North Cascades Camping...a photo blog

Too tired too type now so enjoy the pics

Update on ink

Got it colored by my friend Caleb today, it came out well!!!

To meet my random quota...

This is hillarious but not kid/work safe...

New Ride!!!

There she is, there is a bunch of work to be done to get the beast in proper shape, but that should be done by midsummer! Next steps are a roll cage and some electrical work to add a decent sound system to it.

Below are a couple more pics

So about that $800 dollar repair estimate

To go all Rick Moranis from Spaceballs "Fool You". So recently I was having a major engine coolant leak so I took it to the shop (shall be unnamed) and they came back with $800 bucks to replace the intake manifold gaskets. Well me and my pops we did it ourselves and guess what it ended up costing, $5. That's right $5 for the heat pipe that had gone bad and most of a Saturday spent taking things out of the engine and putting it back together. Needless to say I will not be going back to that shop anytime soon.

mg

I NEED SPRING

Dear weather gods,

I regret to inform you that heavy cold snow is not acceptable even if you melt most of it off fairly quickly. I demand at least 10 days of sunny weather to compensate for this egregious act against my mental healthy.

Sincerely,

Me

http://www.lunchboxlaboratory.com/

http://www.lunchboxlaboratory.com/

So much for being meat free and OMFG DORK BURGER!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM

Acts Accordingly

...

I rarely enjoy commercials but..

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

Crazy weekend spent doing HOMEWORK...wheeeeeeeeeeee

This week is pretty crazy also got a ton of work to get done so I can hopefully avoid any work while enjoying the first weekend of the NCAA tourney in Seattle.

So tomorrow's itinerary:

Gym 5am - 6am
School 6:30 AM- 8am
on campus 8am to 10am
Work 10-630
School 6:30 until bed

Tuesday
Gym 5am
PT 7am
Work 9-530
School 5:30-until bed

Wed
Gym 5am
Work 7am to 4pm
SPOKANE

Espionage

Ok not really, but I am working on an assignment for school that involves me going incognito to a public library I am not known at and scanning their environment. So I headed over to the Latah County Public Library branch in Moscow today and must say it was a nice but different vibe then what I am used to at my work. More on this after my next adventure over there tomorrow where I am planning on writing my paper in their building. I believe that is what one calls irony.

Also just to spite my friend Tara before her birthday I present this amazing YouTube video of perhaps the greatest bad song ever made, not made by the group Night Ranger.

So what did you do with your Saturday afternoon?

Because I did this. Big ups (yes I used that phrase) to my bro Caleb who is just starting his apprentice work in Moscow and I agreed to be his crashtest dummy! It is just black ink for now, color will be added in a few weeks. I am really stoked with the work

Ummmmmmmmmm Yeah

So I haven't blogged much lately been busy with real life and what not. Thursday was great it went something like this

Awake groggy as all get all from NyQuil around 6am throw put Sin City on via the PC promptly fall asleep until Bruce Willis offs himself to end the movie. CRAP I am behind schedule....damn you green death NyQuil but I do feel better

Get to work bust through processing an order from a vendor, a ref shift and random tasks I needed to get done....head to Rico's at 5pm

Catch up with a fellow city employee over a pint or two 1554 a solid if unspectacular dark beer.

Head back to work to study and work on a paper until about 915

Back to Rico's to meet some folks have one pint of 1554.

10pm get the snow off the car parked all day, head to the theater and wait in line for the midnight showing of Watchmen

3am get out of movie it was excellent, surprisingly not tired

Back to the library to grab my laptop and head home.

3:30am finally eat my first real meal of the day rye bread and cheese and some leftover vegetables

3:50 am Not tired so update my desktop and laptop with any necessary updates.

4:15 BLOG for the first time in forever

4:23 Running out of things to say not really tired, must sleep or today will really suck

Because everybody else is making lists...

Here are some things you may not know about me...

1. I hate

2. I am quite sarcastic but I really do care...

3. I am happily admitted nerd... I enjoy building computers, tinkering with electronics, playing guitar hero, playing kingdom of loathing, and many other nerdy things such as but not limited to reading, debating, and games off all sots.

4. I love listening to music and messing with people, the design of this post reflects both of these interests, can you figure out how?

5. I tend to not sleep a lot. Maybe it is insomnia, but I also just don't think need that much sleep.

6. I get really grumpy if I am not properly hydrated...

7. I enjoy the following tv shows: Lost, The Wire, Entourage, Dexter, Leverage

8. I am getting tired this very minute

And now due to my lack of postings a ramble about the importance of discourse

Discourse: V. verbal interchange of ideas

A little ole word but a very important and underutilized aspect of society today. Maybe it was growing up in New England or maybe it was that my family stressed having animated conversations about issues, but discourse is one of my favorite things. It is how I learn the best and learn the most, and the hardest thing to find.

I would have more but it is hard to have discourse with oneself and I am exhausted. However, if you enjoy the exchange of ideas and don't get insulted by occasional intense conversations that include disagreements please let me know.

ItIsISaysMe

What a Glorious Weekend

Seriously what fun this weekend was. I mean outside of all the school and then work on Sunday it was pretty fun. I attended the local Humane Society Benefit dinner and auction and that was a hoot. But then afterwords I went and worked on a a paper for another 2.5 hours.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee grad school

Meh meh meh Monday

I awoke with a serious case of the meh's maybe it was the weekend of studying or just some general apathy but I really didn't want to get out of bed. That is pretty odd considering I was asleep by 9:45 last night. Perhaps it could be me looking at a day that has two different jobs and then who knows how much school work (must get ahead this week because I have a benefit I am attending on Saturday and I work Sunday).

This leads me to my point, grad school is awesome, but...

But if I really wanted to be doing busy work I would have gone all Billy Madison and re-enrolled in the public education system. Oh well it is only one term and then I get into the fun stuff i.e. the classes I want to take but 2 jobs and a full course load is a bit much so after sucking it up for this term, I am going to slow my roll on school.

7vs7 The Bitter End?

Nope I still haven't touched processed food and plan to avoid processed foods as much as I can and I have definitely given up meat and dairy (for the most part). Nothing much to report I fell asleep before I claimed official victory status last night.

7vs7 Final Day

I sleep in YAY that hasn't happened in a long time.

9:30 AM Apple slices, raw almonds and lemon water

11:05 AM Banana, I haven't really been hungry today

4:27 PM I finish soaking some beans and starting turning it into a soup. Potatoes, Barley, celery, roma tomatoes, carrots are added along with pepper and salt. I eat a banana to hold me over until it is ready.

5:40 Pm I test a bowl of the soup it is delicious and I think I made enough to last a week LOL

7:58 PM Having had enough of school for the day I snack on an Orange and a half cup of soup

And the Winner is it is I says Me!

And down goes the defending champion Andrew I must say I am pretty shocked by this development. I am sure the pizza was delicious but it could have waited another day couldn't it?

At least Andrew went out in a great way:


7vs7 2 Day 6: Out! from Andrew Zahler on Vimeo.

Since I do not have a web camera I am going to use this highly appropriate clip from an extremely awesome show as my rebuttal:

7vs7 Friday

Sorry for the late post my whole morning got derailed between physical therapy and a house project.

Anyways today:

6am peppers,onions, potatoes with a side of apple slices

10:34 am Orange and lemon water

12:17 PM Two comice pears

2:03 PM Apple and raw almonds

4:32 PM Done with work for the week I reheat up the last of my homemade soup. I thought it was good until I read and viewed what Andrew made up. I believe a trip to the co-op is in order for tomorrow morning to try to enhance his recipe.

10:14 PM Late night study break of organice blueberrys, raw brazil nuts and of course lemon water

In a Past Life I ate Meat and sometimes it was delicious

Otherwise known as my brief mentioning of the glorious jewish deli Kenny and Zuke's in Portland, Oregon. If the fact that Matt Groening and I both recommend the place is not enough to draw you, then check out these pictures of a Reuben:





If I was still eating meat I would definitely go back even tho the place is fairly spendy. But you can walk just a couple blocks and dine at Pioneer Square which is always nice. Anyways to thumbs up if you are a carnivore.

7vs7 2 Thursday

Up early so I steam some potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and green beans.

5:27 AM Eat some of the above it is delicious, wash it down with lemon and water

9:32 AM Orange and some more lemon water...loading up on the vitamin c with the cold

11.38 AM Leftover Potatoes and veggies that I made this morning.

2:14 PM An Apple more lemon water

5:01 PM Raw Almonds more lemon water as I grind out the work day

7:14 PM Leftovers day. Leftover soup and leftover veggies

I said yesterday I would have something profound to say about the people going out in the 7v7 contest yesterday and I do. I choice picture format because they say a picture is worth a 1000 words and I need more cliches in my posts:

Spokane Food Blog I sum up your doings in the following masterpiece collage of pictures:









To the Rest of the competitors who bowed out:

It's Hump Day

That's right I went there, with the silly, dumb, pointless pic to kick off the daily post. Apparently to quote Queen "And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust" as three of the remaining 7vs7 competitors bit the dust giving in to Ben and Jerry's. Which by the way has a company ever gone from fringe to commercial more so than Ben and Jerry's as they are like the Nike of ice cream. Well it looks like there are only a few remaining players, I was tested today by waking up with a bit of a cold (explains the mehness last night) and no I didn't cave in I squeezed a full lemon into 8 oz of water chugged that SOB and went to the gym. I am sure I will have a much more profound analysis of the one's who didn't even make it to hump day in the challenge.

7 AM Fresh Squeezed Lemon and Water
10:30 AM Two Bananas and a bunch of Almonds
11:41 AM Left over barley and vegetables
5 PM Mashed some tomatoes threw them, water and a bunch of veggies along with some barley into a pot to make some soup.

Boredom leads to posts like this

So I got caught up on Grad School for the night and am now done and feeling relatively meh about everything in general. Not in anyway bah, but mearley a little meh. So to cheer me up I head over to a blog that is entirely inappropriate and really really offensive to get a quick chuckle:

Even this doesn't really knock me out of my mini funk so I contemplate playing a quick set on Guitar Hero World Tour but alas that seems like something where 15 minutes turns into an hour. So I settle on Kingdom of Loathing a fun text based rpg that is a great way to kill a lot or a little bit of time. It is full of great references and in general is a blast. I encourage anybody who enjoys this type of thing to give it a shot (it is free) You can add me as a friend (Solo Gigolos)

I also encourage palindromes

Just because this is supposed to be almost a quarter random:

Day 3 7vs7

I was going to have some truly witty banter up here at the top but honestly I am pretty uninspired today. Perhaps due to the frigid weather or to just because it is a meh day...

8 AM Banana on way to meeting...

10:43 AM Post meeting Red Bartlet Pear and fresh squeezed lemon and water

12:17 PM Lunch time. Leftover dinner from last night (Wild Organic Barley and Veggies)

3:30 PM A Comice Pear organic of course

6:23 PM Dinner time not sure what it will be yet but I think it will involve kelp

8:47 PM Finally made dinner black beans from the co-op, leftover rice, steamed snow peas and carrots with cabbage

A Zen like Discipline????

Or so it has been written, not be me I will gladly point out but nonetheless it has been written. Onto Day 2 of 7vs7, I'm still looking for my Pinky to help me take over the World.

6:30 AM I wake up it is negative 2 outside, I learned this by opening the front door to see how cold it is and promptly shutting the door and going back to sleep until 8:30am. I am pretty sure this is scientific proof that man can indeed best nature as I reawakened to it being a balmy 4 degrees outside. Oh yeah I managed to squeeze some lemon juice, mix it with water and drink it before I bested nature.

9:11 AM Some left over steamed vegetables and a banana.

10:37 AM In 24esque fashion we return from a commercial break to see our hero chomping down on an apple 10:37:13...10:37:14...



12:04 PM LUNCHHHHHHHHHHHH Two boiled potatoes, an apple and some more leftover steamed vegetables...someone from work brought me raw kelp to utilize!

1:56 PM Craving almonds or other such nutty sustenance, but alas I did not bring any with me. Could this be the end?

2:34 PM I am saved by an extra apple I had brought! Huzzah

5:23 PM I ran home for a quick dinner of wild organic barley, green beans, mushrooms, carrots, and celery

8:29 PM An orange and a pear

What is Spurring this Eating shift??

Well many things as I mentioned before a fluctuation in my energy level (not that my lack of a consistent sleep pattern would have anything to do with that =p) and just talking with various people about nutrition. One such conversation took place last night at a library gathering to meet and great the new director and in true NPL fashion have a feast of a meal! Over the course of this dinner the raw foods lifestyle came up and within that conversation I was referred to a book The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I have been reading it all day and it is really resonating with me and giving me lots to ponder. I recommend that people interested in nutrition check it out and just ponder what it discusses.

And yes I have the libraries copy so some of you will have to wait as I re-read it


mg