Category: Hiking

  • ODDS and ENDS: Say ‘Zines, Creative Project, and Hiking

    (Closest to the price without going over…)

    One of the few writing credits to my name is a band review from like 1997 in a local DFW music ‘zine. Now, I know just about everybody pronounces it [zeen] which rhymes with “seen,” and that relates back to the word’s origin from “magazine.” I, on the other hand, can’t stop myself from pronouncing it [z’ine] which rhymes with “line.” I get shunned by people when I say this word incorrectly, though deep in my soul, I feel like I am saying it the correct way. Seriously, if you were against corporate magazines, wouldn’t you want your anti-corporate term to sound different? Think about it, man!

    I bring all of this up because a friend of mine from college who is a bottomless well of creativity and inspiration posted on their IG about a group by the name of Reciprocal Works which hosts a zine exchange. That means you send them copies of your zine, and in return, they send you copies of other people’s zines. (Please check out their site for more information, as they describe it way better than I.) This is the type of creative idea that really gets my mind churning, and it also made me feel like a kid playing “newspaper” where I would write a fake newspaper and beg my dad to make copies of it on the Xerox at his office. So, there is some childhood giddiness here, but also a healthy portion of inspiration to do something creative, just to be creative. For the past day, I have been thinking about images, words, drawings, comix and gags that I have laying around, yet I’m not sure what to do with. Why not make a limited run zine? Yeah, why not?

    This might be a good weekend to start the Hiking Campaign 2023! Dust off those boots and hope the water-wicking pants still fit, because this weekend is a good weekend to fjord a creek!

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tough Questions, Hiking, and The 300th Follower!

    (If you’re here, you’re family!)

    I was very aware that when we had a kid, that at some point she would start asking some tough questions. There are all the cliché questions about babies and sex, and I was ready for things like that, as well as, why do bad things happen if God is good and all powerful? But I wasn’t prepared for when the kid asked me how a search warrant works? The kid walked in while I was watching the news, heard the phrase, “issued a search warrant” and asked the question. Now, I know what a search warrant is, but I can’t 100% say I know how they work. Like, I know a judge grants one, law enforcement executes it, and there is the Fourth Amendment protections, But… (shrug) Now, I just need to figure out how the Electoral College works so I can be ready for that question.

    The weekend is coming, and I have it in my head that we will all go hiking. Hopefully, there won’t be a surprise Summer cold to knock us all off our feet, as I would really like to get out of the City early in the morning, and spend the first half of the day walking along a stream in the woods. This Summer, I feel like we really haven’t hiked as much as we did last year. I know that we still have about two and a half months left before it gets too cold for us, so there is time. But as I sit here, I am thinking about how much I enjoy hiking in the Fall. Cool weather, leaves changing, good excuse to put on my flannel shirts.

    And, I got my 300th Follower! And, I’m pretty sure it’s not a bot. There is always a chance that it could be a bot, but I feel I shouldn’t discriminate against Russian bots. Are they any different from me? I’m trying to get people to come to my page to help my writing career, and they are trying to get people to their page for crypto scams. Who am I to judge?

    (Say! If you happen to not be a bot and found this blog to be high on your enjoyable scale, then please take a moment to like, comment or give it a share. You’d do a body good!)

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tottenham Wins, Hiking, and Crypto

    (What time is it? SHOWTIME!!!)

    I have no faith in the sports teams I support. I blame the lifetime of following the Cubs for that. Yesterday, going in to the North London Derby, and even though Tottenham was playing at home, I was not confident that the Spurs would beat Arsenal. Clearly I was wrong, as the 3-0 win was rather resounding, and Harry Kane was playing like he had something to prove. Tottenham is still one point behind Arsenal for fourth place, and they have to win their final two matches, and hope that Arsenal ties or loses at least one match. Looking at the schedule, Arsenal is playing the more competitive teams, but Tottenham has a habit of playing badly against bottom of the table teams, which is what they will be facing in Burnley and Norwich. I still stand by, that if Tottenham doesn’t place fourth, thus not making it into the Champions League next year, Harry Kane is gone, and I will add that Conte will take off as well. So, there is a lot on the line.

    Tomorrow, Saturday the 14th, my little family kicks off Hiking Season 2022. I am actually very excited about this, as this will be our third year. I have a feeling that we are working our way up to going camping next season. (In fact, I was looking for a place to rent this summer for a vacation with the express purpose of being near hiking trails.) But in the meantime, we are aiming to go for two hikes a month through the end of October, and expanding our range to further from the City, and hiking trails longer that an hour. Soon, I’m going to be that guy that gets up at the crack of dawn on the weekend to get a jump on the day. Three years ago, I never thought I would be here, and excited about it as well.

    My crypto is tanking. But I will buy low and sell high. I have a cunning plan.

    (Say, don’t forget to like this post, or share it, or leave a comment. I got bills to pay, you know.)

  • ODDS and ENDS: KBJ, Anti-Rent Protests, Tottenham, and Hiking

    (I drink coffee and know things.)

    Ketanji Brown Jackson will be on the Supreme Court. That’s a pretty big fucking deal. I like it when American institutions start looking more like America. The process was pretty disgraceful, but I want to focus on the fact that we are a step closer to getting to RBG’s dream, which was an all-woman Supreme Court. Come this Summer, there will be four women on the Court. I think the next Justice should also be a woman, and this way one of the three Branches of Government will be Woman majority. But, I do digress. What I keep thinking about is how representation matters. My daughter is seeing more women in leadership roles in the nation. And I also know, there are a bunch of little girls that are going to school today, and their teachers are going to show them a picture of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and those little girls are going to see someone who looks like them, doing important and great things. That matters. That’s huge.

    I just found this out today, but in upstate New York, back in the 1840’s, there was an Anti-Rent War. It had to do with back rent being owed under the manor system that traced back to the old Dutch Colony days of New Amsterdam. Reading up on it, I had two thoughts. First, early America really didn’t like the rule of law, and took up arms pretty quick. Second, if you protest enough, you can get the law changed in your favor. Basically, people broke a 200-year-old system of land ownership and leasing because the rent was too damn high. It happened in the past, so what’s to say that it can’t happen again.

    Tottenham has found a way to get to fourth place in the Premiere League. There is no way they will catch Man City or Liverpool, but if things got really crazy, they could pass Chelsea for third by the end of the season. But, this is Tottenham we are talking about. They do have problems closing out. They need to beat Aston Villa if they want to keep ahead of Arsenal. I will say this, if the Spurs can stay up and qualify for the Champions League, there is a chance Harry Kane might stick around. Just saying.

    Anyone want to go hiking? I know I do.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Ginni Thomas, The Kid has a Cold, and Spring

    Oh, I love it when the curtain is pulled back on “important” people. If you don’t know, Ginni Thomas is the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ginni Thomas has been playing a role in many conservative issues that have, or are, coming to the SCOTUS docket, as reported by The New Yorker. Then, she started playing a role in helping organize the January 6th rally for Trump, as reported by The New York Times. Now, turns out that she was texting Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff, some crazy ass QAnon shit right after the election, according to CBS/The Washington Post. The issue here is if Ginni’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Election have created a conflict of interest for Justice Thomas, when it comes to cases that may come to the Court in regard to the January 6th Commission law suits. That all is very important, and does raise some important questions that should be answered. What I find interesting is that Ginni Thomas, who works in the highest echelons of political advocacy, and who moves in most dignified intellectual circles of D.C, is basically just your crazy-ass conspiracy minded aunt that you have to put up with at the Holidays.

    Yup, the kid has a cold. She is sitting next to me on the couch, drawing and watching tv, while I write this. It almost feels like this is, well, normal. I have this feeling that I want to be outside all the time now. I have started looking up hiking trails further upstate, that are longer and a little more rugged. Not sure that the wife and kid will agree with this, but I’ll see if I can convince them. I kind’a feel like a little kid again when I think about getting out in nature. Like when I was a Cub Scout, learning how to camp, and identify leaves to trees. I guess I’m ready for Spring.