Everything_Else Where

Colleen Goes To Pennsylvania

2011-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Back in June, Colleen and I did a quick weekend in Pennsylvania. We stayed with my college professor and friend, Leo, at his bed and breakfast, the Potteiger House, in my old college town of Selinsgrove. After a 4 hour journey from the Upper West Side to the Pennsylvanian sticks in 98 degree humidity... with no A/C, we treated ourselves to bizarre yet awesome scenic vistas, swing sets, ice cream, and one of my favorite Pennsylvanian gems, Knoebel's - the pay-as-you-go-trac phone of amusement parks.

One of three bird nests I saw that week full of baby birds. MOM, WE'RE HUNGRY!

FINE, I FOUND THIS HUGE WORM FOR YOU!

THROW UP IN MY MOUTH!

CS was really into this picnic table for some reason.

Scenic vista - bridge to Shikallemy

surprised about something in that book... OR the fact that this bathroom is 25x10.

throwback. official soap of S.U. Basketball.

our room

Leo's awesome office

sour ice cream?

pffft.

The Phoenix - an all wooden roller coaster that allegedly leaves the tracks at certain points. You can (and I do) literally wiggle through the safety bar and stand up while riding this thing.

yeah right

CS loves puppies

Antique Cars

Haunted House

... loves puppies... hates photos. its getting complicated.

Knoebel's coming in hot with a serious holiday message.

Salt N Pepper Shakers. These things really hurt and make you nauseous.

ticket to ride

this kid couldn't hang

Snoball?

don't mind if I do

anyone who knows how to hike knows that this is the best outfit for the occasion

so proud...

Supermoon

2011-03-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

A "supermoon" occurs when the moon is 90% full or fuller and it passes closer to the earth than usual. Haters like Tim Mosback say that it was "mediocre," but that's because haters live in Manhattan and look at the moon from their rooftop while they drink redbull "vokkas" while they pregame at 11pm. The supermoon was most impressive from about 7:20 - 8:00 when it was (by way of illusion) largest and a deep red orange. This hasn't happened since 1993. Guess what, people... over the next seven years we will get three more. I wish I was somewhere flat and skyscraperless to see this.

some hipster shit

some chick photoing the supermoon

Ski Utah 2011: Keep Those Tips Up!

2011-03-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Tara McChugh hosted an incredible week in Park City. We landed just in time for a huge storm dumping over two feet on what was a previously not-so-snowy mountain. I didn't realize until I was doing it, but I really had no clue how to ride in powder that deep, so the trip was kind of a learning experience. We hit Park City for two days, Canyons, Powder Mountain, and Snowbird once each. Powder Mountain is a must-do. On the next to last day we broke up the trip with a half day on snowmobiles in Utah's "Thousand Peaks."

I lost a camera in a cab in Salt Lake City. The girls don't dance at Pinky's until after 1pm. Tara's high school friends have impressive whiskey tolerance and taste buds. AJ drops in with a 360 and is banned from the sandwich shop. Some dude was playing two guitars at once. Snowbird is no joke. Banksy does Park City. Bass' dog, Skoal, got out of the yard and bit the wealthiest lawyer in Utah. # stitches

I hope I get back there every year.

some light sex art book reading before bed

waiting for first chair at Town Lift (which I'm told doesn't technically count as "first chair", but I think that's what you say because you're jealous you aren't ski in/ski out, Bas)

Doublemint Gum

jesus skis

LJ

my favorite run of all time

post run reward

had to dig myself out

waiting for the Powder Country shuttle

the girls

took a cat ride for some fresh(er) stuff

how is there this much snow under the lift two days after the snowfall?

ducked the rope for one last go at Powder Country

takin' a break

perfect end to the perfect day

Currier pushed me downhill into about 4 feet of snow...

Canyons

important preparations

atta girl

hell yea

blind whiskey taste test at the house

Kate makes a badass bloody mary

fajita night

east coast redezvous in Park City

"The Crash" - a three human pileup starring Jesse Neider

841

Park City

Banksy

some random awesome house

basement approval

the bag game

2011 Bag Game Champion: Adrienne

"I'm just a little guy." - RC

Atlas Sound @ The Bell House - Brooklyn, NY 12.11.10

2010-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Bikes... "Fall" 2010

2010-11-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

Last week the karma gods "rewarded" my attempt at green commuting when the left crank arm literally snapped off my bike, sending me on a 10 foot head first slide into the intersection of 40th street and 7th ave... and subsequently, the Beth Israel Emergency Room. Reading people's faces on the subway go from "what is this guy's problem bringing his bike on the subway during rush hour" to a decidedly more sympathetic "ooooh.... ouch," after giving me a quick up down was entertaining enough to take my mind off the pain. Having a rolled up pant leg, bloody shin, and a crank arm in my hand rather than on my bike was like having a conversation without words.

So what do you do when you do when you fall off your bike? You get back up and... get on your... uh... other bike...

... and take advantage of an unseasonably warm mid November Saturday with a 45 mile ride over the George Washington Bridge and up River Road. I shared this cycling route gem with first timers Brian and Diana in exchange for laughs, PB&J covered nuts, and, post ride, a well deserved 15 minutes in the hot tub in Brian's apt building.

Our halfway point, as well as a Boy Scout circus of sorts, was held at the New Jersey Palisades Park Commission Ranger Station just before River Road meets Palisades Parkway and 9W. We snacked, filled up on water, and contemplated our remaining hours of light before heading back. I inadvertently hit the bathroom with perfect comedic timing... about 20 seconds later a middle aged man popped his head in to round up his troops. "ARE THERE ANY BOYSCOUTS IN HERE?!" Poor kids... they're not even safe in police stations.

Chicago Halloween 2010

2010-11-06T08:21:00.001-07:00

Maine Event 2010

2010-10-02T12:17:00.001-07:00

Costa Rica July 2010

2010-08-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

During the last week of July, Bern, Bott, Currier, Kayes, Gordon, and I spent a week in Costa RIca. I think the initial idea started as a potential fishing trip back in January (we would come nowhere near fishing equipment on this trip). My perception of Costa Rica prior to spending time down there was pretty accurate, but I learned two things. One was that this country is seemingly lawless. Women drive mopeds on the highway, though their feet can't reach the foothold, while their children cling to the instrument cluster for their lives. Underpowered SUVs pass busses into oncoming traffic along a "road" that resembles a landmine field. Eye-level barbed wire encroaches on the sidewalk in a major tourist town. Electrical workers climb ladders 20 ft. high and cling to power lines while repairing them. OSHA would have a fucking field day.
I also learned to let my guard down a bit with the locals (mark my words as I'll probably get robbed, stabbed, infected, etc. on my next international trip). Generally speaking, they are very excited to speak to Americans and will essentially do anything they possibly can to make you happy. We met a guide - Miguel - sort of fourth hand through Kayes' cousin's local bartender who took us on a fairly action packed day in Rincon de la Vieja, a National Park. In my mind, this guy is the official mascot of Costa Rica. Zip lines, rock climbing, horseback riding, river tubing, and dare I admit it, a spa, were all included. The mud bath? When in Rome. Pura Vida = Fuckin' A.

exotic dead butterfly in my doorjam

This monkey lived in the jungle next to our house and her name is Hermosa. She was separated from her crew.

Prostitute with C section scar. Don't believe me? I dare you to click.

a turtle died.

storms rolled in like clockwork every early afternoon.

this guy showed us the way out

our view

"new" glove. good luck with that.

Gordon. Iced.

like a racehorse?

my steed

lime salesman

we got really cheap surf lessons and board rentals from this guy named Miner.

our infinity pool and Hermosa's favorite tree.

tailbone injury

scorpions in the bathroom

entering one of two amazing and remote beaches we off-roaded to

these monkeys growled at us for at least five hours

playing catch with a mango

Bern walking the beach like a zombie

Coco Beach

Hermosa came through to say goodbye as we were leaving.

Bott gets randomly searched

Yosemite National Park July 4th 2010

2010-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

On the Fourth of July weekend Fangers, Jeff, Lindsey, Nate, Haley, Wes, Liz, Cody, and I made a trip to Yosemite National Park. This was my first visit to the park. Lots of great hikes, including a day summit of Half Dome - 17 miles and about 11 hours worth of climbing (4,500+ vertical feet). I was kind of surprised about how difficult the cable system at the top of the mountain was to use... not for how steep, but for how crowded. We met a hiker who was doing the entire John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney - he basically saved our lives by letting us use his water filter. Last night's tequila slowed us down and made us a bit more thirsty. Naturally we refueled that night with Makers Mark. Four days of good times followed by a quick trip to LA to jam out in Topanga Canyon for Matt's birthday. California 2010 take 2.

"Look at that FUCKING waterfall." - Nate

"Shake that bear." - Haley

"You can take my flag, but you can't take my freedom." - Jeff

"I can't wait to masturbate my sandwich." - Lindsay

"Who the FUCK is DJ Steve?"

if you click this image and look closely you can see people at the top of the falls.

Archive Vol. 1 - Greetings From Late Night Pennsylvania

2010-06-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2004 I spent a few nights driving around late listening to music. Bored. The same things that scare most people about night time - the dark, the quiet - are exciting to me. I would be gone for hours. I cut semitransparent colored file folders into circles large enough to cover the end of a flashlight and "painted" a few things during long exposures ON FILM (this is not photoshop work). I'll post a few at a time. It gave me an excuse to be out in the dark - adventuring with a purpose. I was killing time. Learning something unordinary. Modest Mouse - The Moon And Antarctica.

Cabin 2010 Spring Blaster

2010-06-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Early spring cabin trip. An early morning (late night?) bocce ball session. The simultaneous introduction and eviction of 5 Hour Energy drink at the cabin (at least for me anyway). Newbie Dave Herman. Shotgun blasting. Fire. Yeah, that's about all I can recall.

fighting(?)

California 2010

2010-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

I quit my job.
It had been five and a half years at the same place I've been working since I graduated college. An incredible experience... but it was time to move on. When I finally pulled the trigger on telling my boss, he wanted 2-3 more weeks out of me, but his boss kicked me out the next day. With some last minute time off, I booked a trip out to California to see Nellie and drive down the coast to see my brother Jake, who I probably won't cross paths with again until Christmas, so it was a two birds with one unexpected stone kind of thing, and on that short of notice, I'm not sure what else I would have been able to pull off. I got kicked out on Thursday and I flew on Sunday. I would have left even earlier had it not been for that stupid relay triathlon that I had to bike in down by AC on Sunday AM. I literally landed in LAX with our team number and my age still Sharpied onto each calf.

On the second half of the trip after returning from Cinco de Mayo with Jake in San Diego, Nellie, Matt, and I traveled up to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, spent the night in the woods, and then took off for his parents' place in San Francisco.

Nellie recently became the proud mother of a hairless cat (narconian sphynx) named Chicken. It is the most hideous and yet the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Chicken should have had her own blog entry. As you can see, she was the focus of our Tuesday morning. Non cat stuff below, fret not.

she moves like a ghost...

Uncle Glenn

photo cred: Nellie Barnett

Yoda

San Diego

Jake's view

my rental ride

Jake takes in the view

Torrey Pines in the distance

casting a stone

Back in LA, Chicken helps me pack for the trip to NorCal

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Matt intimidates the snowsnakes

photo cred: Nellie Barnett

"Junk in the trunk" - caption credit: Matt Vascellaro

Standing on a 3 foot base of snow that is covering the access road that we were expecting to drive down to get to a recommended hike. Next time?

pine cone hockey

row row row your old fallen tree, gently down the stream...

is that an eagle on the far right?

where's Nellie? click in and look on the far right/middle

Grizzly Falls

"To what would you lichen it?" - CK

Zumwalt Meadow

goodbye

hate.

Alcatraz

Christmas 2009

2010-04-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

For the first time... I think ever... my whole family got together for Christmas this past year. Parents, brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins... and some new little rugrats. There's not a lot of us, but we were all there. I hadn't seen mostly everyone in a long time, and probably never under the same roof, regardless of holiday. Uncle Jack took over as my favorite relative (not sure who was reigning, really) for the first time since he brought milkshakes to the old farm house when we were kids. Yes, he did it every time, and yes, it always worked. He definitely knocked something over, maybe broke it, and had me laughing until everyone left our house. Dad passed out, and Rudy reminded us why he never made it as a watch dog. Maybe it was the Guinness. Dad had Schlitz Light.

Evelyn Rose

Molly

peeling shrimp...

...with a Band Aid on?

Brother Nick

Dad

Mom

Uncle Jack

Aunt Janie & Colin

Brother Jake

Aunt Kathy

weapons...

...and the wounds

nest

siblings

leg lamp

Pennsylvania refrigerator

suit of armor