Anxious, don't phase me.

A few articles I read over the past few days, as well as, the latest book I started reading today were all completely different yet interrelated in the same stroke. The book - Helter Skelter - written about the Manson Murders is absolutely the most fucked up, grotesque, insane, and everything else in the realm of unnatural I can come up with. Why I thought, "o hey Jeff can I borrow that? Might be an interesting glimpse into what a true "god on earth" does when the apocalypse hits." Or something rather close to that train of thought, now thinking a pass might be in the cards very soon. One of the referred to articles I read today talked about a guy who faked his death in 1989 only to be pulled over this week with a license plate light out and taken into police custody over suspicion. Did they hit the jackpot with this insanely hideous forrest creature or was he living in silence bothering only the lonesome gnome army under his employment? The dude, yes reference to the Dude himself, is probably someone who writes checks for half and half being all of $.69. 

The second article was from The First 48, a collection of mini-thrillers or snippets of true-crime stories consuming 10 minutes each. A computer nerd from Oakland marries a Russian mail-order bride who ends up romancing(riiiggghhhhttt..) with his best friend before he kills her. He then buries her body, not to be found until he sets in place a lower sentence for his knowledge of the body's location. Granted. The balls on this guy, able to receive a lower sentence if he locates his ex-wife's dufflebagged body. Lesson learned: think before you order anything more significant than a penguin from mail-order. Dealing with people is a bit tricky due to the hidden agenda those dirty pirates have whilst placing themselves in a catalogue.  

Photos, Yes!

Yes, this is the majestic scenery I have the great pleasure of waking up to and living in every single day living out here in God's country. Be jealous, very jealous. Not the type of jealousy over a girlfriend in eighth grade but the type that will turn someone into a Swimfan of sort, peeking through windows and extreme stalking that leads to being over obsessed wanting to live my life with a cape made out of my recently lotioned skin(thanks Buffalo Bill). From the Lone Peak one can see the Tetons in Wyoming, the uber-exclusive Yellowstone Club, Moonlight Basin, Beehive Basin, The Sphinx, Ville of Big Sky, and a shit ton further. The naked eye can see fo miles and mile, hundreds if I were to venture a guess. Enjoy. 

Goat Detained

(Detained Goat)

This is the best article I have ever come across in my short history of reading news online. While reading this article I was laughing so hysterically that I literally fell out of my chair, prompting looks from various co-workers. The article being referenced talks about a group of "hoodlums" in Lagos, Nigeria who were caught in the act of stealing a car when the local police were patroling the area. The police said, "we pursued them however, one of them got away and the other turned into a goat." The goat is currently sitting in custody. Apparently belief in witchcraft is fairly widespread in Africa, especially the most populis country of Nigeria.

After telling Tim about this article he immediately suggested that I become a police officer in Lagos following a stint in the Peace Corps. Yeah Tim, let me get right on that.

(Suspected Goat)

Figured So

As some of you may well know, by that I mean the people I talk to on a regular basis - friends famill etc, I have been networking like a lemming with the people at Big Sky. Especially so the HR Director and I have become good friend since we are undoutably from the same area(Detroitish) and share most political and social views meaning we can relate on most popular issues. the most recent issue being the Obama order to shut down Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - my logic being that these individuals could or could not be terrorists in the first place, they are being held in a foreign country so the normal laws of imprisonment are not in place, and they can be tortured to no end for no apparent reason other than being "suspected" terrorists - no solid evidence. This issue still being debated on the chairlift of course. 

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that he has the ins and outs of what is actually happening in the terribly managed resort we are both a part of at the present time. The positions that have been offered to me and others I have applied for may r may not exist bugdgetwise in the next quarter. Experience I really want and has very transferrable skills onto other things in the food and beverage industry may or may not be available to me. All this means is that I need to keep my options open but to be told one thing, assume another, and be told a completely different story from both previous is astronomically difficult. Not only due to the fact of having a position in this volatile economy but the uncertainty of both. F*c*. Really? Hmm. I like my odds here and have to make moves either way, another organization or another location. Why plan a base if fire is constant?  

Articles and Relevance?

Browsing through the news on Reuters and Google News today, after finishing my work for the morning of course, I came across two pieces of news that have been talked about and popular over the past few days. The first being the story about the two men in China who were poisoning little children, crib midgets mostly, with a substance in their milk. Six of these babies died while injuring over 300,00 more, with the Chinese Government keeping the total count a secret due to the communist thing over there. The intention of the two men was to pass their milk on protein tests by using melamine, which produces a false positive for protein on said tests. Well now, the Chinese Government is sentencing these two men to death. What did they do one might ask? They tried to cheat the system and lower their input costs to eventually make a larger profit. Do these two deserve to be put to death? Maybe. I say maybe due to the fact of this was not done to intentionally mass kill children but to save money and increase profit. On the other hand, shouldn't they suffer more than just being put to death, maybe something along the lines of extreme humiliation first? This is quite a commercial crime. Then again there have been numerous ingredients put in products before that are known to be harmful eventually leading to the death of children. Anyone remember the lead paint?
The second article on Reuters I found this morning, that was somewhat in the wrong not looking at the overall economic picture is an article regarding "Green" home improvements. Green technology being a money saver in our economic situation. Mainly, this article is missing the facts about just how much it costs initially to purchase these Green products that will save money, wait for it, over a period of some odd ten years or so. These technologies will save people money after the outrageous initial cost puts a massive hole in their wallets. People do not have the readies lying around at present to sink into these green technologies. No, I don't have the actual facts and figures in front of me at this moment and will not speculate as to a number but they are not cheap. Of all groups, the UN said this. Enjoy your new solar panels guys.

Home

The thought was to start out this vary post with the definition of home or something similar to that, but I couldn't think of anything more juvenile and cliche than doing that. Obviously the saying goes something like home is where the heart is or where you most feel comfortable. Well, in my case, home is Big Sky at the moment. I have made great friends here, am kicking ass that gets recognized at work, have been offered other positions, am enjoying the laid back Montana lifestyle, have a great group of friends with similar views/opinions, and absolutely love being surrounded by terrain on all sides. Driving to work every morning with a view of the very majestic Lone Peak brings a smile to my Midwestern face every time. 

Home might be here, it might be somewhere different. For the time being, I am loving my current situation. Some might even say - the ideal situation. Have to admit that being rejected from the first of four positions I have recently applied to in NYC gave me a bit of relief. Shortly afterward the recruiter emailed to give her support and reassurance of there being three other positions she applied me to, one of which being the one she specifically talked to the hiring manager. Great.... If its not broke, don't fix it. 

Truly Fascinating

Being that today is my day off, the plan was to do a little of this a little of that but generally speaking not too much of anything. The only definite here is going fishing this afternoon on the Gallatin, flowing ever so graciously across the street waiting for the patient fisherman to come harvest its residents. Dry flys only of course. So, I started my day off with some cottage cheese covered on Franks accompanied by a banana, just a few days before expiration. After breakfast I then decided to catch up on my daily readings of The Intellectual Devotional, great learned readings for everyday consumption. Upon completion of this I cruised around Netflix for something interesting to watch before getting a haircut. This interesting thing then became - Man on Wire, the documentary of Philip Petit, French wire walker. 

Philip discovered his fascination with heights and climbing everything from trees to the sides of buildings at a very young age. His parents and teachers sent him to numerous psychologists to determine the basis of the issue, being that there was no issue. (Always has to be an issue, as parents are concerned.) Philip later discovered the wire, which later led to the much sought after fame of being "the" premiere wire walker in the world. He and his crew of friends traveled the world finding places to string a cable, walk and perform aerobatic maneuvers, then of course getting arrested by the local authorities for trespassing or some other bullshit charge they could pin on the Frenchmen. The entire documentary leads up to his walking between the late Twin Towers, on top of the world if you will. 

I enjoyed every second of Man on Wire and highly recommend it to you viewers out there. Philip ended the documentary talking about the purpose of living life on the edge. He says life is meant to be lived on the edge, to push the limits of where we can go and what we can do or else everything would be routine and we would all become complacent. The man pushes the limits of authority, defies gravity, balance, and everything we know about fear. Ask yourself one question everyday, this is from Steve Jobs, that question is "am I living the life I want to live and if I died today, would I be happy?" If you answer no one morning, make a change. 

Gone fishing.

Stick it to the man

I consider myself to be a very positive outgoing individual and would hope, I say hope by the way, that I bring cheer to the people I associate with. My job at the resort is fairly easy, the people I work with are fun and satisified, I have made great friends out here in Big Sky thus far, and am enjoying life in general. Well, on the opposite side of that whole shpeal, I let someone get to me today and to be quite honest it is pathetic. Let me give you a backstory first. This guy Jules, who happens to be the accounting supervisor from the East Coast is the typical East Coast "I know all and am better than you" type of person. He constantly belittles other employees, is in a perpetual state of negativity (yes thats not a word I know), is rude to guests, makes off color comments to people - mainly drug references, habitually exaggerates almost everything, and a sleu of other things not worth mentioning, bringing me to the point being - the guy sucks. I mean sucks like a Dyson or Stanley Steamer or 5 dollar pirate.

Putting up with all the bickering and constant "Philly" bullshit over the last two months has found its breaking point. Juvenile as it may be to call names, I really feel like unleashing a shit-ton of snide remarks. However, I will refrain from being a child and stop, venting was much needed. This might have happened due to taking off a week from yoga, bad idea. At least there I can get stretched out, unleash the inner beast through meditation, and enjoy the company of so many beautiful women who attend the class. Yoga is a goldmine for relaxation, peace of mind, alignment, and learning more about your inner self/how much pain you are capable of withstanding. Do it.

Lull in Postings

Other than working at 5am, having friends Pat and Moe come out to visit, skiing, reading, and trying to keep in touch with other friends and family, I have not been writing on  my blog very often. Lull in postings if you will and there is a corresponding theory to go along with the sudden lull. I call it - "Opening the fridge without having made a decision." I have always been one who knows exactly what I want from said appliance and get slightly irritated when others open the fridge just to gaze. What are you doing? Close the door, make a decision, and then go hug a tree. Maybe even name yourself Whisper after hugging that tree, just remember to take showers frequently and don't stop any trees from becoming hot tubs with "fly hunnies" in them. Back on the original point, being that I have opened the fridge(blog) without posting, making me feel extremely hypocritical in doing so. Also, the recent downgrade by Google Analytics has brought further guilt. Posts will have a sudden uptick in the next coming weeks. Thanks for reading this garbage. 

Forces at Work

There are always a few forces working against what is being worked for. Being fortuitous, working harder, or a combination of the two will end up being the only things that lead to perseverance. I remember working toward a national swim cut during my junior year of high school and contracting walking pneumonia a week before the Zones Meet that depleted me of all my energy and even more crucial, my ability to breathe. Being a sprinter, lung capacity has to be at a maximum for replenishing muscles and reducing drag by not breathing. At the time I couldn't understand why this was happening. I had taken all the proper precautions, eaten well no junk food, and prepared myself accordingly through hard work in practice and a focused taper to swim the sub 23 seconds fast in order to qualify for nationals. I specifically remember thinking, "what have I done to deserve such disappointment, agony, and embarrassment?" Granted, this was nowhere near the end of the world but at the time I felt two feet tall. 

A few friends of mine are coming out to visit me in the Big Sky State for some skiing, snowmobiling, yurt adventures, and other shinanigans Montana has to offer. Pat, Moe and Lily were all scheduled to come out on Saturday to stay for a week before returning to reality in the big cities of New York and Chicago. This evening, after leaving yoga completely satisfied and relaxed mind you, I received a disturbing voicemail from Lily with a distressed voice telling me to call when I had time. Immediately I knew something was terribly wrong and she was canceling. Our short conversation informed me of doctors orders to not travel and she might be back under the knife for a second time this Christmas break. After realizing that we both had nothing further to say, myself being in shock at the news of another procedure and Lily having to deliver both parts, as well as, have to live in the pain/inconvenience of yet another surgery, we said goodbye. 

I can say with the upmost confidence that we have a great time together when life allows us to meet and share an awkward family gathering, a brother and good friend being completely shitfaced, a quarrel between two brothers, a most pleasant Eva interruption, brush with the law(almost the law actually), or however which way the cookie crumbles. I can also say that there is also always a force working against our friendship. Always something. 

What do these occurrences mean in the bigger picture? Larger scheme, if you will. All I can think of here is some menial petty line like - life gives you lemons, make lemonade or my favorite of - if you fall off the horse, get back on. Well I'm glad to say that neither of these two apply here and any other one liner evades my thinking at this moment. (Rejoice you fools.) All I can do now is pray things workout with the next procedure. Pray. Think positive and good will come of all boomerangs thrown into you soccer game. 

3 Doors Down might have said it best in Away From The Sun, "I've got to make this life make sense." Lemons. 

Photos

This is Montana.

New Year, More of the Same

Let's take a look back on this past year for a few minutes and reflect on the choices we made. On second thought that would be an entire waste of time, that we could be used more effectively looking forward. Foresight is something my grandfather was and father is quite good at, must have been a generation skip....damn. I'll look into it.

I love hearing the term - New Years Resolution. Although this year in particular there has been a drastic decrease in the amount of resolutions I have heard. That might have something to do with the change of pace out here in the Big Sky State or people finally realizing those grandiose promises last a mere few weeks. My all-time favorite resolutions have to do with getting back into shape. Being a frequent gym goer, you tend to recognize the frequent other people who are regularly in the gym. Come January there is a slew of "outsiders" who clearly don't belong, will crowd the equipment for weeks doing as little as possible, then vanish into thin air leaving the regulars their coveted space once again. 

My dealings with the resolution crowd consist of having numerous friends make obviously ridiculous claims to be fulfilled within the next year only to fail miserably a few weeks (maybe) later. Personally, I have fooled around with a few over the years only to find out they never work. I have found those types of promises to be more effective if made by you and told to no one else, therefore if imminent failure is the conclusion only one person knows. But if you succeed, by God I hope you do, internal happiness trumps all others. 

Self improvement. Personal growth and development. 

Make a New Years Resolution to be a better person. Yes, this may sound cliche, difficult for some, and impossible for those of you who, like me, are perfect, try it anyway. 

Happy 2009.