Our Visit With Eli

On our way down to visit Eli, we got to see some spectacular views!

Beautiful Nurse!

Spectacular Sunsets!

"Zoltar says you will see Eli soon!"

TA-DUH!

We camped outside of Junction City where Eli is stationed. It was a nice camp ground, though next to the road, which didn't matter all that much because there was hardly any traffic. Eli came to visit us Saturday morning before he had to work, and we spent our time going to Weaverville for a spectacular breakfast, etc. We also went to see the local monestary.

We picked up Eli and headed to Arcata. We went to Eureka, had a few beers, then we ate at Mazzotti's. OH MY GOD! I ate the best canneloni EVER! It was stuffed with scallops. It was so amazing that the chef came out and accepted my compliments in person.

We went into Arcata the next day. I won't tell you about our breakfast in Eureka because, well, we all had homicidal desires during that meal. We did some shopping around and hanging out in the sun before we drove Eli back to his work.
This is the fire engine Eli worked on this year. Next year he will be in Zig Zag. I think he will be jumping out of "perfectly good helicopters" next year.
Oh, yeah. While camping, I got to play a few games of chess on my Saitek Mephisto hand held. I upped the level and still won. This time, however, I was aware of my strategies in winning.

Weaverville

On our visit with Eli, we went to the town of Weavervill where we had the best omlette we've ever had at the Garden Cafe.
Weaverville is a tourist town with a lot of interesting little shops and a co-op that sells Blackfire CD's.
There was a little nice clothing, jewelry, art shop whose name I unfortunately forget.

Shusli found her dream shoe at a shoe shop in town, but did not purchase them. Shoes are very important to nurses as the amount of time they spend on their feet on those hospital floors.
Here is a mural we saw on a building in Weaverville. Shusli and I both agreed that Onestaa could have done a whole lot better of a job.
Shusli and I were both touched by this painting, created by the artist pictured. It seemed like a childlike expression of fear and beauty in California's fiery North.
Sunflowers on a warm sunny day.
There was going to be a benefit for the families of the fallen in this years fire. These are posters of the folks who lost their lives in the helicopter crash a month ago. These were all over town.

Buddhist Monestary

On our visit with Eli, we visited a Buddhist Monestary not far from his station.

Animals

In our visit with Eli this weekend, we saw some animals.

Bull Elk

Tasty Elk

What Are You Doing Sticking Your Nose in Other People's Business?

I Have This Funny Feeling I'm Being Watched...

I Just Can't Get Over This Feeling I'm Being Watched...

Monestary Lizard

Fast Fox

Fast Fox (detail)

Killer Coffee

In our visit with Eli this weekend, we had some real killer coffee.
If you are ever travelling 299 between Eureka and Weaverville, California, you will run across a place known as Big Flat. In the town is a coffee house known as the "Straw House." It is a straw bale coffee house. Here, you can get some realy killer coffee. We got some real killer coffee drinks, and I bought a pound of some real killer coffee. Give it a try if you are ever in that neck of the woods.

Chess

Yesterday, Shusli and I were discussing a personal issue in which I was feeling completely defeated. In her sweet and wonderful wisdom, she had given me a few ideas that take little effort in which I might gain some footing into my issue. A few tools that don't take a whole lot of effort to use with consistent pressure and I might just find myself in an advantage.

I have bought two computer chess games in which I am just starting to play. One is a handheld in which I am starting at the lowest level and getting my chops back. So far, I've won the four games that I've played, however, that doesn't really mean much, and I know it, as I found that I was surprised that I had won. The moves that I made to win were not intended to win as much as to defend a certain piece. Winning was a surprise. My brain wasn't stretching and strategising to find the defeat in which I gave my opponent. The defeats came as a surprise to me.

In having a discussion with Shusli about a personal issue last night, and continuing to think about it this morning, I realize that although I have ways in which I can see patterns throughout many areas of life, I have little knowledge of how to strategize and use the tools at my disposal to further that knowledge into something workable.

When I finally figured out how to play the computer on the Deep Fritz computer chess game I bought, I played at a very low level, but not the lowest, and in four games...I GOT MY ASS HANDED TO ME IN EACH ONE! That was when it hit me!

Yeah, sure, I can recognize patterns. I can recognize the patterns that go with the working poor in reading Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed." I can recognize how people feel utterly defeated in mere attempts at survival. MASSES OF THEM! And I surrender to the idea that I can do nothing to change that. What a crock of f***ing sh**! What I think I will do is learn to recognize the tools I have and how to use them. Like in my personal issue, I have given in to utter defeat without playing the pieces I have on the board in which I choose to play.

Chess is a very important game to me. I haven't played since I was in junior high when I realized that I could recognize the patterns and strategize on the board to hand defeat to a handful of my fellow chess players back in the day. Sadly, all those three decades ago, for some reason, I gave up the game until a few years ago when I played Felicia some. I bought the book, "The Complete Chess Course" by Fred Reinhold (1953), and Felicia and I worked through some of the beginning chapters. But after a while, she didn't want to play anymore, even though she handed me my ass a few times, 2 of the 8 or 10 games we played. Again, I lost interest, and the book.

I decided to buy "The Complete Chess Course" again, as well "Play Chess: Deep Fritz Grand Master Deluxe" chess game for my computer, and Saitek's "Mephisto Travel Chess Computer" (a sweet little hand held), and have decided to REopen my mind to ideas and strategies I had completely IGONORED that I have.

And I take back what I said about Coos Bay not having chess players. In reading my chess book at work, I was surprised to discover that a fellow who works in maintenance played chess and wants to get back into it. Another fella, a resident, also wants to play a game or two. And when I bought coffee, I ran into the other fella I knew who played chess, though he doesn't reside in Coos Bay, and we had a few discussions about the game. SURPRISE!

In other game news, Shusli is an excellent Scrabble player. She has a great mind for words and is good at startegy in playing the game which has also undoubtedly exercised those tools in her mind that create strong thinking patterns. She is thinking of organizing a Scrabble Tourney in the area.

All this thinking about playing games has brought me to the importance of what it means to play games. Games are exercise of the mind. In this, the beginning of my rethinking Chess, I have already come to a new thought pattern in exercising my mind. I am a limited thinker. Sure, I can recognize patterns, but I could not recognize the simple tools at my disposal and how to use them that Shusli offered to me in her advice on my personal issue yesterday. And this morning, in recognizing patterns and remembering the importance of play (remember when you were a kid, if you aren't one right now), I have come to a new understanding of the importance of games, thanks to the game of chess and my sweet wonderful wife, Shusli.

Don't forget to play, folks. Playing and having fun is very important, useful, and GOOD! Don't worry about winning or losing so much. Afterall, it's a game, and you're gonna win and you're gonna lose. The most important part, in my opinion, is that you are exercising your mind. I've noticed that there isn't a whole lot of playing games going on in my neighborhood, and I think it is time to change that.

The Freedom to Survive

I started reading "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich. Shusli just read it and suggested I do as well.

I have spent a lot of my time recognizing patterns. That is why I want to "relearn" to play chess. A common pattern here in Coos Bay is that there are few people who play chess. So I have bought myself a hand held chess game as well as I have a book and computer chess game coming in the mail (thanks to my "hush money").

Patterns I like to follow are things that stimulate my mind, things that give me pleasure. I want to live beyond survival, and "Nickel and Dimed" is about survival.

Survival is something that Shusli and I do, but we also do more than survive. We Love each other. We Love each others company. We communicate well. We do things that stimulate our minds (which is why Coos Bay is becoming RAPIDLY not the place for us to live). We lounge together. We walk together. We do our best to expand our consciousness.

Our friends, Jerry and Jessica of "Colette's" fame, have started a spiritual center called "The Catalyst." They have just started a news letter and are doing many classes and other things to help stimulate the community of Coos Bay/North Bend for folks who want to look beyond the White Racist Christian ethic that founded this town. There is a thirst, a need for this type of stimulation. This exercise in humanity and thinking. Imagination beyond "survival." "Nickel and Dimed" is about survival. Survival doesn't require such things a spirituality. Survival requires that one stay alive.

My "hush money" has expanded my "purchasing freedom." I can't buy a member of congress and run protesters out of Minneapolis for exercising allegations of freedom of speech, freedom of gathering, etc., but I can buy this nifty chess game by Mephisto. It's endorsed by one of the greatest Chess players ever! Gary Kasparov. I have played two games at the lowest level and thus far won, but honestly, I recognize the pattern that my chess is not very good. But I am stimulating a memory of chess patterns and noticing that I am, indeed, not a good chess player. I use the lowest level to exercise my brain, to remember those patterns, to see the vast interconnectedness of the patterns of the pieces and the board. Defend! Attack! Develop! How does one get there? What does one do when one gets there?

I am only on page 45 of "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, a must read by one and all according to Shusli, and according to me after just 45 pages. It is about survival. Survival of the working poor. Survival of you and me. And in this book, I realized a pattern that gives me a greater understanding of American humanity and why there will not easily be a Revolution that will lead to real change (do not, under any circumstances, believe that Obama will bring change when he becomes president, or at least prepare yourself for some serious disappointment [at least he's a democrat]). A large portion of America is simply struggling to survive. This is called "freedom." Many have the freedom to just survive, a few have the freedom to benefit from those whose survival is FORCED to depend on the owning class. When one is in simple survival mode, that is, staying alive, which requires; eating, some form of shelter, clothing; and these human rights come at a struggle, that is a majority of what a person sees in their lives.

Since the U.S. has had poverty FORCED upon its citizenry by the owning class, and since the owning class has structured public education to dumb down the masses so they won't rise up against their destructive behaviors that are required for their amassing wealth, it is a pattern amongst the poorer folks to struggle mostly for survival and not to disturb the owning class for fear of the retribution they may purchase against them.

Thus, when in the smoking area of work, where I tried to change the course of the conversation to the varied analysis of Russia's war with Georgia, where some stimulation of thought was going through the mind of one of the elderly residents, one of the younger less intelligent folks immediately regurgitated what she had been told to regurgitate (without thought, of course) by the news: "Russia is trying to be another Hitler." Ahhhh! The deep analytical minds of the folks in Coos Bay in action. Revolution? Not gonna happen.

However, with a little history, a person can learn that W has more connections to Hitler than the Russians who fought off his invasion. W's grand-daddy, Prescott Bush, helped fund the Nazi's and even participated in the attempted fascist overthrow of the U.S. government under FDR. (He still became a U.S. senator). Prescott, it came out in recent documents, even profited off of slave labor from Auschwitz during WWII. Do you know what it said above the doorway to the entrance of Auschwitz?

WORK SHALL SET YOU FREE

"Nickel and Dimed," by Barbara Ehrenreich is an awesome book about the freedom of the "beasts" (as founding father James Madison would call us "lesser peoples") to merely survive and keep their mouths shut or face punishment by the owning class.

My patterns include finding happiness in life. Joy. And to struggle in one way or another to bring non-owning class freedom to the world, because the massive suffering all over the world benefits only the wealthy and privileged, and they hire folks like you and me and the Minneapolis Police to keep it that way.

Freedom! It's not what you like to think it is.

It Has All Become Clear Now!

I figured it out. The reason why women are in the military getting raped in Iraq by their comrades in arm; the reason why the U.S. military is slaughtering and displacing millions of Iraqi's and Afghani's and soon Iranians; is FREEDOM! And what does freedom look like?

Let's ask the Minneapolis, Minnesota Police! Freedom, it turns out, means for the wealthy who own the Republican Party to be free of protesters. So, in what is clearly a violation of the U.S. constitution, the Minneapolis Police are leading sweeps on protesters all over the city. That is what freedom is, folks. Freedom of speech? It's only free if you can afford it. Will there be outcry about these acts of terrorism lead by Minneapolis' criminal class behind the badge? Probably not. There were similar things done at the Democratic National Convention (but at least they're democrats), and I didn't hear anything about that until I read this article about the RNC. But that's OK. That's FREEDOM! That is what freedom looks like. That is why Iraqi's and Afghani's and soon Iranians are being slaughtered for...freedom.

Terrorism in St. Paul

I was just reading TruthOut and found an interesting little article about an act of terrorism that will pretty much slide by the rest of fascist loving America.

"Police Break Down Doors in Night-Time Raid on Anarchist Meeting" is the title of the article by Marc Truck. The police claim to have had a search warrant, which they don't seem to be able to show anyone. They are, however, taking photographs and gathering information on some 2 dozen or more folks in a wonderful act of state sanctioned terrorism. What's gonna get done about this? Probably nothing, like usual. It is like cops getting away with murder. It happens often, and no one is gonna do a thing about it, really. I, and many others, however, can't keep our big mouths shut in an attempt to bring about an end to terrorism, especially state sanctioned terrorism by folks who claim to be our friends. Cops are not our friends. They are in place to keep the elite safe from us lowers (or "beasts" as founding father James Madison would call us). I would like to believe bringing our attention to this act of terrorism would actually get something done about it, but it won't. Folks will be busy praying that Obama wins the presidency, and then something will be done about this. But it won't.

John Trudell said in his speech at Lane County Community College that the democrats will win. He claimed that the elite have to get some horrific legislation passed that couldn't get done if the Republicans are in power. You see, like with Bill Clinton, a genocidal maniac who made the blatant governmental disrespect of the Bush administration possible with his decisions, some serious twisted shit is gonna happen under the dems. And, as I've heard throughout the Clinton administration putting restriction after restriction on civil liberties, it will be said, "well, at least he's a democrat."

You know, I know that nothing will be done about the illegal raid on the anarchists in St. Paul. I know nothing will be done about destroying the illegally acquired information on this group by the cops. I know the cops act of terrorism will not enact any form (or very little at best) of protest by any folks, even though this is indeed an act of terrorism. Few, or none, will stand up to meet the challenge of the terror enacted by the U.S. government against its own people. Writing this will only frustrate the fuck out of me, so, I've learned to keep myself mentally protected so I don't wind up having stroke.

By the way, anyone who has been watching this type of crap enacted by the cops KNOWS that this is not the first time, and will not be the last, and knows that nothing will be done by it and the people won't rampage in the streets to regain their rights. They will stay home watching their favorite TV shows or doing whatever entertains them. You know...enjoying their freedoms.

Me...I'll be playing video chess and bitching a lot, like on this blog.

I found this photo on the internet of police protecting and serving the people by beating and torturing them. Good job, boys.

Moved

We have successfully moved. Things went fairly well. I probably won't be writing all that much for the next week.

I am getting tired of hearing and reading about the great Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barak Obama...These people are genocidal. These folks decisions have and will kill thounsands and make thousands more suffer. They are not great people, they should be measured by the lives effected by their decisions. If we did that, we would all describe them as pieces of shit. Them, and so many more in the U.S. government.

We'll Rub Shit on Your Sacred Sites...

...and wealthy people will recreate on them.

In an article titled, "Do Native Americans Have First Amendment Rights?" by Leslie Thatcher, we learn that the Ninth Circuit Court has decided that yes, indeed, the U.S. government says it is OK to rub treated sewage all over indigenous sacred sites so wealthy and semi-wealthy folks can ski down them. The U.S. knows what is really sacred, and their god is flat, green, and has the faces of genocidal maniacs on them.

This is not surprising to me. This is nothing new. This is a clear and consistent pattern of the U.S. If it produces capital, it is sacred and holy. If it is natural, then god fucked up and it has to be made sacred and holy (aka, produce capital). That is the way it has been for quite a few centuries. That is also why I look forward to the collapse despite any consequences I may pay when it happens.