bodhranai

It is July again.

As some of you may know, it's been a rough couple of months for me, but things are slowly righting themselves again. Bills can be paid again, communication can resume, a good time can be had bay all. That doesn;t make much sense, but thats beside the point.

July 31st will be, among other things, the annual commemoration of my mother delivering into this world and by extension, into your lives, for better or worse.

For my birthday this year I am asking those who know me, and care for me to participate in a little project. It won't cost you anything but time and a bit of energy. So here it goes.

Please write for me, a memory that you have of me, preferably of the two of us, but at least a memory you hold of me. Make it as personal and detailed as you are comfortable making it. 

Also please give me the artist and title of one song that you associate with me (Please nothing I have recorded). Let me know why you chose this song, why this song makes you think of me. I'll collect these songs between now and then and on my birthday I will  burn a CD of them and  listen to them all and think of each of you.

I am quite disconnected these days and this is the best gift I could ask for on my birthday.

Thanks everybody.

Hello people,

I thought I'd take a few minutes and write you all with whats going on in my life. I know I have been out of touch and off line a lot lately and I figured some of you might like to know what I'm up to. I've been spending less time in front of the computer and am trying to have more actual experiences, if that makes any kind of sense.

Well I am working full time as "Kitchen Manager/Head Chef" at Sam's Billiards in the Hollywood District of North East Portland. I'll have my 1 year anniversary there in April. I manage 5 cooks and a small wait staff at a full service Billiards Hall/Bar/Restaurant with over 45 years in the same location. I work Thurs.-Mon. mostly as a dinner chef and closer. I like the hours, being that I am naturally pretty nocturnal. It's a great job, since I need to have one and I really like the people I work with.

I am renting a room in a house in the extreme NE of Portland. The folks I live with are nice and we get along great. I'm thinking I'd like to find a studio or 1 bedroom of my own closer to work. I haven't lived alone in 11 years and it'd be a nice change of pace. We'll see how finances work out.

I play 8 & 9 ball pool on a weekly APA league team with some of my regulars at work. I've always loved the games and have gotten to be pretty good at them. I'm still nowhere near as good as some people I know, but I can hold my own and I win more games than I lose at this point, so yay me.

I'm still playing music with Circled By Hounds all over Portland. We've been a band for almost 2 years, gone from a 3 to a 4 piece and are preparing to start work on our second studio album. We play in Portland between 1 and 6 times a month and have something of a following. I am also starting to teach bodhran again. I have a couple of private students and am looking for a music store to rent lesson space in on my days off from work.

I'm still as single as it gets. With my current schedule between work, music and pool league I don't really have time to meet anybody. I live pretty wired hours, and lets face it, I'm something of an acquired taste. Personally, I don't know that I'm in a place to be getting involved anyway, so it all works out. Although the occasional date might be nice, lol!

I don't own a vehicle anymore. With the public transit in Portland being as good as it is, it's not really necessary (except when I have to move instruments and gear for shows) and I don't really have the money to put into a car and insurance and all that. Things being what they are I walk a lot (which is good or me) and spend a good deal of time on buses and trains, which is always good for entertainment purposes.

I am trying to concentrate on growing up a bit (good idea at 33 huh?). I've held the same job for a year, same band for 2. I'm working on settling my debts and being more responsible in general.

I take myself to the movies once in a while and I'm trying to get out to see more live music. Portland has a pretty amazing scene and I'm trying to make time to take more advantage of it.

All in all, life could be a little better, but it could be a lot worse. I am optimistic and even excited at times, which is nice.

So... whats new with you? Message me with your own updates, if you like ;-)

 

That's right, the annual acknowledgment of my birth is coming up soon (July 31st) and at the suggestion of a friend of mine I have set up a quick and easy way for my friends to contribute to something of a  a group gift.

Apparently all of my moving around and bouncing all over the country make it tough for those who want to, to send me birthday gifts.

Now, I want to be clear here. I am not begging, demanding or bugging anyone for a gift. I'm not that kinda guy, I am simply attempting to make it simple for my friends across the country, world and web to contribute to something I will definitely use (a lot) and will genuinely appreciate. I, in no way want to seem to be in bad taste.

I am posting this on my various blogs and in the forums I frequent most often.

If you aren't interested, please do not click on the link below. If you ARE interested, please click the link and follow the simple instructions found there.

http://vash.vash.chipin.com/new-kilt-for-my-birthdayfriends-wedding


Thanks for your time, attention and interest.

LOS ANGELES -- Don Herbert, who as television's ''Mr. Wizard'' introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89.

Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

''He really taught kids how to use the thinking skills of a scientist,'' said former colleague Steve Jacobs. He worked with Herbert on a 1980s show that echoed the original 1950s ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' series, which became a fond baby boomer memory.

In ''Watch Mr. Wizard,'' which was produced from 1951 to 1964 and received a Peabody Award in 1954, Herbert turned TV into an entertaining classroom. On a simple, workshop-like set, he demonstrated experiments using household items.

''He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along,'' Jacobs said. ''You were learning about the forces of nature.''

Herbert encouraged children to duplicate experiments at home, said Jacobs, who recounted serving as a behind-the-scenes ''science sidekick'' to Herbert on the '80s ''Mr. Wizard's World'' that aired on the Nickelodeon channel.

When Jacobs would reach for beakers and flasks, Herbert would remind him that science didn't require special tools.

'''You could use a mayonnaise jar for that,''' Jacobs recalled being chided by Herbert. ''He tried to bust the image of scientists and that science wasn't just for special people and places.''

Herbert's place in TV history was acknowledged by later stars. When ''Late Night with David Letterman'' debuted in 1982, Herbert was among the first-night guests.

Born in Waconia, Minn., Herbert was a 1940 graduate of LaCrosse State Teachers College and served as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. He worked as an actor, model and radio writer before starting ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' in Chicago on NBC.

The show moved to New York after several years.

He is survived by six children and stepchildren and by his second wife, Norma, his son-in-law said. A private funeral service was planned.

So, ok...

here's the deelio... I have done a LOT of thinking and the daily journal project (interupted by the move, and before by life) has taught me a number of things... mainly, that I am not someone who has something to say every single day... I'm just not. It is a schedule that I don;t feel I can give me best effort to. Thus, I am giving myself permission to not continue with it. Better for me, better for everyone I think, as opposed to forcing myself to do something that I am not feeling and in so doing, turning what should  be a project into a punishment.

That being said, I HAVE missed writing and reading the responses to my posts. SO... I have decided on a compromise... I will instead undertake a ONCE A WEEK Blog Project. Called “Blog52” (real original, huh?).

I will post a weekly blog which can be either a weekly wrap up kind of thing, an open letter kind of thing, or an original piece of writing kind of thing. Possibly even any combination thereof.

As today is Maonday, I will set myself a weekly publishing goal of EVERY FRIDAY.

In the interest of trying something different, I want to try a bit of a rip off of what my good buddy Mike did a while back. I want to open things up to you, my friends and readers. I'd like to do a brief “3 Questions” public dialogue. SO here goes:

If you are reading this, you are invited to ask me any, and I mean ANY 3 questions you'd like. Make 'em funny, make 'em as personal as you like. I will answer 3 questions from a couple of people by Friday. Just send me a message via MySpace, or email your 3 questions to: kiltedvash@gmail.com. If you'd like me to post and answer your questions but keep you annonymous, let me know, otherwise everyone will know it was you who asked whatever you asked. Everybody with me? Good.

So, I am an open book... honest answers to direct questions... nows your chance to ask me ANYTHING.

Wish me luck, and watch this Friday for Blog52/Week1/

HELLO CHILDRENS!

I have landed somwhere. It is not idillic, but it IS a residence that doesn't have wheels on. It's quieter, safer and more legal than urban van camping. I placed an ad on Craigslist detaling what I was looking for and what I could afford. So I got a call from a couple nice folks who are big movie/gamer geeks who had a basement room to rent. So I have a basement room with cableTV and high speed internet included for $500/mo. flat rate, all inclusive. I am bout 15 minutes from the Protland Airport in case any of you want to fly out and visit.

It's a bit further from the city center than I'd like to be, and it's not in any of the “arts neigborhoods”, but I can afford it and it'll give me a place to be while I save up for something located more where I want to be.

So, anybody who'd like to send housewarming cards, letters, would like Google map me, or whatever, you can send stuff to:

Vash
8225 NE. Thompson ST.
Portland OR.
97220

Thanks again for all the care, concern, well wishes and contact while I have been living in the van. I have appreciated it a grea deal.

OH P.S.

Cingular (the new AT&T) finally offered me a contract deal to get me off my Go Phone pla with them, so they gave me a nifty new phone in the deal that does internets and stuff so I can now text message and send/receive pictures and IM via my phone. So if you HAVE my number, there ya go... if you WANT my number, but don't have it... drop an email and I'll pass it on.

Thanks again.....I am once again online, I will be around pretty regularly for IM and such... SO, yay me.

Heya kids,

I am posting very VERY briefly to let everyone know that I GOT THE JOB!!! I start this evening at Sam's Good Food and Billiards in the "hollywood" district of NE Portland.

It'll give me even more hours per week than my last job onthe coast AND it's $1/hr more... so sweet... yeah.... go me...

More to come, thanks for the prayers, thoughts, well wishes, etc...

Hi kids,

Just a brief note to let you know I am still alive and not in jail or anything. I have been in Ptown for nearly a week now and am doing as ok as can be expected. The high(and low)lights of the week so far: 

I got all my stuff secured in a super cool older storage facility in downtown Portland. It's an oldschool brick building and I am on the 3rd floor, which means I have to use the kick ass oldschool freight elevator. I am payed up through July 1st, so thats a load off my big bald head.

Had a tire blow out at 80mph on the way to Eugene to perform a free show. Upon reachign the final destination and gettign the tire looked at (see replaced) I was informed that not only do I need a new SET of tires, I need a front brake job in order for the vehicle to be street legal. SSSOOOO... goodbye $469 of my savings (which was most of it).

So the gym membership vanished in puff of paying for the van expenses, but hey..it IS my home we are talking about.

I have spent most of this week pounding pavement in search of a job and have gotten some good response, but no offers yet. I am off to an interview in about 1/2 hr so wish me luck.

Sleeping in the van is surprisingly comfy and will work out for the time being. 

Not had the funds to really go out and socialize much so I've yet to meet any fascinating new people, but I am hopeful.

Well, I am almost out of time on the internet cafe machine, so I will sign off with the promise of another update soon.

Until then, take as good care of yourselves as youve asked me to take of myself.

Well folks... after months of putting it off and trying everything I could think of to sort out a safe and reliable way into Portland I am finally throwing caution to the wind and making the move.

I will be offline indefinitely while I attempt to get my feet under me. I have saved up a few hundred dollars and the current plan is to head to Portland on Friday. Get myself a small storage unit to keep my things and the bands sound system in. I will then get myself a membership to a 24 hr Fitness (access to a gym, showers and rest rooms) in Portland and will be sleeping in my van while I seek out employment and then a room to rent once money is flowing once more. I don't know how long I will be offline, it will depend on how smoothly the job search goes.

For those of you familiar with the van I have been driving for the past year or so (Grey '77 Chevy), rest assured I have gotten rid of that van and have purchased a much newer ('86 GMC) much better, safer, larger van. I will take all possible precautions to stay safe and out of trouble in this time of transition.

I will be keeping my cell phone going through this time, so if you have that number, please feel free to give me a ring to check in any time. I will try to get online (via friends, library & net cafe) once a week to check messages, but no promises there.

Thanks for all your support and well wishes and I'll do my best to keep everyone posted.

Wish me good luck,
Vash

I know I seem to have dropped off the planet in the last few weeks or so, but I am still around, I swear. I have been writing every day, like I said I would (duh!), but I haven’t been posting them. I have been consciously trying to spend more time away from the computer and a side effect of this is that I am not posting stuff.

I thought I would shoot for couple of weeks of writing, but not publishing, just to see if I’d keep writing. And I have! Yay me. Sure, that couple of weeks kind of got away from me, but still.. yay me.

Well, here’s the stuff I have written or wanted to post for the last several days and I am trying to get back into the habit of setting aside time to write and post. I have been just scribbling stuff down as it comes to me and then adding to or editing it to make a blog post out of it. Maybe an exercise in putting aside time to do nothing but write is in order.

I seem to suffer from the delusion that fully formed brilliant ideas will simply fall on me from somewhere else and I will simply type them down and amaze myself with how much my writing is improving. But that just ain’t gonna happen. And as I have said before in this little experiment, it isn’t JUST about writing better, but about dedicating myself to a scheduled activity that in no way contributes to my finances. As well as about seeing and experiencing life in a different way. Much of which I have been doing. But it’s becoming more of a “compulsive writing” thing, than an experiment in personal discipline or growth.

hhmmm..........

So, last night we packed up early and hit the road back to Cannon Beach, where Matty & Kat were staying. Since it was only about 10pm, we dropped into the Warren House (a local bar) in Cannon Beach and were asked to play an impromptu set.

We rocked out acoustic style and were fed beer once again. Yay! for being a musician!

We wandered home late and more than a little drunk (we walked, don’t worry). I curled up in my sub-zero bag, in the cozy little bed in the back of my van and had a solid nights sleep, listening to the ocean a few hundred feet away. I slept late and drove myself the 45 minutes home, just in time to change clothes and head to work...

A short shift 2 – 5pm is a nice little taste of work without getting bloated by the bull#%$^ that can go along with it.

Thank heavens for little favors.

Last night was a lot of fun. We played well and had fun with our friends. We made afew new fans, so all was well.

Tonight we played the 2nd Annual Astoria “Irish Fest”. Now... when You think “Irish Fest” what comes to mind? Stages playing Irish music? Booths selling crappy “Irish” Knick-Knacks? Yeah, us too.

Instead we performed at a dinner and auction put on by the local Rotary Club, and hosted at the National Guard Armory in Warrenton Oregon. For only $20 a plate you got a nice little dinner (the Lamb Stew, green salad and soda bread were actually really good) served cafeteria style, the chance to bid on donated items in a silent auction, a dinner time serenade by a bagpipe band, and an after dinner concert from Circled By Hounds.

We played an hour less than we were contracted for, due to the majority of the crowd being older folks who, once fed, were ready to get home to catch Matlock or whatever. The folks were very polite and applauded and all, but due to the shear size of the concrete and steel armory building we were in and the bad assed-ness of our sound system, I am afraid our audio wasn’t as good as it could have been.

But everyone was very cool to us and we had a good time, and we sold several CD’s, which means they enjoyed us too, so all is well.

We arrived in Astoria on this drizzly Friday afternoon with plenty of time to hang out a bit, then go set up our sound, have our free dinner at The Schooner and not rush to anything. It was really nice. We wandered around downtown, checking out the shops and just being friends together.

We got a call from our friend Chris, who is a brew master and co-owner of a brand new brewery and public house opening up later this month. He invited us over to the new place to discuss hiring us to play once they have opened. We agreed on an evening for us to drop in and play, we’ll be paid and get to eat and drink to our hearts content, so... we’ve got that going for us.

It’s nice to know we are getting to be a known quantity. Chris and his partner were each brew masters for two separate brew pubs that we played at in the past and they thought of us first when they needed a band. NICE!

We showed up, set up and played our show without a hitch. Some of our actual fans and friends showed up (Including Eden who drove from Portland, and her sister Cassie who we’ve not seen for months) which was awesome to see and we had a really nice time. It could have been a bigger show, but it was a good one none the less.

Many drinks were purchased for the band, by members of the audience and a good time was had by all.

The band is booked to play a couple of nights in Astoria. Dunno what to really expect. Friday we are playing at The Schooner. A sort of high end bar/restaurant that we’ve played before and had sort of a mixed result. Every time we play there, we swear we never will again. We have a good time, but there’s just something weird about the experience of dealing with that place. They do very little to no advertising for the shows we do there so if we don’t do it nobody will. It’s getting better thanks to our efforts on MySpace and to having our own website finally (Thanks again Chris!).

On Saturday night we are booked for an “Irish Fest” in Astoria. None of us knows really what it is, only that they pay well and that we are the headlining entertainment for the night.

God help us, wish us luck.

It’s the Sixty-Ninth day of my blogging project. I will keep this stupid joke short and sweet... or not.

As I am living a life of semi-monastic celibacy, due largely to geography and well, who am I kidding, a lack of willing partners of interest to me. I wholeheartedly hope that some of you have an opportunity to celebrate my 69th blog post in what MUST by now be the obviously appropriate way.

Yes, I realize that this post is juvenile and kind of stupid in a Beavis & Butt-Head kind of way, but that seems somehow strangely appropriate to me right now... so...

Happy 69 everybody.

(Warning, there are naughty words in this post)

I am of the opinion that there are words that fall by the wayside on our lives, but that illustrate things in a way that your modern adult vocabulary just doesn’t. Here are a few examples from my own life. After reading these examples, I invite you to review your own daily vocabulary and see if anything warrants bringing back.

Butthole. Yes I said Butthole. You know... back before it was ok for you to say asshole. You had to call someone who was being an asshole something... but all you could get away with was... BUTTHOLE! Not even “You butthole” or “stop being a butthole” but just ... BUTTHOLE!. As an adult I have found that there is a certain petulance to calling another adult a butthole. It throws people off.. They don’t know what to say back... plus it carries the added insult of the fact that you are so angry that you’ve reached back into your childhood to find the appropriate name to call them. Trust me. It’s so worth it to try.

Gnarley. Now, unless you were a surfer or a skater in the late 80’s or you lived in “The Valley” (or were a victim of the “Valley Girl” linguistic movement) in the early 80’s. You probably never really paid much attention to this word. But it’s a very cool word to slip into conversation. It’s fun to say and it always makes folks do a double take.

Those re a couple of the words that need to come back... So... what words do YOU think need to make a comeback?

Think for just a moment about the people you care most about. Think of the folks in your life who mean the most to you. Your family, friends, distant relations (by blood or otherwise) you’ve not seen in years. Think about how much you leave unsaid in an average day.

Now, not to be an alarmist, or overly morbid, but any of those people might be dead tomorrow. Hell, you might be. What would you say to someone if you knew that it was your last conversation with them...ever?

While you have the time, why not pick up the phone, or drive over to see one person you care about and talk to them, really talk to them as though you or they are dying tomorrow. Say everything you never said. Let them know exactly what you think and feel for them. Make that connection, then see what you feel like. You might be amazed. You might choose to do the same thing with others.

You don’t need a reason to do this. Why wait for the life threatening illness? Why not do it? Why wait until it is possibly too late?

I’m not prompted to this by anything (don’t panic) that’s the whole point. I have, a few times, let myself be fully vulnerable and shared my feelings with some of my friends and family in a one on one way. Saying things like “Thank you for being around” and letting them know exactly the level of impact they have had on my life and I have never failed to be surprised and pleased with the result.

I just think there’s too much we don’t say... Just a thought.

One of my best friends in this life and a major inspiration for me to do this 365 project is James Bruntz. We’ve been Brothers by choice for well over 15 years now and he’s a constant source of challenge, inspiration, and interest for me.

Anyway, he’s a photographer and is doing a 365 self portrait project. He’s put them all up for public view and I thought I’d show you the product of a genius with a camera. Click below for a slideshow of his 365 project still in progress.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sick_little_monkey/sets/72157594264923601/show/

In a very x-files kind of way, I love the fact that this laboratory exists...or did... as it is closing doors, which is kind of sad. I love this kind of science and I think it’s important to note the passing of this fascinating place.

Remember, this is and was a real scientific research lab, operating since the 70’s at one of the countries top schools.

This is a four page article, so I will only post the first page and a link to the rest. Open your minds, and enjoy:

“The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory, or PEAR, will shut down after years of diligently exploring interactions between mind and matter.

The lab conducted parallel experimental studies on telekinesis and ESP by testing for and typifying the phenomena of reactions generated by human-machine interactions, as well as, remote perception.

The human-machine research involved monitoring people as they attempted to use mind power to influence a variety of mechanical, electronic, optical, acoustical, and fluid gadgets to harmonize with preformed mental intentions without using any physical interaction. Often shrouded by controversy, the research spanned 28 years.

PEAR founder, Robert G Jahn, 76, said that controversy did not trigger the verdict to pull the plug on research. It's a combination of dwindling finances, aging equipment, and a shrinking need to generate more of the same data consistently collected during the labs 28 year mission, and will close at the end of February 2007, according to the New York Times .

The observed test results involving millions of trials with hundreds of participants were usually quite small, of the order of a few parts in ten thousand trials on average, or affecting two to three intended outcomes in ten thousand tries. In totality, however, they demonstrate highly significant statistical deviations from chance expectations, according to the PEAR website.

In the remote perception experiments, one member of a pair visits a predetermined site, describes it in writing with sketches, while the other participant in a remote location attempts to perceive the surroundings of the participant at the site. Then, each description is coded and compared to a descriptor checklist of thirty items used to define a geographical site for statistical evaluation.

The repercussions from the PEAR data remain unclear, although confirming the mind's influence on machinery is a captivating nod to the possibility that humans may be able to apply this method to facilitate self-healing, or healing of others.

Critics counter that information about implications and practical applications linked to the results are unclear and difficult to extract because of the minuscule changes charted during the long-term studies.

Still the lingering tantalizing inference is that the emotions or attitudes of human equipment operators may resonate with the machines they use thereby potentially influencing subtle changes in the equipment's function.

In early initial research, Jahn used random event generators or REGs of various types including a large imposing pinball-like machine consisting of a cluster of round balls that cascaded and bounced around pegs landing in a row of slots at the bottom, when activating the machine.”

See the rest of the article Here.