Tool and Wedding Stuff

Ok, first things first: I'm fairly faded (cookies and beer)!

Next: I forgot to post a little while back that Tool has "officially" been in the studio for the last little bit. (Not just sending work back and forth between the band and Maynard as they have been over the past year or more.) HOORAY! I hate to think how much is riding on reliable old Tool putting out a new album that's up to my expectations! I have Adam's blog site and I was gonna put a link to it but just check my Tool link in the latest news there. It's mostly pictures and a bunch of peoples short comments. I'm listening to Lateralus as I blog. ; )

Next: Jory, you better not have anything wrong with you or I'll hunt you down like a rabid dog! ; ) Let us know about that doctor issue. He'll tell you to take some anti-biotics and make an appointment to see him again after the wedding, I bet! And now you know, don't ask for any pain medication or you'll get "the worst treatment this side of Mexico." LoL (NOT REALLY!)

Next: Damn, I forgot to tell Rod and Steve about the blog! Tom, you tell them for me, por favor (I know you didn't go to a Spanish speaking mission so it's "please" BTW! lol) And anyone else who might be interested. Doesn't Shane have a computer too? They should read our blogs and comment if they do! ; )

Next: Grabbing another "Shark" (My Great White beer). I am now on 12, which is really quite substantial for me these days. I usually top out at 6 any more, but today I checked out a new Folf course in the area so I splurged. It was a nice, 9-hole course beside a creek. Almost everyone you see folfing here either has a beer in hand or is toking...My kind of place! The course was fairly level and relatively open. If it was busy, I could see it getting chaotic as you throw back and forth across a rectangle park that's divided into two squares. Watch out for incoming discs! It was notorious, then, for long, almost straight holes. (I found out that the pin placements were at their hardest ones, though.) Most people here are respectful and understand folf common courtesy so I had no trouble playing with Mat and Athena. I heard some bad news from someone at the course, though! They say that loggers are logging (thanks, I'm sure, to what I'm now calling the "Monopoly" administration!) right out of the city redwook park that the 3rd and best of our local courses resides in. We'll be going to check that out here tomorrow! We did also play the 9-hole course in Eureka (the next town South of Arcata, about 15 miles from my house) and it's a challenging, tree-filled course. It's another fairly quick fun one. There are doubles and singles tournaments here that I think I'll start playing in when I get a chance. The singles this Saturday is going to be a $25 catered, kegged, event! Wish I had the time and money right now!

Next: Driving Summary for the major routes of travel in Cali for, I think, everyone who's coming. Check what I'm telling you on Mapquest.com for mileage and the specific details as these will be summaries and just of the top of my head and (too tired and drunk to look it up for you) they may not be exact. There are several different routes to take, but these will be the ones I have either driven or know someone who has.
Jory and Joey: From the 5, follow the options listed below.
1: Nevada
a. Everyone from UT, or WY, or anywhere that will use I-80: Take that long, fairly straight run across northern NV that is I-80 until you get to Reno.
b. After Reno comes the fun because it will only be a short jaunt from there into Cali.

2: California: In Northern California, once you've chosen a route you're usually going to be committed to it!

2.1: The Northernmost route. I've only heard about this one.
a. It's the 395 up through Susanville from Reno route. This route is the least mileage but is also the most rugged drive. You will have the lowest speed limit and the most mountain scenery. At optimal conditions (weather, traffic, and vehicle) this is the fastest/shortest route, but it's been our experience that conditions are rarely optimal.
B. This route you take the 36 and the 44 to REDDING CA.
c. From Redding you take the 299 to the 101 just north of Arcata. The 299 is 140 miles of canyon! This canyon/forest terrain is a "once you're in, you're in" type deal. So don't enter unless you don't mind turning almost constantly for 3 hours give or take! This route does offer much in the way of older growth redwoods. From the 101 you go south to Arcata.

2.2: The scenic route, minus hell canyon and our preferred route.
a. On this route you take the 20 (about 60 miles from Reno) and stay on it all the way to the 101 CA.
b. Then it's up the 101 for about 150 miles. Up the 101, you have the option of exiting/re-entering, fairly often to The Avenue of the Giants! I'd suggest taking a slight detour to run up this route which is fairly perpendicular and not too much slower to/than the 101. This is the best chance to see redwoods in the area. (Also the drive North of Arcata has redwood opportunity but isn't part of any route to us except my brother in Seattle who's flying in.) The 101 goes through Arcata and you'll want the Humboldt State University, 14th St. Exit.
c. You can also exit the 20 at the 5 to go North to Redding and take the 299 over to Arcata. (See 2.1 c.)

2.3: The freeway route (usually our 2nd choice).
Take 80 from Reno to Sacramento. You skirt around the northeast side of Sacramento, but still must face rush-hour traffic if you don't have the timing right. This route is the longest of the choices mileage-wise, but the easiest to drive. Around the north side of Sacramento you hit the 5. You take the 5 north to an exit to the 20 at a town called Williams. There you can exit and follow 2.2 a. and b. Between Williams and the 101 is the easiest way to cross from the 5 to the 101. Clear Lake is on this drive and it's a pretty sight. If you'd like you can also continue north on the 5 to then follow 2.1 c..

Those are the major options. Feel free to experiment or to ask for any other info about the journey from where you are, to us. Drive safe and enjoy it as much as possible!

Ok, that took a little longer than I expected, but I'm out of Shark and off to bed now. I'll get to my rant I mentioned in the last post here soon. Good night!

Wedding etc.

Well, I thought I was just supposed to get a ring for Athena and show up (only semi-trashed) to say "I do!" Of course not! It's been a crazy last week of running around
Humboldt, try to get all the stuff taken care of. The other day we went to Plaza to buy some wedding clothes. Every Sunday during the summer they have live bands playing and a bunch of booths set up. There were people blazing up and people selling nugs all around...it was great! I, naturally had just finished an after-lunch bowl, and was toting a beer around the whole time.

Like everyone, I too hate the DMV. Or maybe it's just the idiots in line and the dunce they usually have working the counter. There always has to be one brain-dead fool in line somewhere ahead of me or working there. Thus I always end up stuck for 10 times the amount of time it should take, listening in compounding anger and frustration to one or two half-wits trying forever to achieve what should take only moments. Since I have no valid picture ID (and no way to get one in time since it takes weeks to process) I found out I have to have someone that's known me for at least 5 years sign an affidavit that says I'm me so we can get our marriage license.

It's been go, go, go from the time we get up, until after I've got the family to bed and taken care of the Garden. Then, I hit the internet for a little blogging and off to read until sleep overtakes me. Of course, the special cookies and Great White beer (liquid heaven) make the busy days much more fun! I love filling my Fuze (fruity drink) bottle with a couple Sharks (as I'm fond of calling them, for short) and hitting the stores. It sure makes shopping a whole lot more endurable! Plus it's mostly just fun to get away with it.

The boy (Matrim) barely stops talking long enough to breathe it seems like these days. He's such a happy, lively, little Mann. We're always playing sports, wrestling, going to the park, etc. We can't wait to get Aviendha! Mat is going to be a great big brother, and we're excited to get a little girl. She'll have to be pretty hard-core to keep up with the rest of her family. ! )

Well, it'll be another early morning coming tomorrow, so I believe I'll end this Jagermeistered evening now. I'll post again soon, since I have had a rant that's kinda been on the back burner of my mind over the years. I'll elaborate more next time. Good night!

Post 2

Wow, I can't believe I'm going to be this consistent at this. I figured this might be more of a chore, but it seems ok so far! (Knock on wood!)

I have to say (once again, knocking on wood) how excited I am that most of our good friends are going to be able to make it here to Humboldt for our wedding! I have to say, I can't wait to get married to Athena with so many of our friends here! Jory & Joey are coming from AZ (glad Joey's finally starting to recover!), Tom & Rod & Steve from UT, Shane & Jessie from WY to name a few!

I'd like to start my rant tonight by saying to "kill your T.V." but, of course, no one (including me) will. I feel impressed to say to at least be VERY choosy about what you spend your time watching. I'm not talking about in a censoring way, naturally, but more of a: is this REALLY what you want to spend your time doing? way. If so, watch away. If not, then spend that time doing something to get the most out of your time.
Most of the programming available to Americans is geared to draw you in and keep you in your chair just long enough to finish the program. Then, to move to your computer or your nearest business and start spending money.
Personally, I enjoy being entertained like anyone else, but I'd rather spend the majority of my time interacting with loved ones and educating myself about my self, my environment, society, and the world.
In these perilous times it's sad to see how many Americans have slipped into a cut-off, distracted and apathetic life instead of choosing to be informed or empowered citizens. It's hard sometimes to avoid the allure of sitting in front of the t.v. all day with TiVo and the amount of truly entertaining programming that's come across the airwaves, but it comes down to the question I say to pose to yourself before watching a show: "Is this really how I want to look back and say I spent my time in my life?"
At the rate t.v. programming is going these days, it won't be long until we're all just sitting in front of a t.v. set, watching someone who's watching their t.v., who's watching someone watching their t.v., etc. until you get to the t.v. set at the center, and it will just be a commercial!

Well, that's all for tonight! Time to work in the garden!

Short but Potent!

I have 5 points to touch on in my first post:

1. I just finished Robert F. Kennedy's Crimes Against Nature. I've also heard him speak in a couple of interviews, (because he struggles for adequate coverage in our corporate shill, heavily censored media) and I must say I'm impressed. I honestly don't know much about the man, but I'd advise anyone who cares at all about their environment, country, politics, friends, family, and/or themselves etc. to read this book! Please feel free to tell me what you think after as it reflects much of what I've thought I've seen behind the scenes of our political, social, and environmental landscape over the last 10 years. Let's educate ourselves and each other before it's too late!
2. I sincerely hope (especially now that I have a family to raise!) that we all can somehow come together to avoid the future that somehow seems inevitable in the hands of our current leaders: Think something of a corporate slave-master whipping his slaves with whips of distracted consumer-frenzy as they sit dumbfounded in the polluted wasteland that America will have become. To top it off, the slave-master is still "at war" with a portion of it's slaves for desiring the freedom to at least endure the slaver with a little medicinal/recreational use of Mari J. Just a bunch of metaphors...or are they...
3. I also just finished one of my freshly made, delicious, super-potent, medicinal, sugar cookies!
4. Thanks to Jory and Joey Johnson for the idea to start one of these. (But primarily their friendship of course!)
5. I'll try to post with some regularity as well as comment on other's blogs when I can, so stay tuned and be patient, please.