Welcome To My Life

Well, I have put it off long enough. I have finally decided to start my new diet. It is a cancer curing diet called Gerson. From what I understand of it now, it includes eating all only organic fruits and vegetables. Drinking fresh home made juice 13 times a day; one each hour. With no salt, no refined sugars, no meat, no dairy (for at least six weeks), no yeast based breads (sourdough and sprouted are okay, but no candida and only with food in moderation. Not in place of food), no bad fats (monounsaturated vs. saturated), no alcohol, no smoking, and to the best of your ability no fluoridated water. I'm sure that there is more to it, but for now this with a high amount of exercise will be my coarse. So my meals pretty much look like the picture above, which I am eating right now.

Journal Review

I just finished filling up a journal. And as I have found customary when I fill a new one, I like to review my previous journals. I do this to review my progress and also become inspired. I like to see things that I once drew or wrote and try to work on those themes now. Sometimes I am surprised and dumbfounded by what I have previously created. There are things that I do not remember putting down on paper.



I actually do not have all my journals here in California, but I decided to post some things that were written or drawn that I find inspiring. Or things that I am proud of and just think are worth sharing.


What We Know Not

Her fair freckled face
Fully braced to greet
The day gave way
To gracious giggles
And lucid gaze.

But weary wrinkled stoic eyes
Meet old age puberty in disguise.

"Why me Oh Lord?"
They cry together
"Let me die."

One with dire desire
The other with
Insolent innocence.

We are all in search
Of what we know not.

All of these drawings and the poem were taken from a hand made journal that was given to me from my friend Ryan Hett. He actually makes these and sells them under the moniker A Boy Named Coy. All of the drawings were done with Bic pens. The photos that are shown were actually found in a wallet that had no identification or monetary value. My journals are usually filled with found objects, post cards, receipts, and scraps of paper that I have drawn or written things.

Zach Galifianakis

Man I hope I am spelling that write.



Zach is really my favorite comedian out there right now. His video with Will Oldam lip singing to Kanye West, his work with the Comedians of Comedy, Between Two Ferns, especially all of his obscure roles in all different TV shows and movies like Reno 911 or Into the Wild are all proof of his genius.

I love his sense of humor. Not to say there are not other great comedians out there like Patton Oswalt, Demetri Martin, Mike Birbiglia, all the people from the State, and the Lonely Island, but I'm just saying the Galifinakis can always brighten my day. He is like an episode of Arrested development.

If you don't like him, thats cool. Its understandable. His humor isn't for everyone. I'm just saying, you know, for me its pretty sweet.

Bill Withers

I love Bill Withers. His music has been tearing me up lately. I grew up listening to soul music. I love Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Al Green. But something about Bill's consistent, driving, and smooth music is infectious. So much simpler and jazzier than many of his contemporaries. Here is a little taste of him. Also, any musician who is quoted saying,

"If you are looking through the window instead of looking in the mirror, then there is a certain amount of memory in there. And a certain amount of what comes out of you is just exploration."

is alright by me.

My Father's Name is Earl

I am not ashamed to admit that I love the show My Name is Earl. My father and I have laughed mighty hardily at its quick and awkward humor. I was saddened when I found out that it was canceled by NBC. I have held out hope for some other network to pick it up (and I still am) but the reality of its staying alive is about the same reality that affected Arrested Development. At least I can still watch Reno 911 and get my fix of laughter and be reassured that there is still something good on T.V.

On A Blood Red Moon

I wrote this a while back. I re-edited it while I was in Germany. I've always liked it. It has a lyrical flow that I enjoy. I haven't named it, but for now it can just go by it's opening line.

On a Blood Red Moon

On a blood red moon
I was mistaken for you.
Well, I took a vow.
I wrote it down.
By my blood I will hunt you
'Til you are found.
For there were crimes
I did not commit.
But when you took to your heals
For them I was fit.
Then I grew a rage.
I put on a red faced rampage.
Like a lunar lupus
I cried like the loon.
I flew threw the trees
And I caught up to you.
And with a dog-pile dive
My fists ready to fly,
We were paused by a force
Who set us as their coarse.
When they could not derive
The worm from the wise.
We swung there like wind chimes

Like wind chimes.

Getting Started in the Garden

You might say that we got a late start to planting the garden this year. But considering it is our first year and with the cool weather until recent I think we are going to be fine. Although, we are not using the space as efficiently as I think we could, it will make for an easy harvesting. Plus, we have the space. I hope the garden will be a little more crowded next year.


We have planted a lot of squash, cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers. I wanted to grow some tomatillos, but the seedlings died after they were accidentally dropped. Another exciting thing to try next year. We also planted corn, asparagus, broccoli, beans, peas, rhubarb, horseradish, potatoes, onions, leeks, lemongrass, basils, mints, parsley, thyme, rosemary, radishes, beets, salad greens, strawberries, and some other things that I am forgetting now.


There was one problem that we knew of before hand and for which we had made preparations. That is the infestation of critters who want to get at our plants. The deer and rabbits would most likely be stopped by the fence. Squrrils really are not that much of a problem here. But moles are. I have been sticking Juicy Fruit down their holes and that has been taking care of most of them. But some of them need an old fashioned remedy. So I consulted the Firefox Books. When one of them stuck its head out of my freshly planted crooked-neck squash mound I did as the Firefox book said and went for the pellet gun.


The little vermen didn't need to hold still for very long. I think it learned the lesson. Now I just need to teach the rest of its kin to stay out of my garden.


He was a cute little fella. I thought about tacking him up on the fence post as an example, but the little things are so blind anyways I don't think it would have mattered. So ends the first adventure of the garden.

I still think that Nate Berhausen's fourty foot rock pitch to take out a squirrel that wsa chewing on his garden rates the best for ways to deal with the pests. But I am no Nate Berhausen. In fact, I do believe there is only one.

Breaksea Caravel Tour Part 4

Noah at the Queen Kong Club

After Stuttgart we made our way to Bern, Switzerland. We were set to play two shows in Switzerland. One at a punk house in Biel and another at the Queen Kong Club in Neuchatel. Before either show we needed to reconnect with our buddy Diego so we could stay with his kin. The three single guys shacked up Diego and his wife Noemie. The rest of us stayed with Noemie's parents a few blocks away.

Diego making us coffee in the morning.

Noemie and Diego

When we woke up we had some time to burn before we had to be at the show so we decided to go to the Aare River and then busque a little in the downtown. When we got to the park next to the Aare the boys decided to fit in with the locals and sport their Euro trunks.


The Aare was 11 degrees Celsius, and I opted to not swim in the frigid fast moving waters coming off the recently thawed Alps. That did not stop others from doing so. Nik and Diego warmed up afterwards by taking a dip in the pools conveniently located nearby.

The shows were great. We played with an awesome French band named Thee Verdunes at the Queen Kong Club. They will be coming to Minneapolis this Summer for a Blues Festival so we hope to see them again there. If you are in Minneapolis I would make a point to go see them. It will be worth it.

I won't say too much more about Switzerland now, because I went back there after the tour was over. Needless to say Switzerland is amazing it comes highly recommended and goes highly recommended. If you get the chance, do it. Do it.

Emil Zbinden

While I was in Switzerland my buddy Diego showed me the art of Emil Zbinden. I have been reeling from his over-sized hands, thick lined faces, and textured wood cuts . Sadly, his work is not as widely accessible as I would prefer. There are some good panoramic photos of his exhibits here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Shoes

Recently, I have made a resolution. I want to make a pair of my own shoes. So I have been looking at different shoes and how they are designed. Thinking about how I would make my own. I'd like to make them out of leather. So I was thinking about re-using old purses or jackets I find in thrift stores or from the backs of old couches. I might even make a prototype pair out of canvas from old backpacks, jackets, tents, or work jeans. For the soles I was thinking inner-tubes, tires, or just leather.

In my search for a good design my sister told be about Toms shoes. Which kind of make me just want to buy shoes from them instead of making my own. If you have never heard of them I suggest checking them out.

I know when people think of someone making his or her own shoe you think of moccasins. And maybe I would make a moccasin boot, but my ideas tend to lean more toward the comfort and simplicity of Indian khussas, Kung Fu shoes, split sole dance shoes, soft sole boots, rock climbing shoes, house shoes, deck shoes, driving shoes, button up shoes, and the crativeness of all different shoes that use interesting material, designs, and faceners.

We will see how it works out. I might post the progress here if it starts to look like something worth sharing.

Found Poetry

I was reading the Sunday edition of the New York Times. There was an article about found poetry that was found on the Missed Connections section of Craigslist. This inspired me to find some of my own. I found this online. All I did was break it up into stanzas. The title is the heading of the subject listing.

I Dreamt About You Again

We were in my room with everybody upstairs.
We were dressed but crawled into my bed for a nap.
You spooned into me, I put my arm around you,
you reached back and had your hand
in my back pocket (wierd I know) it felt so nice and right.
We just laid there and slept, I can still smell your shampoo.

I love you so much...

I have a fantasy about you coming
to bed with me in just those boots,
everytime you wear them it's the
only image in my head.

Sometimes I'd like to take you by the shoulders,
shake you gently and say wake up wake up
you're dreaming and need to wake up.
I'm meant for you, you are meant for me,
wake up.

Working on a Large Scale

My friend Diego asked me if I ever had trouble drawing on a larger scale. I told him I had not done anything large in quite a while. While I was in Karlsruhe I decided to put some sidewalk chalk to some good use and try working on a large scale.




The drawing was done in the back courtyard of the Stieger Schleuse in Karlruhe. It disappeared after the first rain. Pictures were taken from different floors as I ascended the stairwell.

Isaac's Extreme Ring Jump

I love this because it is so anticlimactic. I bet Isaac that he could not ride his bike and jump and catch the rings as his bicycle rode on without him. In my mind it was so extreme. I thought he would be riding faster. I thought he would miss the first few times. But no. Isaac rode along as if it were in slow motion and completed the dare with such laconic bathos I could only concede that reality is not as awesome as my imagine. Just try to imagine it in slow motion. It is even better.

Breaksea Caravel Tour Part 3

I am back home in the United States of America. So ends the time in the Europe. I was great. All will soon be revealed, but as for now we will just continue where I left off.

I realized that some people that read this blog may have not bothered to check out the Breaksea Caravel myspace and have no clue about who is who and who plays what in the band. So I think I will try to make this clear to them there folks. Nikolas plays the accordion and the trombone, Nate plays the drums, Isaac plays the guitar, Noah plays the clarinet, Christa plays the violin, Diego plays the bass, and I play percssion. A German desribed our music is pirate folk so I am going to go with that. I do suggest that you take a listen. Even if I didn't play in the band I would still go see all the shows. In fact, I did before I joined.


The next stop was at Marcus and Sally's place. They invited those of us in the band to come a little early to Stuttgart before our show there. Sadly, Diego could not join us because he was in France interviewing a school for photography. We spent the afternoon eating and enjoying the company of each other. The day was overshadowed by our impending final show with Black Swift.

We dined and bantered back and fowarth about the shows we had and the shows to come. Possible musical colaborative projects and those done. Like the project between our friend Caleb Coppock and Sally's niece. The results of which can be seen below.

Our show without Diego was difficult, but we survived. And I don't think anyone else really noticed other than us in the band. It was sad to play our last show with Black Swift. But adventures lay ahead in the Switzerland.

Coasters

Breaksea Caravel Tour Part 2

Nik

To be honest I really don't know where to begin when it comes to part two. We played Pforzheim, Karlsruhe, Nurtingen, Stutgartt. I think I more remember the back stage and the people then the performances themselves. I think that is always the case.

I can say that I missed greatly the cracked sizzle crash/ride that was left back in Minneapolis. I knew it's limits and tones so well. I pretty much played with a different ride and or crash each night and it became very frustrating. Nonetheless, I don't think anyone other than me or Nate really noticed too much. Plus, Nate makes it easier for me to deal with making mistakes by playing so well in spite of them. Thank you Nate. You are one of my best buddies in the whole wide world. I love you.

Nate

As for the people I came to love our hosts Janek and Lena who were at every show they could make and danced when the spirit led them. I also very much enjoyed getting to know the other members of Black Swift. Steffen and I got into some great conversations concerning music, history, poetry, movies and the other usual topics that come up when you meeting someone for the first time. I still need to find an English translation of Siegbert Stehmann. Not to demean any of the other people I met at this time we will just have to leave some for later and move on.

Lena and Ivy

The most lasting highlight of this part of the tour will have to be Scruffy's. Scruffy owns an Irish pub in Karlsruhe that has his namesake. He was at our outdoor show. When he saw us he invited us to his pub to be there for his birthday celebration. It was a great time. Guinness, Strongbow, Whisky, Whiskey, and salt and vinegar chips. This was not the only time I was at Scruffy's. In fact it has become my regular hang out in Karlsruhe. Almost like Tracy's back in Minneapolis but with no wooden nickels.

Up next I think I will talk more about our time with Sally and Marcus. Our time at their place in Stuttgart and the final part of the tour with their band. After that maybe Switzerland.