Fuck yeah!

[Dork]

I start my new job on Monday, and start school on Wednesday. I haven't taken a class in 12 years, and the time finally felt right to go back. This year is looking to be a busy and positive one!

Anyone else with something to celebrate?

[unjonharley]

just made arrangment to move into a new shop area.. the leaky carport was about done for.. now there will be good lights and roof.. oh and a wood burning stove to keep the coffe pot hot.. drop by and see me.

[spidermonkey]

Congratulations all around!! i hitch hiked to san fran after BM and just settled (for the time being) in a beautiful place in beautiful Santa Cruz

[BAS]

I've heard California has some nice public parks with good benches, spidermonkey!

(BTW, Congrats!)


B.

[RingO'Fire]

Fuck Yeah!
I'm all set to go to Alchemy, the Northwest Georgia Burn, in about two hours! This is the inaugural year and the festival site is just about 20 minutes from my house. I understand that they've sold around 300 "invitations." Three hundred people is enough for a damned fine party, in my opinion.

Plus, I'm going with two cool, beautiful young ladies that drove down from North Carolina last night and spent the night at my house. I met these fine women at Transformus, the North Carolina Burn, a couple of months ago. We all really hit it off - staying up partying, drinking, & dancing till sunrise the night of the NC burn.

Right now, I'm just fucking off at work, err, I mean trying to be productive, until my departure time arrives. This is going to be a GREAT weekend!

Fuck yeah! Life is GOOD!

[nogganoodle]

Well, I finally got around to unpacking my suitcase yesterday. Ok I know I've been home 2 weeks now, but you know how it is! Anyway, while I was putting some stuff in my drawers I happened to move a tshirt, and there staring back at me was a beautiful pendant that I was gifted at the Burn in '06. It has been lost for almost a year and I had given up hope of ever seeing it again.

It is now firmly attached around my neck.

Fuck yeah, that made me smile!

[BigCock]

Our best friends had a baby last night! Now they have a boy and girl 4 yrs apart and we have a boy and girl 4 yrs apart.

AND, my wife and daughter finally got rid of their head lice! which I apparently missed catching by going to the playa. Who says going to BM isn't good for your health?

Ya gotta appreciate the little things in life ... or the lack there of.

[ibdave]

I just got home after driving 1800 miles to seattle and back in two driving days to "drop in" on some of my BM Family... oh yea, Fuck my ass is sore......

[spidermonkey]

thanks... but i'm not living on a bench or in a park. when i said place i meant house

[Silverwheel]

My first CD is out in about a week! Ten songs of Celtic harp and I sing four of them. PM me if you want a link to where you can get a copy!

[Frankly]

Sounds...riveting.

[Z Spy]

I went to Reno's Decompose last night, partied like a ferret until 3:00am and woke up at 9:00am without a hangover and am loving life............Fuck Ya!!!!!

[cowboyangel]

Boston Red Sox

[CapSmashy]

The Gogol Bordello show last night....

Start wearing fucking purple!

[The CO]

Love Gogo! Did they play Ameican Wedding?

[CapSmashy]

Love Gogo! Did they play Ameican Wedding?

Yes!

Careful CO. You would not want your minions knowing you enjoy music sung by one of the talented members of the Glorious Peoples art collective.

[pinemom]

I went to Reno's Decompose last night, partied like a ferret until 3:00am and woke up at 9:00am without a hangover and am loving life............Fuck Ya!!!!!

Ya...we didnt leave till 430am...my body hurts like I was caught in dance dance revolution on major repeat,weeeeeeeeeeeee, but my head felt great!!!

Reno Decomposition is by far the best Party in default!

rumor has it maybe another one in January!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then of course Yuri's night...hehee
We Reno-ites have all the fun!

[CapSmashy]

January? FUCK YEAH!

I will be there for that one.

[RingO'Fire]

I got to see the Dalai Lama yesterday in Atlanta

Here's how it happened:

Went down to Atlanta yesterday (Monday 10/22/07) for work. I was supposed to be "observing" an environmental cleanup on a property formerly owned by my client. The cleanup is being performed by contractors for the current owners, who unfortunately hired incompetant environmental consultants before they bought the property, leading them to buy a contaminated piece of property (contaminated with perchloroethene or "perc" - a drycleaning solvent - very nasty) .

I'll be observing and collecting "split" samples with the current contractor while they do their cleanup of the contaminated soil. When they're finished, my company will come in to do the cleanup of contaminated groundwater. There has been a lawsuit, about to be settled any day now, dragging on for a couple of years between my client and the other contractor's client. The current property owners are responsible for the soil cleanup while my client, the former owner, is responsible for the groundwater cleanup.

So, my client's attorneys had called me, in complete frenzy, on Friday. "They've already started the soil cleanup!" Which was news to all of us. The lawyer had driven by the site and had seen fences up, backhoes around, etc. The lawyers said, "We want you down there first thing Monday morning!" Naturally, my response was, "I'm on that! I'll be there at 8:00 a.m. Monday!"

So, I get up at 4:30 a.m. yesterday, drive to ATL and arrive about 7:00 a.m. I go grab some breakfast at my favorite ATL restaurant, The Flying Biscuit (it Rulz!). Get back to the job site, and there are 3-4 guys sitting on top of 5-gallon buckets, looking at each other, not doing much of anything. The lead contractor turns out to be a former client & also a really cool guy. He says, "Uh, we don't even have our demolition permit yet. We're not going to be doing anything - demolition or cleanup wise - until next week at the soonest." Turns out the lawyers freaked out for nothing.

I asked if I could come inside the building and have a look around. He says he'd have to make some calls and get it approved with his client first. He put the property manager on the phone, she says that until there's a signed settlement agreement, they're not completely comfortable with my company having unfettered access to the site. She says to hang out and "have some coffee and a muffin" and she'll get back to me.

An hour and half later, I still haven't heard a word from the property manager. I'm sitting in my truck, taking notes, when I hear on the radio, "Today's theme for the 'Free Lunch' here on [station] will all be related to peace, for the Dalai Lama's visit to Atlanta today. He's going to be giving a free talk down at Centennial Park. The gates open at 1:00. There's going to be music at 3:00. The Dalai Lama's talk starts at 4:45."

My inner dialogue went something like this:
"Did I just hear that right? The Dalai Lama is going to talk today at 4:45? Here? In Atlanta? Today? Holy Fuck! I'm in Atlanta today too! This is so not a coincidence! And, it's only [looks at watch] 11:00 now! I could totally make that! But should I go or not? I mean, I could get back to the office in a couple of hours. If I left now, I could get in a half a day of productive work. But...how many times in your life do you get a chance to see the Dalai Lama? Like, once, maybe?

"Remember that time in 1984 in New York City when you were hanging out in the park, and you read in the paper that Frank Zappa was playing that same night, and you had enough money to get in the show, and you had the time too, you didn't have to be at any certain place at any certain time, but you had a bus ticket, and you thought 'I'll see Frank Zappa another time, I'd better go ahead and get on the bus and get on back home.' But you never did see Frank Zappa live, did you? No, you didn't, because he died in 1993, and now all you can do is buy CDs and DVDs and you'll never see Frank Zappa because he's dead. Is that the same kind of memory you want to have for the Dalai Lama too?"

"Frank Zappa is dead and I never got to see him, because I took the easy road in 1984. The Dalai Lama is alive and here in Atlanta today, and SO AM I! Fuck it! I'm going!"

So, I fucked off for a while and did a little thrift store shopping for my Halloween costume (I'm going to be a wizard - I needed some black pants that I'm going to turn into giant bell bottoms). Later, I parked at the MARTA train station and took the train into downtown.

I got to Centennial Park around 2:15 - two and half hours before the Dalai Lama was scheduled to speak. I got a great seat about 100 feet or so from the stage. Everyone around me was pretty cool. I befriended a group of 5 or so women from Agnes Scott College - all humanities & social science majors - sitting next to me.

Waiting the 2 & 1/2 hours wasn't SO bad, but my ass did hurt after sitting on the ground for so long. There was some music: native Tibetan, local Atlanta jazz, and the throat-chanting monks - who were totally fucking amazing!

Then, after excessive cermonial thanksgiving and ass-kissing, FINALLY, the Dalai Lama addressed the assembled masses. I was struck by his gentleness, humility and sense of humor. His wasn't a life-changing address, but was still inspiring and uplifting nonetheless. Here are some of the highlights that I remember:

"If you want world peace, you must first establish peace within yourself."

"I'm just like you. There's really nothing different about me. We all have the same emotions."

"All of the world's religions come from the same source."

"The monastic life is the same, whether you are Buddhist, Christian, or Islamic."

"Suffering leads to Fear. Fear leads to anger. Fear and anger inside a person can cause all kinds of bodily illness and disease."

"We are all part of the human family, all brothers and sisters. When you try to 'go over there' and destroy your enemies, you are in effect destroying a part of yourself. Peace can never be achieved this way."

"China is a great, populous nation. They have worked hard and accomplished much. They deserve to have the Olympic Games. However, they must also learn to respect basic human rights."

Leaving the address, I definately felt inspired and uplifted. Am I glad I went? You betcha.

So, I got to see the Dalai Lama in Atlanta yesterday.

At least I got that going for me, which is good.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnHaTlI1p7o[/youtube]

[Z Spy]

rumor has it maybe another one in January!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then of course Yuri's night...hehee
We Reno-ites have all the fun!

Yeah Smashy, it'll rock..............plus you can meet Zsu Zsu.............The January event will be great, holidays are over and everyone will be ready to cut loose and start the new year right. Plus, rumor is, it may be organized to be a "block party" so we will be to host the entire universe in our lovely little city..........yipee!!!!

[theCryptofishist]

Ring, did he fly off like on the Simpsons?

[mojo]

Ring - he was here on the coast about a week ago and he visited one of his favorite places - the Raging Waters waterpark in San Dimas.

[CapSmashy]

Yeah Smashy, it'll rock..............plus you can meet Zsu Zsu.............The January event will be great, holidays are over and everyone will be ready to cut loose and start the new year right. Plus, rumor is, it may be organized to be a "block party" so we will be to host the entire universe in our lovely little city..........yipee!!!!

WOOT! I

[theCryptofishist]

Lamas at teh waterpark!! Dang, popes are so stodgy.

[Valkyrie]

They really are. Lamas have a whole lot more fun.

[RingO'Fire]

Ring, did he fly off like on the Simpsons?

If he did, I missed that part. I left just a few minutes early during the question and answer session, to try to beat the throng to the train station.

Ring - he was here on the coast about a week ago and he visited one of his favorite places - the Raging Waters waterpark in San Dimas.

Did he get to ride the giant waterslide? That would be really cool.

I have to agree with Crypto & Valkyrie too - Lamas are way more fun than Popes, IMO.

[spidermonkey]

i'm moving to honolulu on friday!!!!!!

[skeetsh00ter]

Ring...Fuck Yeah, I love the flying biscuit! mmmm they have the best grits in all of atlanta. For real.

[RingO'Fire]

Ring...Fuck Yeah, I love the flying biscuit! mmmm they have the best grits in all of atlanta. For real.

I couldn't agree more. I try to grab a Flying Biscuit breakfast whenever I'm down in ATL. Mmm...grits...mmm.

[mojo]

Fuck Yeah!!!!!! (I just had to tell someone) 2008 is shaping up to be a banner year for cool trips - 2 weeks in Paris in April, Key West at the end of May and the new one, New Years Eve at the Avalon Ballroom on Catalina Island! (Yes, I have the bestest husband on the planet)

Not to mention the best of all, that thing in the desert over Labor Day.

I'm going to have to work weekends forever to get enough time off!