Blogger On - My Life as a Stripper

Greetings from the wild mountains of Montana! Wow, where to begin. Eagle and I arrived here on Wed morning -- way too early. The mountaineers live about an hour up a mountain right outside of Missoula in what is technically Frenchtown. On our drive up it rained, snowed, and hailed. No kidding. And this is a one car road, so at times we had to back up the suburban to let other cars and trucks go by. In the rain. On a road next to a cliff. Quite precarious indeed.

Once we got to the ranch, the weather was cleared up a bit and we could get a pretty good view of the land. 67 acres, over 20 horses, 6 ducks (in their newly created duck house), some chickens, and my favorite -- several Bantam roosters. Bantam roosters are like regular roosters execpt about 1/3 the size. Hysterical to watch doesnt even begin to describe it. He has some complexes so he crows pretty much on and off all day.


Well, as for the cabin we came to build, it turns out that it is a much more literal process than we thought. We are actually building the cabin from the ground up which means there are folks cutting down trees, bringing them to be stripped of all bark, then chainsawed the right length and then laid on top of each other. Today will be my fifth day as a stripper. Dear god. I dont know that I have done this hard of manual labor for this many days in a row, ever. What I do is get a log propped up against something, straddle it, and run a draw blade down the length of it. I do it over and over and over again until nothing but white wood is showing. I do this for about 8 hours a day. Its more than intense. Eagle has been mainly weilding a chainsaw which pretty much scares the crap out of me. However, its amazing to watch and be a part of building a real log cabin. The 'foreman' is named Curry, and lives most of his life in a teepee and a hooch (which is a longer square type teepee). He is remarkable, and a world champion tomahawk thrower. Apparently he can throw a tomahawk at a moving target and hit a playing card. Not only that he can cut the card at the angle you specify (just the top corner, etc.). This is a real mountain man. Muchacho mama would love him.

The ranch here, just to give you a sense of it, has no electricity (they run generators) and is one of the few ranches with a regular bathroom (although they also have an outhouse -- and a nice one at that.) Phones dont work up here, but they have a special cell phone that is strong enough. My phone laughs when I turn it on trying to get a signal.

The other folks that are up here are so much fun to be around. Regardless of all the work people are putting in, folks are in great spirits, joking and laughing. Our only problem with them is the amount they snore and how early they get up. Eagle and I joke that we cant wait to sleep in the quiet of the city.


Almost forgot, the mountaineers business here is horse breeding. And she does it by hand, which I guess is more of an assist. We have watched a couple of those take place. Its a fascinating process. And man are those horses big. Speaking of which, we have only gotten to see the Clydesdale a couple times. He is being trained right now so he isnt around much, but man, is that one big horse. I'll try to get a picture.

Well, I think thats all I have to blog about now. We are taking the morning off and watching some Battlestar Gallactica that someone had burned on their computer. Excellent. Its the first TV I have seen in 5 days, which just might be a record for me. We are also planning the wedding with the mountaineers mother. Eagle and I are crying alot. No surprise there.


We miss all of you and cant wait to see you again!

Blogger Out

Oh yeah, I am going dark for the next week or so. Probably. Eagle and I are off to the great mountains of Montana for an old-fashioned cabin raising. I may update from on location, but maybe not. Should have some pics when we get back.

Lunas Out.

Organic Trade Federation

I dont have sound at work, so somebody has got to tell me if this is as hysterical as it looks.

I was this close / What is Sith (its it)

Eagle and I had quite a delightful weekend this weekend, culminating in the Shirtsagainst.org Texas Hold Em Tournament. Yours truly made an unlikely and (I think) remarkable comeback to not only make it to the final round, but to make it to the final 2. However, lack of time caused a 'whoever has the most chips wins' resolution to the evening which had me come in second. It was a delightful 'loss' and I felt really great about how I played, whose tells I figured out, and not pouting for too long when I got spanked by The Swinger early on.
And the rest of the event was fantastic as well, wonderful food, even better people, and a great festive atmosphere. Eagle and I are pleased to think that perhaps a couple more people may have caught the gambling bug. And now that we have recently acquired a great set of chips, you can be almost certain that upcoming events in Apt 3S will include some good wholesome Texas fun.


*********


On Friday, Eagle, the BossMan, Missy and I went to see Sith. Overall, I thought it had the majesty and magnitude that we have come to hope for from the franchise. And, also as expected, it had some really terrible scenes that made me wonder "Did they really not have enough time to do another take on that?" But more than anything, I was really present to how fortunate the fans are that Lucas made these. It was an amazingly difficult task (when was the last time you saw a series of six sequels/prequels that were all really great, not to mention that the first three were already iconic) and under intense scrutiny. That he bothered, when he didnt have to, is really admirable in my book. We wondered what these 3 would be like, and now we know. I love it when curiousity is fulfilled.

mere geek vs snob dork

So not only did we get tix for Sith tomorrow, but we are seeing it in the ONLY theater in Chicago that projects in DLP (Digital Light Projector) which is the way Lucas intended it to be seen. Of the 72 theaters, there are only 4 in Illinois and only 1 in Chicago. And yes, it took research to find that out. And yes, Venson was the one who found that out.

Feel free to make fun at will.

(reminder to all not to mention this blog to Venson until I have made my announcement.)

Crash

Went and saw Crash this past weekend, and to those of you I havent gushed at yet, it is my most recommended movie of the year so far. Seriously, go see it. Hard to watch but ultimately rewarding. And I hate to say it for fear of ruining it, but I cant not say it. Its the best movie I have ever seen. And to clarify, it isnt my favorite movie -- I wouldnt want to watch it again and again, but rather its important, well-made, accurate, surprising, entertaining, and moving. The Swinger saw it and disagreed with my emphatic 'best movie' opinion, but still liked it. Go see it, and let me know what you thought. I fear its not getting enough attention because of Sith. And that would be terrible.

Morning Perfection

I have had this thought a couple times and thought I would throw it out there as perhaps a discussion topic. This morning on the train I was listening to 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' by Roberta Flack. I dont know that I have heard a more perfectly produced song. Ever.

Anyone have any other noms?

Update: I am going to go ahead and state the other obvious entry. Buckley's Hallelujah. Nothing wrong about that song.

From my cell phone that cant manage to get reception comes barely discernable photo of U2 

Another One/ Bono made a liar out of me

So, just as a matter of record, I did run 2 miles last week. Figures that it would take me 30 years to run one mile, and then 2 weeks to run 2.
*******
Saw U2 on Monday night. For the logistical types, here was the set list:
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Electric Co
A Cat Dubh/ some pumpkins sample (I didnt catch it, but Iron Chef Chicago heard it)
Beautiful Day/Blackbird
New Years Day
Talk about Miles Davis and moving on from their past
Miracle Drug
Dedication to his dad/Sometimes You Cant Make it On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Into the Heart
Bullet the Blue Sky/Hands that built America
Dedication to the troops/Running to Stand Still
Talk about UN Declaration on human rights and invitation to join the ONE Campaign
Pride
Where the Streets have no name
One
**1st Encore***
Zoo Station
Fly
Mysterious Ways
**2nd Encore**
Only Because of You
Yahweh
Party Girl with girl from audience playing guitar
'40'

As you can see, it was a huge set list. And I have to say, it was a fantastic show. For the past 5 years or so, I have been really disappointed with their shows. In the past, part of what I loved about going to their shows was that they almost always had new lyrics or verses to their songs (the most infamous being the extra verse on With or Without You). In the past couple years though, it was like listening to the album with a lot of Bono running around. This being the 18th year of seeing U2 with ICC, I dont really care to hear anything that sounds like it does on the album. This round was almost consistently re-worked and even included, what I would consider to be impossible, an upbeat version of '40'. I also thought that I finally could appreciate Love and Peace which was right at home in the large stadium. And in conclusion I would like to note that yes, the nachos were good.

butter chicken/bummer

Had lunch on Sat with the Misters Patel and must say that it was quite a delight. The littlest one couldnt have been cuter and even smiled at me (kids of all ages, in general, dont smile or like me.) With that little mole next to his eye he is certain to be quite the handsome man. I cant remember the last time Casual and I had a conversation, just the two of us. And it really felt long overdue and as if we only just started a conversation that we will continue at a later time. And the indian food was spectacular. Not only did they have Channa, but also Butter Chicken and tandoori chicken and all the nan you could eat. I am already trying to figure out when my next visit will be.
***
Happy Birthday Muchacho!!!

On my way home Sunday from the Muchachos birthday I had 3 voicemails. 2 hangups (which is usually Iron Chef Chicago) and a message from ICC himself requesting some C2 if we are going to a grocery store. Due to phone troubles, I notice a half hour later another message from ICC however its rather garbled and the only words I hear are 'dont worry.' I assume that he managed to get himself some C2, but leave him a message anyway letting him know that I couldnt understand the message. Lo and behold, ICC shows up at our backdoor with bandages galore on his hand. Apparently the message was 'Ive sliced off part of my thumb and am going to the emergency room to stop the bleeding. I am ok though, dont worry.' And true to his word, he was ok, but not only does he have less thumb, he didnt get any C2 either. Bummer.