his firefighting ax, I will miss you all.

That's a big can of dog food. 

Week Update:

Went to Balloon Fiesta Thursday, loved it. Still encourage everyone to go.

Trying hard to find a place to live, think I have a good house to rent a room in.

Semi-Famous people I know sightings: Turns out this girl who lived in my dormroom at Oregon State is on survivor now. Her name is Brooke. Also a girl I went to high school with is in another commerical; this one for taco bell. Her line is "hey there grill man" Not sure that's really the sign a great career but it probaby pays okay.

Post-Season Baseball is way more exciting than regular baseball. Why do they have to play 160 games during the year? The NBA, NHL and MLB should all have much shorter seasons. Take a cue from the NFL.

I'm 4 years late but I love the show 24.

No way is Jessica Beal the sexiest woman alive (per Esquire Magazine). Kirstin Davis, Julie Bowen, Sienna Miller, several news anchors, Gwyneth Paltrow and even crazy Katie Holms are much better looking.

I like spice cake.

Balloon Fiesta 2005

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Its Balloon Fiesta Week, and we just finished the first weekend. If you're not familiar with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, its the largest Ballooning event in the nation. Hundreds of balloons participate in competitions, rallys, balloon glows and other fun things.

Weekends are the best, because there's the Mass Ascensions, when 700 Balloons take off over 2 hours. They stage on an area the size of 3 to 4 football fields and the balloons line up and take off, while spectators get to mix in around all the balloons as the take off. Some of the balloons are just regular Balloon shaped, others look like anything from Aliens to animals, to devils and angels to cans of Dog food.

Its really the most amazing man-made event I've ever seen; Way better that any parade floats. And I can't strees enough that TV images and pictures do not do it justice. If you ever get a chance in your life to see this event check it out.

You can see more about Balloon Fiesta on our TV station's web site, and even watch a live Broadcast this weekend from 7-9 Mountain Time.

http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/balloonfiesta/index.html

Scene from documentary Grizzly Man. (Courtesy: Lions Gate) 

Review: Grizzly Man

It's a funny thing about trying to live a nobel life; you walk a fine line between seen as a champion for a cause or being seen as a crackpot. To truely make a difference you probably have to walk that line between activist and fanatic. One step to the right and you're seen as just another person who can't commit to change, and one step to the left.. and you step outside the relm of normal society, with people who can have a conversation about the weather, shop at a mall, or allow yourself luxuries like new cars and new underwear.

Grizzly Man is a lot about a guy who tries to walk that line.. and completely falls over to the left hand side. Basically this crazy, wannbe actor, goes and lives with bears for 13 summers, gives them cute names and thinks he's one of them. In the end, a bear he's unfamiliar with mauls him to death. The movie lets you make up your own mind about whether or not you think he's crazy or really has a purpose. I think he's crazy. An alcoholic who turned in his booze to get drunk on his sense of self-rightousness, but then a friend asked me 'if he was happy, and didn't hurt anybody maybe that was a good life for him?' Very true.

Anyways, to those of you reading, decide for your self if its noble to give up a normal existance to be a fanatic about some cause. Me, I think a Superman complex is more likely to alienate a person from their family and friends, and turn to some kind of personal crucade that really has no real-life goal. If we all just do a little bit, it works a lot better than one person trying to do everything.

Good movie though, check it out.