A good friend of mine has recently started his own blog. He really didn't know much about what a blog was but has gotten off to an amazing start. You can check out his blog here. His first blog talks about the things going on in his life, and if you're married, I think you'll find some scary commonalities. Check it out!

Posted by obigabu at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My first day in Mammoth was pretty busy. Wonko and I ran a bunch of errands, trying to get everything ready for our trip into the woods tomorrow. We're going to ski about 3 miles in to the back country, dig and ice cave, and sleep there for the night. Hopefully we don't freeze to death. We shouldn't because we have all the right gear. Our sleeping bags are rated for 0 degree temps and will be wearing plenty of layers on our travel. The ice cave should provide the rest of the needed warmth to stay alive. It's going to be tough but I think (hope) I can handle it. Wonko has done this many times, but this will be my first. We plan to be back on Sunday, where we will be having, what now appears to be a huge Super Bowl party. I have no clue who's playing, but I'm sure it will be fun. Until later folks, I'm signing off from another night in Mammoth, California.

Posted by obigabu at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well I made it safe and sound, all in one piece, and I have to tell you I'm feeling pretty good. I'm told that I'm at an elevation of approximately 8000 feet, which is considerably higher than I think I've ever been, or at least, in as far as I can remember. As I prepare for bed tonight, I feel a wonderful sensation, something of a high feeling. I suppose it's the high altitude, but I also believe it's the sure joy of just being in such a beautiful place, even though my arriving in darkness has prevented me from seeing it in it's visual glory.
I'm definitely going to have to adjust to the weather. It's pretty cold for me as I sit here, bundled up in wool socks, jeans and layered shirts, and shaking as uncontrollably as wet epileptic dog with a nose drip. Wonko picked me up at the airport in a t-shirt and jeans and has made fun of me for being a wimp to the cold. I've got 4 days, I'll get better.........I hope. I better get off to sleep though, got an early morning coming.

I leave you with a BIG "COLD" GOODNIGHT from Mammoth, California.

Posted by obigabu at 02:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm finishing the last of my laundry and packing my bags for my trip to the mountains. I probably won't get a chance to blog tomorrow because I'll be working all day tomorrow and then heading to the airport soon after. As I said before, I'm really excited about this trip and can't wait till the plane touches down. It's going be awesome to see first hand the snow capped mountains Wonko wanders off to. After talking to Wonko last night, we're going to spend Saturday night in the woods and be back for an awesome Super Bowl party on Sunday.
I'm bringing my laptop with me and hope to be online while I'm there. If my AIM indicator says I'm online, feel free to give a hollar.

Posted by obigabu at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

That's right folks, between my new bed, my upcoming trip to visit Wonko, I'm not really thinking of anything else. However, I promise that when I return, I should have plent of things to talk about. Until then, Adios Amigos.

Posted by obigabu at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Only 3 days before I leave the dry and smothering desert of Phoenix, Arizona for the frigid and refreshing air of Mammoth Lakes, California. I can't wait! I'm on my way to visit Wonko and to spend some time in the backcountry (his back yard). He's been living there on the mountain now for about 2 years, and my previous attempts to visit were unfruitful. Though, this year for my birthday, my wife insisted it be her present, to send me. With that being said, I was "all in", and made plans to spend 4 days in the wilderness with my good buddy. I leave Thursday evening, and arrive in Reno, Nevada, where Wonko will be waiting to pick me up and drive the 4 hours back to his house. As well as being an extremely rewarding experience, I believe the respite from Arizona alone, will provide the much needed rest my soul requires.

3 Days To Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Though, who's counting?)

Posted by obigabu at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I spent the day with my wife's grandparents yesterday and an interesting topic came up. We somehow got on a discussion about the school system and my wife said somehting about homework. Her Grandfather quickly responded, saying: "Bankers, Plumbers, Cooks, and Grocers don't bring their work home, why should a student bring homework home?" I thought about this for a minute and I thought i made some sense. He continued to tell us that it was the teachers responisiblity to teach and not to send work home for the parents to teach the children. This sounds a bit harsh, but also makes a lot of sense to me as well. I mean with all the educational reform out there, it would be nice to see our children actually learning. I understood what he was trying to say. Kids should go to school and get their education and understanding about the working world and then come home and be a kid.
I just wanted to put this up here for thought. Let me know what your thoughts are on this. I for one say, "Down with homework!"

Posted by obigabu at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (1)

As I mentioned in Worn Out: Excuse # 4351, I have for the last couple years felt pretty lethargic and wander around tired much of the time. I finally made it to the doctor last month and the results left no indication as to why I was felt so exhausted. Refusing to believe it was pure laziness, I continued to search for answers. On my trip to Mexico, my wife and I had the opportunity to sleep in a couple hotels, which had large firm king size beds. Each morning, I awoke with unbelievable energy and exuberance. I talked to my wife and convinced her it was necessary to purchase a new bed. You see, we've been married now for 7 years and have never had a "good bed". We began our marriage with her childhood full bed. After realizing it was absolutely too small, we moved on and purchased a brand new queen size mattress with box springs for $100.00. We slept in style and comfort for a few months. That is, until the bed became so terribly lousy that the springs poked us from every angle and direction while we slept. Economical Deficiency Syndrome prevented us from purchasing a better one. We only finally acquired a new one, by having one given to us by my wife's parents. It however, much better than the previous, was being replaced because it was old and sagging. A couple years later, my wife's great grandmother, needing regular supervised care, moved in with her children, leaving a much better bed available. Now after 3 years of uncomfortable sleep, we have purchased a "BRAND NEW" king size bed. It's a Simmon's Beauty Rest, and from the comfort of this bad boy, I'd say it's going to last us quite a long time. So without another word, I'm off to sleep in the paradise I've aptly named "Big Wonderful".

Posted by obigabu at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Blue Goo Ate My Mom had a link to this on his blog and I absolutely love it. I had it today playing over and over for hours in my office. Yea, I know, I'm a little obsessive.

You know what's also funny about it? If you play it continuous you'll see that the loop is off just a smidgen. So, if you play it for about 15 minutes, everything is out of wack.

Posted by obigabu at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To a room, predominately filled with white haired men he is introduced. Wearing a crooked smile, he begins addressing the nation.
Without hesitation, he reminds us of the thousands of American servicemen and woman, deployed across the world in the war on terror, bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent. Continuing, he prefaces the topics of the night’s speech, explaining: "Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in the world. The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you passed is working."
Throughout the speech, the token democrats like Hilary Clinton and Ted Kennedy applaud with little enthusiasm, and at one point, bush is booed when he says, "Unless you act, the unfair tax on marriage will go back up. Unless you act, millions of families will be charged 300 dollars more in Federal taxes for every child. Unless you act, small businesses will pay higher taxes. Unless you act, the death tax will eventually come back to life. Unless you act, Americans face a tax increase. What the Congress has given, the Congress should not take away: For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent."

Moving on to promises, he pledges to reduce the deficit by half in the next 5 years and continues:

"blah, blah, blah, The people of Iraq are free, blah, blah, blah , we captured so and so and so and so and so and so and so and so, blah, blah, blah , the No Child Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America's children, blah, blah, blah , our agenda for jobs and growth must help small business owners, blah, blah, blah , the Social Security system should be a source of ownership for the American people, blah, blah, blah , reform our immigration laws, blah, blah, blah , eliminate wasteful and frivolous lawsuits, blah, blah, blah , a government run health care system is the wrong prescription, blah, blah, blah , we must stand with our families to help them raise healthy and responsible children, blah, blah, blah , get rid of steroids now, blah, blah, blah , Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted disease, blah, blah, blah , we now move forward with confidence and faith, blah, blah, blah ,the momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable, blah, blah, blah , May God continue to bless America. Thank you."

Authors Note: Isn't that all nice and proper? The problem is it happens to be everything every American needed to hear. Was it sincere? Was it truth? The speech was neither good nor bad, it was written and delivered for all us in mind. Written so we could walk away and feel comfortable with him as a president and as future president. When will we see past this charade? When will we recognize that we are sold everyday by things we want to hear? I'm not saying I disagree with anything he said, though I am questioning the motivation of which he said it. I'm not attempting to make a debate as to whether or not he is or is not a good president, but I'm tired of hearing. I want action. We listen but we don't hold these politicians accountable to their words. They run polls, give speeches, make promises, and continue to lead us loosely by our ears without ever delivering any real programs or incentives that make anything any better. I say blah, blah, blah , because I've heard it all before.

Posted by obigabu at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

About a year and a half ago, my brother and I were playing InkLink, a multi-player, pictionary game on Shockwave. We came across this belligerent and angry fellow named akumayakuza (his game handle). Through a feature in the game, he would follow us from room to room, and then kick us out of the room we were playing in. We somehow got him to give up his AIM screen name and scared him in to thinking we were going to hack is computer. We really had no intention of "hacking" his computer at all, but scared him enough to apologize for his misbehavior. Over the course of time since we'd first met, akumayakuza and I have talked on AIM, and though he sometime tends to rant and rave about his crazy life, he seems to be a pretty good guy.
A few weeks ago I tried to send him an AIM, though, I only received his away message. His away message was wonderfuly expressive and written very well. The next time I spoke with him, I suggested that he take up blogging and use it to unleash some of his pent up anger. He accpeted and we established in presence in the blogoshpere on BlogSpot.
He's only got 2 entries on there now, but I suggest you read his latest. While he's not a trained writer, he writes with such brilliant imagery, it makes you understand the way he feels. Please take a moment to welcome this new blogger, and read his last entry.

Posted by obigabu at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So, like I mentioned the other night, I'm a bit out of shape and decided to change this by running. So I pulled the treadmill out and after some technical difficulties I got it working. I decided that I'd run for one mile. After all, one mile isn't so far, is it? I mean 7 years ago I was running 5 miles a day in the Army. It turns out, that if one hasn't run in quite a while, that "one" mile is quite a long distance. In fact, it was such a long distance that I didn't feel too hot afterwards.
That's right, I didn't give up. Nearly dying, I made my way down that long stationary mile. Dripping with sweat, I decided to get in the shower to cool off and to get cleaned up for bed. Upon stepping in to the running water of the shower, I got this queasy feeling, a feeling as if I were going to die, right there in the shower. (read extended entry for graphic detail of what happened next)

I began projectile vomiting all over the tub, the shower curtain, and myself. The only thought I had in my mind, was that of dying in my tub and laying in my own vomit and feces (which I was scared was going to come next). I mustered the last ounce of sanity from my broken body, rinsed my self off, climbed out of the shower soaking wet, and fell on my bed where I believed I would die. I lay there long enough to compose myself and realize that death wasn't eminent and then got up to clean the shower.
I'm not quite sure exactly what had happened physiologically, but what I do know now is that: one mile is a long road to travel when you haven't gone close to there in a while. Next time, I'll take it a little easier and set a more realistic and attainable distance. I don't want to go through that again. There's nothing like running a mile, only to have to clean your own vomit from the tub. I can just see it: "now announcing the 2008 Summer Olympics' newest event 1.6 Kilometer run and cleanup".

Posted by obigabu at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Got to go, gonna go run on me treadmill. Me needs to get back into shape, so's what me's going to do is get my fat rear end up on that treadmill and run it off. Be back later, when I'm a pound or so lighter.

Posted by obigabu at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently, while listening to NPR, I heard about this website and how they sponsored a competition for people to submit their own 30 second commercials, starring George W. Bush. Ironically, all of the 100,000+ entries were anti-Bush. The website currently hosts the top 24 finalist. Whether you side for, or against Bush, I suggest you watch all or as many as you can stand; there's some really great work and thought put into them.

My suggested favorites are:

"Child's Play"
"Desktop"
"Hood Robbin"
"Bush Repair Shop"
"If the Bush Administration Were Your Roommate"
"Brother, Can You Spare a Job?"
"Al Keyda"

Posted by obigabu at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Yea, I'm a little under the weather. In my attempt to avoid all people, I some how managed to get sick anyway. Man, I tried so hard, I avoided so many people, and I took all that Echinacea and Vitamin C. I'm headed to sleep early, maybe that'll work.

**Cough** **Cough** Goodnight.

Posted by obigabu at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This is great.

Posted by obigabu at 06:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to this New York Times article I found referenced on kasei's blog, I am.
(ripping through the house to find birth certificate) Whew! I thought for a second that the NY Times might have been right.

Posted by obigabu at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So while I've been off in "vacation land" and away from writing, Wonko has been writing aggressively. Today he made a post that I think is important enough to share with anyone who is looking to maintain his or her ideals in the face of adversity.
Wonko and I speak frequently. We talk a lot of what it means to have a life of happiness. Some people seek out professional help (to find happiness in their lives) from counselors and psychiatrist, while Wonko and I seem to be in discovery of ourselves through ourselves. As he mentions in his latest blog, people either make decisions about what they're going to do in their lives or those decisions are made for them - made by the society in which they live. The overwhelming power of what "everyone else" is doing will be assumed by the subconscious, healthy or not. In that same breath, fighting against the society or the system of that society can often be more difficult than one can bare, and therefore, they give up, taking the easier side. The society is comprised of those who need it to survive, those that are ignorant to it, and those who make a conscious effort to remove themselves from it.
I find myself caught up in this struggle of seeing both sides and knowing that one is more compliant to my wiring than the other. I see clearly that the society, as it has become, is not one that I wish to be a part of. It’s like trying to paddle up stream against the raging current when everybody else is moving in a different direction than you. I don't have it in me to quit; and I don't really see that as an option, but the struggle can provide so much unhappiness that it sometimes seems the best thing to do is turn your raft around. This is only multiplied when the passengers in your raft don't want to fight the current any longer. If they jump, they might drown. So you’re required to row them to shore, often causing you to lose some of the headway you have made. You spend so much time on the shoreline trying to convince them that the struggle is worth it. Ultimately, you only convince yourself, and thus, continue the journey alone. It's the others, those alone in their boats, their rafts, and canoes that keep you going. It's their words which now inspire, motivate, and convince you to go on.
I can make analogies and excuses all day for why my boat’s not moving, but I know where I want to be, and HAVE made the decision for where to go. Right or wrong, it feels that it's where I am supposed to be. I wrote before about the path and trying to locate it. I honestly believe that if I hadn’t changed before, this would be the place I would have ended up. So I took the long road; I was distracted. I've gotten back. I was constantly paddling to the shore to drop off passengers (most of which were just versions of me) and convince the real me that it was worth the struggle to go on.
I understand what Wonko is trying to say and support him in saying it. I just wish others would understand and start paddling. Pick up the oars that those easily coasting downstream have thrown aside, and use them to make your drive stronger.

Posted by obigabu at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Blame it on the holidays, the server crashing repeatedly, my laziness, or whatever you must but as of today I am back.......again. Man, I've just been rushing around crazily since before the holidays and really haven't had much time to construct an original thought. At one point I had a couple of topics to write about but it became too much to commit to.
Something I realized I really need to work on is my writing away from my connection to the net. Over 98% of the time my blogs are written through my web browser and are on the fly. I want to begin setting myself up with a specific time and place to write that doesn't necessarily require an internet connection. I've truly missed writing creatively and want to get back to doing so. I plan to use my blog not only as a forum for this but also to hold me accountable to doing so. Like I said, I've made a commitment.

Posted by obigabu at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)