Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent into the dark place where it leads - Erica Jong

Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park

Seems to go well with the meme below…

I didn’t steal this meme from Shephard, he dared me to take it!

Who are you?
Michael… what are you new here? Ok, ok… from my About page: “Middle-aged, overweight male. Dweller of the Pacific Northwest. Motorcyclist. Latent hero tendencies. Likes cats. May own too many books. Loves lima beans. Mostly harmless.”

Your Life’s Philosophy:
No worries… it’s a goal at least but I do strive for it. Live is to short to worry. Of course, I still find myself stressed out and obsessing about things from time to time. I try to avoid it though.

Your current mood is:
Mostly happy with a chance of intermittent showers. Hey, I live in Seattle… there’s ALWAYS a chance for intermittent showers!

Define these:

• Life… is a journey
• Love… is a precious gift
• Success… is often poorly defined
• Happiness… is a choice (I agree with Shephard on this one!)
• Death… is the last great adventure (or maybe just a new beginning)
• Fear… is the mind-killer (Bonus points if you can place the quote!)

What are your views on:

• Abortion… tough call. I don’t like abortion used as birth control but don’t believe anyone has the moral high ground to ban it either. When society has a handle on taking care of everyone that has already BEEN born maybe we can talk about changing things.
• Wars… I’m a veteran, I served knowing that I could be called upon to go to war. I’m glad I wasn’t in the service for the current “war on (some) terrorists.” War is horrible, it should be a last resort. There are times a nation can and should declare war justly, Iraq wasn’t one of those times.

Your faves:

• Author… hmm, tough choice as I have so many but I’ll go with Terry Pratchett this time!
• Music lyric… “I’ve been living in your cassette, It’s the modern equivalent, Singing up to a capulet, On a balcony in your mind” (Can you name the song without Googling it?)
• Quote about life… “Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.” - A. Sachs
• Curse word… Frak!
• Movie… my stock answer for this used to be The Hunt for Red October but I think I may have to change it to War, Inc. now
• Movie quote… “Game over man, game over!“

What would be the best job in the world?
Movie critic… ok yes, technically I do that part time now but it doesn’t pay the bills. It would be nice if it payed the bills!

What do you wish to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I want to ride a motorcycle to Alaska from Seattle and cross-country from west coast to east coast and back.

Who will speak at your funeral?
I don’t want a traditional funeral or any speaking. If a bunch of mates I’ve ridden with over the years got together and rode the frak out of my favorite roads in my memory, that’d suit me just fine.

How would you hope to leave this world?
I agree with Shephard, this question is a little vague. I suppose a faster-than-light craft would be best. At subspace speeds the nearest star systems are a loooong way away.

Alternatively, this quote captures my thoughts nicely… “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow, what a ride!’”

Would you tell anyone you were going to die?
Only if I knew!

If you wrote a final letter to be read at your funeral what would it say?
“Why the frak aren’t you out riding like I asked?!”

Upon arriving at the pearly gates… what would God say to you?
“You sure you have the right address?”

Best way to start a conversation?
Speaking normally works.

And a quick way to end one??
Speaking normally works.

Ok, who among you has the intestinal fortitude to tackle this frakking meme?

I love Tuesdays. For a music lover, it’s like Christmas once a week. Some weeks you get that Red Ryder BB gun you’ve been wanting, some weeks it’s just socks. You never know what you’re going to get. What am I talking about? New music releases!

Tuesday morning I normally fire up iTunes right off the bat to see what’s new in the music store. Obviously they don’t get everything, but it’s a good starting point to branch off from. I always make a beeline for the Rock section since that’s my core interest. Then I’ll browse through Alternative since that category catches a lot of different stuff. Soundtracks sometimes just to see if anything interesting popped up. I’ll even detour through Pop occasionally, but that’s our little secret ok?

A typical week might net me one or two albums and a handful of singles. There’s been dry weeks when I had a hard time finding anything at all. I think my best week I bought a dozen new albums. Yeah, I have to budget for my music expenses!

Of course, I love sharing my finds with other folks and hearing what you think. So let’s get right to it, and remember I like to know your opinions… good or bad!

New today, the latest album from Shinedown. It took a while for this band to grow on me. I’ve had one of their albums kicking around for quite a while but I only recently started collecting their back catalog. So far, I’m liking the new release. Good old guitar-driven rock.

What A Shame by Shinedown

Also new this week, the seventh studio album from Less Than Jake. This new album is sort of a return to their earlier ska roots, lots of horns, very upbeat tempo. I like a little brass with my guitars sometime!

The Space They Can’t Touch by Less Than Jake

This next group is new to me, Damiera… an indie band from New York. This new album appears to be their second studio album. Not bad, a little guitar, a little synth. The style changes up a bit between the various tracks. I think I’ll track down their older stuff.

Teacher, Preacher by Damiera

Heh, I love these guys… Cute Is What We Aim For. Another new album released today. Most of their songs are a little tongue-in-cheek I think. Infectious and upbeat. Maybe a little silly sometimes. This one is my favorite so far. Besides, who doesn’t like playing doctor?!

Doctor by Cute Is What We Aim For

This next album is something quite unique called Big Blue Ball. Produced by Peter Gabriel, this album has been in work for over 15 years. Each of the tracks is a unique collaboration by a variety of artists. Gabriel himself appears on several tracks, along with a laundry list of other performers. Overall, I would classify this as world music but it truly does span our “big blue ball.”

Altus Silva by Big Blue Ball

Let’s see… it’s getting hard to choose! This post is long enough already but there’s sooo much good music out today. This next tune is off the major label debut of a new band called Josephine Collective. Discovered on MySpace, this Kansas band has a sound that I really like. I’ll watch their future career with great interest!

We Are The Air by Josephine Collective

Ok, I think that’s enough don’t you? I’m not even at the bottom of the pile of new stuff but I think I’m out of space for this week. Hope you enjoy listening to these new tracks. Feel free to let me know if you’ve stumbled over anything new and interesting lately!

Are you a talker or a listener? Is it ever possible to really be both?
I *think* I’m a good listener, but I’ll definitely talk to fill the silence! I also like to ask leading questions to draw a person out. People fascinate me.

Do you think God has a sense of humor?
I don’t know how funny he really is, seems more like a sadist to me.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Have you ever experienced it?
I’ve liked people at first sight before, I think love takes longer to develop. But given my track record, you’re better off forming your own opinion on this one. I’ve got more experience with rejection.

Lisa’s Manic Monday

Mystery Song

Photos from Hurricane Ridge are now up on Flickr!

I was on my way to the beach, just as I planned when suddenly I found myself in the middle of a battle! A Civil War battle that is. Seems that Port Gamble, WA hosts an annual Civil War reenactment and I happened to drive by at the perfect time to pull in and watch the action (along with hundreds of other people!)

It was great fun! Noisy too with muskets and cannons going off left and right. Port Gamble is a perfect setting for this kind of thing because the entire town is a National Historic Landmark preserved pretty much as it was in the mid- to late-1800s.

I invested enough time at the event that driving all the way to Ruby Beach was out of the question so I had to be satisfied with a quick run over to Hurricane Ridge and then back home. Oh well, these road trips are more about the journey than the destination so I was happy to modify my plans in this case!

More photos from the Battle of Port Gamble are on Flickr. Hurricane Ridge photos probably tomorrow.

I must have been a nomad in a previous life, I swear I can’t stand still sometimes. I just get these urges to get out and go someplace. I’m hopping in the car and heading out to the coast today. I plan to visit Ruby Beach and maybe Hurricane Ridge. Both places are old favorites.

The weather forecast isn’t really looking all that great, but gray skies suit me today I think. Might make for dramatic and misty photos and that’s always a good thing. Suffering for your art is traditional anyway, right? Hope you have an interesting weekend too.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day

Brilliant! Hilarious!

I’m rapidly becoming a rabid fan of The Dresden Dolls… I especially love their videos. So different, from each other and from anything else out there. This one is especially beautiful.

Thirteen stream of consciousness thoughts in no particular order

1. When I cut the grass, I often imagine the blade violently coming apart and slicing off my foot… I may watch too many horror movies.
2.  I’m thinking about driving out to the coast this weekend for a photo shoot… I refuse to let high gas prices ruin my road tripping fun!
3. Even though I normally pay Matt to cut the grass, I really enjoy doing it myself… I love the smell of the yard when I’m done.
4. I stopped using Facebook for a while and found I really missed the social interaction aspect of it… if you’re on FB, feel free to send me a friend request!
5. One of my greatest prides is that fact my son Matt is exploring his artistic side… writing, photography and graphic design much like his dad. He has the potential to go much, much further than I ever did.
6. I just went and stood outside for a few minutes… it’s cool and beautiful this morning. High clouds with patches of blue sky. I think I may need to go for a ride this evening now that it stays light much later.
7. I need to expand my circle of blog friends. I don’t know why but I crave social contact like a vampire craves blood lately. I treasure those little interactions throughout my day that remind me I’m part of a bigger picture.
8. Speaking of vampires… I think I could pull it off. I find necks very attractive already.
9. Did I mention the kids are taking off with their mom for Hawaii tomorrow? Three weeks they’ll be gone… I’m cat sitting for Kiko so you can expect a bunch of cat photos in the near future.
10. Is it weird that I have no desire to go to places like Hawaii? I don’t get the attraction. Then again, I hate the sun. Damn UV rays. And I don’t like crowds… Hawaii seems like a crowded place to me. Damn crowds.
11. Vampires hate UV rays too… I’m just saying.
12. I really need to change the audio cue on my phone that plays when I get e-mail. It’s um… not very cool. In fact, my children mock me whenever it goes off. That’s not good, not good at all.
13. I’m seriously digging Alkaline Trio lately. Dark themes, great music. I’m pretty sure vampires are into Alkaline Trio too.

Your Neck by Alkaline Trio