122816

too young

November 9, 2016

New York City, Wednesday, 6:17am

He sat slumped in a leather chair, gazing out the floor to ceiling windows as the New York City skyline began to materialize out of the pre-dawn gloom.  He couldn't sleep, he could only think about last night.  The climax after thirteen months of campaigning, a lifetime of work that peaked last night in his landslide defeat.  The campaign was finally over and he wasn't going to be the President of the United States.  His tired eyes stared.  Outside, the sun began to reveal itself as soft glow behind the grey clouds, the murky orange dawn light reflected off his sickly orange face. His tired eyes stared.

Thirteen months of humiliation, of saying and doing whatever it took, all the bridges I had to burn on the way, the friends I pushed away, the good people whose company I will never have the pleasure of enjoying again.  I lost so much.  My reputation, my wife's love, my children's respect, my fortune.... my family name.... my life.... my dignity.  I lost everything.  I lost everything that is important to a man.   

His thoughts wandered again through the years.  He tried to piece together how his actions and decisions led to this moment, what he is now, who he is now: exhausted and alone in a Manhattan penthouse above Grand Central Park.  Too tired to sit anymore, The Donald slowly stood.  He clasped his hands behind his back and squinted as the rays of the new day's sun broke through.

I helped history's most hated Democratic candidate get into the White House.  I got in the way of sixteen other Republican candidates who would have defeated her.  I forced this country into electing its first female president.  I destroyed the Republican party.  I secured a liberal Supreme Court for generations to come... I can't believe it.  I did it...I kept my promise... I... Made America Great Again™.


Nov 10, 2016 update: That ended differently than expected.

grumpy chair

humbled

old poor sickly looking man with a hunched back hunched over the back of his wheelchair filled with stuff and a begging bag with a few quarters in it, in the front of the grocery store.  legs sickly looking and bandaged.

i walk past him and i go to the korean restaurant and order my takeout dinner.

i have no change from my food order, but then i go and buy some some groceries next door and end up with change for him.

i try to find him, he's inside the korean restaurant.  he hobbles into line.  two local ladies let him go in front and tells him to order whatever he wants and they'll pay.   I jiggle the 82 cents in my hands and hang my head in shame.

aloof cum

how devastating it would be, to be the recipient of an aloof cum.

July 23

am I the only person that knows how to be on time?

kaimana

my kingdom

my kingdom for a good night's sleep.

why can't I sleep?

it hurts

style vs. substance

he decided to be a man of style, rather than substance,  so he started to wear a nice jacket about. 

exception becomes the rule

if last four of your social is the norm,  then the last four of your social become your entire social.

desert osmosis

the desert is expansive in its emptiness. i think this is what buddhists mean by "form is emptiness, emptiness is form". you think the world would rush in to fill the silence and void.  But no, the desert sucks the world out of you, you dissipate into the silence. what was heavy and noisy becomes light and quiet when spread across the fields of sand.

nemesis

cilantro

time machine

fifty years from now people will talk about going back in time with a time machine to stop Donald trump. 

june3

safety check, tailor, costco, surf, archery, light beer, this:

hawaii

we got a good head on our shoulders

i hope, tomorrow, after a night's sleep and a warm breakfast, i will find the desert again.

Colorado Homecoming +2

I'm feeling very zen.  Because of the desert.

I wonder if this calmness of the spirit will survive first contact with the real world.  Probably not.  It never does in my experience... 

  

...butt, we'll see.   

time and space is all i need 

 

if you walk without rhythm, the world can't find you. 

 The desert makes me happy, in a way few things can. 

 

Can't force it.  Let it come and let it go. 

homecoming: leaving to come back

nothing better than sleeping in your own bed and taking a shower in your own bathroom.

confusion.  was homecoming always this good? I don't remember it feeling so good. 

where would I rather be?  the road or home? when did this become a question?

tuesday 5/16/16

I think i may have to become a vegetarian after this trip.  so much unhealthy food. I'm going home and eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains for a month straight.  and sushi.

great music at this hostel.

protip: freshen up a stinky shirt with a UV wash on the dashboard of your car. 

takeaway: can't force it

can't force it.  Let it come and let it go.  

barbwire

how many millions of miles of barbwire are there in this country?

Conclusion: Colorado

Colorado is nice.   Come back and roll the dice again with winter/shoulder season travel and check the weather reports and bring proper outdoor gear.   Probably avoid summer.

Go back to sand dunes and camp out.

maybe rock climb.

Colorado is oddly strict on their rules regarding checking IDs for drinks and cops pulling people over on the roads.    

 Everybody at the hostel bar is on their computer right now!  WTF!  

...so am I
 

Rumors by Fleetwood Mac is my new favorite album as of right now.

quincy's steakhouse, Florence CO

Driving past all the cattle ranches and seeing all the happy grazing cows made me want to eat a steak.  so I went to Quincy's steakhouse in Florence, CO.  It is one of a four-restaurant chain. it is known for its very simple menu.  Friday to saturday it is prime rib.  From monday to thursday they serve filet mignon.  that's it:

i appreciate the level of decision making required.

The price was great.  The food... not so much...  It's been such a long time since i last ate a whole steak but I'm 99% sure that what i ate wasn't a filet mignon, it was steak made from meat glue. It may have been locally ranched grass-fed beef?  Which would explain the toughness and slight gaminess of the meat?  the best part was the horseradish.  and the baked potato was good too. 

The wine was exceptionally oily (literally) and astringent. but it got better by the bottom of the third glass ($3.50 each).

The most interesting part of the dinner was the gorgeously cute waitress with blonde hair and dark eyes.  she was the kind of small town girl songs are written about.   I wanted to ask her all about her life and why she is working at a budget steakhouse in Florence, CO.   She asked me if i had moved here... i had to disappoint her and tell her i was just driving through... watching the rain fall was nice.

time and space

that's all i need

815pm south colony lakes

failure.

I got to the trailhead and it started raining and snowing.  it was cold.  i waited out the first squall and the weather cleared up.  I decided to take a chance.  weather report said fifty percent chance of rain with passing thunder showers.

The hiking trail was snowed over.  I didn't want to do it in my mesh sneakers.  so i walked back down.  it was still a nice hike, the 4.5 mile 4wd road was in itself a very nice and super easy hike.  the road was practically paved. I'm not sure i'd i want to come back without a 4wd vehicle though, cuz that portion adds 4.5 miles one way and a couple of hours on top of the actual hike. 

Sunday May 15 2016

9:00am: ominous rain clouds. Not sure how this will affect the drive to the trailhead and the trail itself.  Alternative: go to the LARPing festival down the street.

canon city

this one is gardner, or florence, or westcliffe maybe, some random small town. 

where the buffalo roam

the endless miles. 

south colony lakes trail

today was basically a rest and relax day (like a vacation) but it was good to reconnaissance the trail head to this hike.  in the middle of nowhere, off the main road and down six miles, half of it unpaved county road before you reach the two wheel drive parking lot area and another four miles of 4wd road to the trail head itself.

the road to the trailhead

the 4wd only part of the road to the trailhead

saturday 5/14/16

from denver to sand dunes, taking the scenic US 245.

from sand dunes to Days Inn Alamosa, and vice versa

from alamosa to south colony lake trailhead in westcliffe CO via 

east on 160 then north on 69, then back east on 96 then 67 to Canon City.   Nice scenic drive through small towns ranch land and such.

The plan today to hike the South Colony Lakes trail was postponed for the next day.  the drive time, plus getting lost time plus the 8 mile hike plus the gathering storm clouds meant I decided to head to my Super 8 hotel (motel?) room in Canon City an hour and half away.