Entropy

Portland is one of the most eclectic cities I have ever been to and I have been to some unique places.  They offer something for everyone all the time.  Just this week I watched the Goonies on a 30 ft. tall screen in the downtown square.  I also Had the oppurtunity to see some other pretty interesting events this week.  

This is my friend Matisyahu, he is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch tribe, (hasidic Jew). He is a world renowned artist he has a unique raggae rap style that has caught on. If you just heard is voice you would think he was a big black man from Jamaica. but as you can see by his picture... not quite.  

I was on the Internet seeing what was the day poor people could go to the zoo.  I looked on the events and it said Matisyahu was preforming.  I flipped at the opportunity to see my favorite musician preform.  So I headed over there by myself.  This is the outdoor theater at the zoo, there were a few thousand people packed in there. 

Matisyahu has very impressive lyrics and great moral stance for the kind of spot light he is in.  The funny thing is no one really knows how religious his lyrics are they just like the beat and sound of his voice and he is hard to understand because he raps so fast.  So I thought I would show one of his songs.

"KING WITHOUT A CROWN"

[Chorus:]
What's this feeling?
My love will rip a hole in the ceiling
Givin' myself to you from the essence of my being
Sing to my God all these songs of love and healing
Want Moshiach now so it's time we start revealing

You're all that I have and you're all that I need
Each and every day I pray to get to know you please
I want to be close to you, yes I'm so hungry
You're like water for my soul when it gets thirsty
Without you there's no me
You're the air that I breathe
Sometimes the world is dark and I just can't see
With these, demons surround all around to bring me down to negativity
But I believe, yes I believe, I said I believe
I'll stand on my own two feet

Won't be brought down on one knee
Fight with all of my might and get these demons to flee
Hashem's rays fire blaze burn bright and I believe
Hashem's rays fire blaze burn bright and I believe
Out of darkness comes light, twilight unto the heights
Crown Heights burnin' up all through till twilight
Said, thank you to my God, now I finally got it right
And I'll fight with all of my heart, and all a' my soul, and all a' my might

So the funny thing about this concert is that Matisyahu's has a pretty obvious stance with peace and against drugs.  It was ironic because in the crowd there was an absurd amount of marijuana and other recreational drugs. I felt bad for the guy because I knew he could see the clouds of smoke over the crowd.  Then at the end a hundred or so "fans" rushed the stage just because.  It became really out of hand and Matisyahu had to leave the stage.  

Just goes to show no one cares about Jews. 

So you might be asking what are all these people gathered to see.  Is Billy Joel playing, is the Pope in town, are they handing out free blunts?  No it is the Red bull Flugtag (German for Flying Day).  This is and hour and 1/2 before the event even started, and over 80,000 interested people came to watch.  The object of this competition is to build a homemade gliding machine, and jump off a 25 ft. deck over water and see how far you go.  100% of the competitors fail.  You are judged on creativity, your skit, and distance, but no one cares about distance, we just wanted to see the funniest glider and the worst wipe outs.  I would call it the worlds goofiest, prop belly flop contest.  

This was a big deal, the bridge over the river was packed with people, both sides of the river were packed and people showed up in boats.  They had celebrity judges; proffesional athletes, actors, world record holder... The opening ceremony there were cool bands and sky divers. 

Then the fun started.  This was my favorite crew that you can barely see.  They were lego people in a lego plane, There skit had me crying I was laughing so hard.  There plane flew 6 ft. hilarious. 

oh yeah that is the runway where they were able to build up pointless speed, only to fail.

Another crowd favorite. An over sized viking with tiny wings.  Needless to say gravity won.

I had a lot of other funny ones but its late and I can't figure this computer out, maybe later.

Go Ducks Go!

Over her in Oregon I have a lot of time on my hands... to much time on my hands. I am also kind of a spontaneous person.  The two don't mix very well.  So I woke up one morning and decided to clean and wash my car.  I hopped into my car to clean it and ended up in Eugene Oregon.  The home of one of my favorite passions.  The Oregon Ducks!

This is at Autzen Stadium where the ducks play football at. 

So the stadium is closed to the public. Unless your maintenance. I found out people will think your a maintenance person if you act and follow a maintenance person.  So i was able to get on the field.  

University of Oregon founded Nike.  So needless to say they have the best athletic facilities in the nation.  This is one of their indoor football practice fields.

I am a very goal oriented person.  One of my goal was to run a lap on Hayward Field.  For those of you that don't know this is the Carnegie Hall of Track and Field.  The biggest names in running have gone through this place.  It is kind of a big deal.  

But when I arrived at the track it was closed.  I was a disappointed.

This is Bill Bowerman and I hanging out (greatest running coach ever). He needed to use my hat. 

I hopped a fence and squeezed in a locked gate to get this shot. 

I already had snuck onto the track so I figured I would try to accomplish my goal of a lap on Hayward Field.  This is me trying to get a picture while running from security.  Apparently they didn't care about my goals and dreams.  I got only 150 meters of the lap before I had to escape.  I don't know if that is enough to check it off my goal sheet.  

FIGURES

Pop Quiz

Is this...

A) my new job or

B) my dreams going up in smoke

Ok that was really morbid humor but at least I can laugh at it now. right? sorry mom that was just too irresistible, it is ok to laugh! 

So things didn't work out like I thought with the Forest Fire Fighter job as one might have guest.  I was pretty upset for a little bit but I am fine now.  I am in Portland now looking for a job and visiting with a lot of old friends.  I start working at a rock Gym on Thursday but I am looking for something a little more substantial.  

This is my old stomping grounds in Utah.  I was able to stop and do a little climbing and hiking. It brought backs a lot of adventurous memories. 

Most of you my recognize Multnomah falls. Really crowded, I think there was a senior citizen convention so needless to say I just walked up the hill a ways and then had the place to myself. 

I went on a day hike up to punchbowl falls.  It was a beautiful hike and then I went swimming under that thing. Slightly to incredibly cold, but refreshing. 

In hind sight I wish I had not swam under that one.  A little deeper and little more powerful than it looks.  Kind of rocked my world. But I gave the spectators a good laugh/scare. 

Hike to the top of multnomah, pretty cool.  

Yes this is the ol' bland home. and Yes there is a ghetto car on blocks outside. whenever my kids complain about where they live I can wait to blow this house way out of proportion and say, when I was a kid I didn't learn to walk till I was 7 because I had to crawl around the house and under the windows to avoid rival gang gun fire. 

SE Washington has gone down the pot. 


Home away from home. 

Float or Forge?

There comes a point in everyone journey west that you have to make decisions. Thankfully I don't have to deal with lil' jon's dysentery, broken axles or sick oxen. I just have to pick an occupation. It was not banker or carpenter though, it was forest fire fighter. You don't make as much as a banker and you are not gifted with any fix-it skills, but oh-well. I have a good opportunity in Oregon to fight forest fires. I am very exited about a good job possibility. It will only be a temporary thing but it will get me going again, financially. If things work out. I will be in training for a bit then hopefully shipped to California. I leave tomorrow morning.

My Boss

On the road again!

Since I have arrived in Colorado I stopped using my car. I have been biking everywhere I go. It is a blast. Ft. Collins has some of the best roads to bike on in the Nation and some of the best scenery. I have been able to get in about 30 miles a day. I forgot how much I love bustin it on the road.

I don't know how much longer I will stay in Colorado but with storms like this it makes it hard to leave. there was lightning on both sides of me probably a quarter mile away and there was magnificent blue skies just straight ahead.

I have been able to get good meals at my grandparents house so that is a plus. But the job hunt is a little slow. Keep me in your prayers becuase it is not the most uplifting process.

Go West Young Man

So I decided the other day to get up am move, which required me sitting down in my car and turning it on. I decided that I would head in the direction of colorado. Although I have applied for quite a few jobs in Oregon. So I am playing it by ear.

Someone ask me the other day "so what are your future plans" I stood there and thought well... in 2010 I am going to watch the winter olympics as far as tomorrow through the next few years I got nothing. So a few days later I am going to Colorado.

Wish me luck.

Bivouac

Bivying is spending the night under the sky, no tent or shelter. It was my favorite thing I did the whole trip. I spent almost 60 days in a row without a shelter and only a few days the whole trip under any type of tarp. The stars, sunsets, and sunrises were some of the most breathtaking things I have ever or could ever imagine seeing. I'll take you through some views I fell asleep to.

Sweet Dreams

I enjoyed, to the dislike of the instructors, sleeping on the edge of a cliff. There are few things better than waking up and peeing off of a thousand foot cliff.

A good Bivvy spot were usually looking at something incredible. We weren't happy unless we slept at a spot that was a sick point sick on the sickter scale.

Preparing for bed.

For 2 weeks straight on the river we slept on beaches.


Although waking up and realizing your eyes were frozen shut, bivying in the snow is a great experience.