My New Addiction

Is riding bikes

Big, strong mountain bikes

It’s a rush, a conquest, a thrill

It’s dangerous and fast and hard

I love ripping down the trails with the smell of pine and dirt rushing across my face

I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from reaching new milestones

I love discovering new sights and sounds of the forest

I love riding in the sun and even more in the rain

I love getting covered in dirt and mud

I love that I can do it all in my backyard

My Passion

Over the years, I have come to assume that I was one of those people who did not have a Passion.

Nothing ever seemed to stir up the feelings in me that are required in order to be deemed Passionate about something

At least, so I thought.

It seems that things may have taken a turn, and I may in fact have found my Passion.

When I really sit down and think about it, I can't believe it’s taken this long to realize.

It's so very clear.

Reasons why I’ve not acknowledged it before I do not know.

I have has this Passion since I was a child.

Yet I always ignored it, pushing it aside for things I thought better suited for the role.

Why?

It’s not controversial or unacceptable.

I have acted on this Passion numerous times and I long for the next opportunities to do so again.

Why did it take me so long to notice what was right in front of me?

And how I did I come to find my Passion, you may ask.

Brace yourself for it, because it’s deep …

I found my Passion while I was …………………



watching T.V.



I told you it was a deep one.

BUT, is it not more important to focus on the fact that I have now established and am embracing my Passion, then to dwell on HOW I actually came to realize it?

So I digress,

I have found my Passion.

And now there is a sense of calm about me.

A feeling that I no longer have to search for something.

A feeling that what ever was missing before has now been found.

How do I know I have found my Passion?

Well, according to these sites, I have the perquisites for deeming it my Passion:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-find-your-passion.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Your-Passion

And so now it is time.

Time to act on my new found Passion.

I am Excited and Scared.

I am Nervous and Energized.

What is my Passion?

My Passion is the WORLD.

In every way and with everything that is has to offer.

Culture, Lands, People, Food, Language

The diversity and uniqueness that is at every turn.

The ability to learn and grow and absorb from every angle.

That is my Passion.

Time for an Adventure

Thanks to the Epic Show this weekend at the Vancouver Convention Centre, I am more stoked than ever to get working on our 2010 plans to travel Southern Africa.

Th whole show was actually quite good for us outcome wise this year. We got great advice on moving, recycling, and travel.

After talking with the very friendly reps at the G.A.P. booth, we had some excellent plan options presented to use.

I am starting to get the feeling that this will be a trip that leaves a lasting impression on me.

As of right now, we have tickets to a World Cup game on June 27th in Johannesburg, and so that is the only part of the plan that is set in stone.

According to P, he suggested that we should spend a grand total of 48 hours in Jo’berg. Enough time to enjoy the game and festivities and then get the hell outta dodge. I think can agree with that. It’s a city with a lot of issues, violence & crime being the big ones, and since P has been before, once the game and any obligatory family visits are out of the way, so are we.

So, it would seem that we will be hoping to fly to Johannesburg as our first stop, then head to Durban for a few days to flake out on the beach before then heading to Cape Town. We’ll spend a few days in the city, touring about and taking in the sites, sounds and all the chaos that will still be World Cup insanity.

From Cape Town the real adventure should begin. It is here that we meet up with our travel group and start on our 21 day journey travelling north through South Africa to Namibia, then moving east through Botswana, ending in Zambia.

I cannot even express how excited I am.

The trip we are planning on booking (aptly named Dunes, Deltas and Falls) is described as:

The ultimate south western Africa expedition encompassing the wildlife, culture and scenery of this fascinating region. Highlights include game drives, the world's highest sand dunes, bush walking in the Kalahari, wilderness camping, canoeing in the Okavango Delta and visiting the mighty Victoria Falls.

HELLO!! The Kalahari?! Victoria Falls?! The Okavango Delta?! Camp under ancient Baobab trees, white-water rafting, elephant-back safaris, walks with local San Bushman ...

It just too much for me. I don’t think I’ll be able to stand the wait of the next 13 months.

Motivational Writers with Beards

I am a long standing Spinal Tap fan and this is exactly why:

Michael Hogan sat down with the boys from Squatney and This Is Spinal Tap’s director, Marty DiBergi (who bears a striking resemblance to Rob Reiner), to talk about the anniversary, the new tour, and the triumphs and travails experienced by rockers of a certain age.

David and Nigel, how has your relationship developed in the 25 years since the film came out?

David St. Hubbins: Now that Jeanine is out of the picture, everything’s fine. He never got along with my ex.

Nigel Tufnel: Once they split, we got back together again.

St. Hubbins: We made a vow never to marry—not Nigel and myself, Jeanine and I—never to marry in a year with a nine in it. So we had to wait until the year 2000 anyway, and by that time we were so fucking sick of each other we had to move on.

Tufnel: Their breakup has been great for us, because I’ve seen him a bit more. My interests have changed. I’ve been breeding miniature horses. The very small ones, even smaller than the Mongolian horses, it turns out. And trying to find a business venture where I would race them. But I’m trying to find jockeys that are basically 26, 28 inches tall—and that’s been a problem, actually.

How about the dwarves from the “Stonehenge” setup?

Tufnel: They’re way too big.… I don’t know the answer, but I was captivated by these little horses, they’re so sweet. They don’t run terribly fast … but from an environmental standpoint it’s great, because they’re using less of everything.

Derek Smalls: Well, it’s less horseshit.

Tufnel: Less horseshit. Less grass in the infield … Less dirt. Saddles are smaller—less leather. Less money, it turns out, because no one actually wants to see it. Less interest. It’s a less is more.

St. Hubbins: I’ve been managing acts. Actually, recently I was really excited by the success of some female tribute bands: AC/DShe and Lez Zeppelin. So I’ve gone out on the road with some bands, Girl Jam. And of course R.E.Emma­—very successful. And we’re branching out into the oldies field. Blood Sweat & Cramps. Manfried Woman. And I just made a deal with Alice Cooper. It’s called Jim Cooper

How do you stay relevant after all these years?

Smalls: We never were relevant. That’s the key.

St. Hubbins: We never had the pain of seeing relevance slip away from us.

Tufnel: You can’t chase relevance. You can’t be wed to it. You can’t look at it like a religion. If you look in the mirror and see it, you’ve made a mistake. That’s your first mistake.

What about groupies? What would you say is the average age of a Spinal Tap groupie in the year 2008?

Smalls: It’s not the age, it’s the circumference that’s worrying.

St. Hubbins: For some reason, because of a certain song, we do attract the larger south end.

Tufnel: Once in awhile there’s a granddaughter of someone from the original days, and that’s always interesting. The typical age: I would say between 50 and 70.

St. Hubbins: But we’re talking a young 70 and an old 50.

Tufnel: We have a code when we’re doing a show—backstage, if some women come back. We’ll look at each other, with a sly look, and David will say, “Six.” And that’s the number of teeth they might have.…

How come there has never been a Spinal Tap sex-tape scandal?

Tufnel: We tried. There was no interest.

What group that’s popular today reminds you of yourselves when you were the New Originals?

Smalls: We do. We really remind us of ourselves.

Tufnel: We have to, because no one else will.

St. Hubbins: But the great thing about the Internet—I’m sorry to bring it up—is every day a new group will appear and then disappear and never be heard from again. And I think it’s wonderful. That’s the way it should be.

Tufnel: That reminds me of us.

What about the look? Have you thought about updating your look—maybe getting a makeover for the new tour?

St. Hubbins: I actually grew this beard. I’ve authored a self-help book. And they won’t let you appear on the cover of a self-help book unless you have facial hair.… It’s called BYOM: Be Your Own Me. Don’t be my you. Be your own me. And also, don’t be so sad. That’s the main message: Don’t be sad. Take your sadness and shove it up your ass.

What would you say are the influences on the Spinal Tap sound?

Smalls: I would say that a great and unrecognized influence on our sound has been sonar. A lot of our records, if you have the right system, you can hear messages to marine creatures.

Can you explain the sponsorship strategy?

St. Hubbins: Desperation. Desperation. We are really looking for serious sponsorship. We want to make some profit this time.

Smalls: We want to be the most heavily sponsored group in the history of rock ’n’ roll. We don’t want there to be a single square centimeter of anything that is not covered by a sponsor.

St. Hubbins: We want to make nascar look like—

Smalls: The public library.

And that’s because?

Smalls: This is the new rock ’n’ roll. This is the new phase of rock ’n’ roll. It’s all for sale. Buy it.

Does that make you sad—a lost ideal of the 60s?

St. Hubbins: You know what you can do with your sadness. I’ve already told you.

Coachella Videos

Just noticed that some of my videos from Coachella actually posted to Picasa - I thought that they were too big and I didn't have the room - Nice suprise.

I'll see if I can get the rest of them up there too now ...

Enjoy!

Coachella 2009 - The Movies

Also, here's the photo link again ... if you feel so inclined

Coachella Road Trip 2009

World Cup 2010 … Let the dream begin!

Its official, somehow, P and I had some serious luck on our side and it seems that we have been awarded 2 tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

INSANITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We applied in March and I really held out no hope that we would be getting tickets. Especially after reading this earlier in April:

The first phase of ticket sales for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa ended at midnight on 31 March with applications for a total of 1,635,136 tickets since tickets first went on sale on 20 February 2009. Approximately 30% of the applications have come from South African residents, with 70% from the rest of the world.

Applications were received from 205 countries, with tickets for the opening match and the final in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium on 11 July 2010 in most demand.

Team specific ticket series applications account for more than 50% of the applications. There were no problems experienced with the order procedures during the first ticket sales phase. The highest number of ticket applications came from residents in South Africa, followed by those from the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia, in that order. The most popular category on average was Category 3.

WHOLLY SHIT!

AMAZING that out of that mess of people, little old us somehow managed to get drawn and scored two tickets to the pre-quarter final round in Johannesburg on Sunday, June 27th.

And they aren’t bad seat either – According to the FIFA site: Seats for Category 3 tickets are generally located adjacent to Category 2 behind the goals or in the corners

Works for US!

SO ... in true E-Dot styles … I have started planning the trip (Insert laugh, groan, eye rolls ... whathaveyou HERE)

So far, this is the plan:

We will be going for 4 weeks

We will be stopping over in Hong Kong for 3 days before heading to Johannesburg

We will be travelling to Zimbabwe and Namibia

I AM RETARDED WITH EXCITEMENT