We are all afraid of the now.

The economic depression created by the Bush republican bankers their fellow thieves and upper class royalty within his government---out here in the real world everyone is scared shitless----losing their jobs and their life savings......and although the term "we haven't seen the worst of it yet" has been pundited to death---it's being said because it's true----there's peak oil, inflation, the collapse of social security, and the collapse of suburban infra structure failure looming just over the horizon to deal with. Obama is the only light in the darkness we have...and it is unfair to focus on a single human to pull us toward the light but it is all we have....right now. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7859621.stm

I consider my wife and i so lucky and am so thankful that we researched the upcoming immediate future and took action by changing our lifestyle in advance of this depression...but truthfully the our driving goal was to do right---to be responsible---and to take no more than we needed---deciding to do right saved us. For now.......

Here are two different articles on how marijuana is almost legalizing itself. Unfortunately Obama states that he's against the "official" legalization of marijuana.I was hoping that this would be an integral part of real change but.... There is a natural process evolving---- where a combination of reduction in sentencing and the destruction of the economy is eliminating enforcement all over the nation and will probably produce the "periscope depth" acceptance of marijuana by our society. California citizens are already substituting being independent weed growers for their loss of gainful employment.
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-mjdecrim0126.artjan26,0,7411551.story?track=rss

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28354324/
I'm beginning to believe that our society will evolve on this issue on it's own, (even against the will of the elite) to become a mature society on marijuana possession.

Winter is a lower mileage time for hybrid boy--averaging anywhere between 45 to 50 miles per gallon as compare to the 52 to 56 miles per gallon average during the spring-fall-and summer seasons. The stupidity of this is that the gasoline engine in my Prius must run more to keep the catalytic converter at supposed operating temperature---the stupidity comes in where as the car passes emission standards without it---but the law requires a converter on the exhaust system--so my mileage routinely falls during the colder months---my prius just turned 30,000 miles and received it's offical servicing---zero problems and zero defects experienced. With the recent fall in the price of a gallon of gasoline my total weekly expenditure for an average week of commuting and other usage is between $9.00 to $12.00---i really just love the concept and application of this vehicle. Since it's winter here in New Mexico i have not been out and about on my segway at all..just too cold....but come the spring time i am planning on expanding my useage of the Seg as transportation on my days off.

I just purchased my first watch in a while. Purchasing this watch was the result of rehabbing my personal kit--(see previous blog). I just felt as if i needed something new to go along with the new me so to say....the watch i ordered is an inexpensive, Nike Ambient Fresh..i had never seen this timepiece before and there are literally no reviews on it that i can find.It is a combination analog/digital,stopwatches, alarms, temperature ruling---all the usual internal extras and although it is not the style of watch i usually fall for---it was the design that drew me to this watch. Although the band needs immediate replacing i can deal with that----at any rate the watch is excellent--light weight and easy on the wrist. I like it....the other chronograph entry is on the President---below is a link to an article listing out President Obama's watch history---including a recent chronograph given to him by his Secret Service detail that protected him during the election process----it's a very good article that not only displays different watches owned by Obama over the years but delineates out how we watch Otaku's think----

http://www.onthedash.com/docs/obama.html

LEARN how to garden---it's going to be important to you in the future! Browse flickr and notice all the happy people pictures----it makes you feel good...make your own art rather than buying it---adopt a dog from the pound they really need you and will love you without questions.

This past week I've been working on my personal carry kit. Cleaning/organizing MY STUFF-- My backpack, the items i carry in my pockets,my watches, my phone, my pocket knives, the stuff well---on me...in my daily travel to work and just around. The insane thing about the Internet is that where once i thought i was alone in this strangeness of mine---the web proves that although you may be strange you are without a doubt----not alone---the links below are just a few of the flickr groups that I've found on the subject of stuff that people carry around with them, and their ongoing quest for improvement of these items and their usefulness.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/whats_in_your_bag/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/62886501@N00/

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=survival+kit&s=rec
http://www.flickr.com/groups/901575@N23/

It may be the temper of the times---the constant talk of economic depression--that has led me to be even more focused on having small, easily transportable elements of what i consider to be civilization with me and available for use at all times..then what i normally am.....for me there is a

calming effect of needing something and having it there right now....a Swiss army knife tool--a book when forced to wait--extra cigarettes---aspirin---pens and notebook for those genius concepts that come and go---i want to have what i need when i need it and the smaller and more trick the better---the most recent acquisition was the survival kit in a can displayed in the photo above---it holds about 15 items and weighs practically nothing---there is a strange logic interlocking my hybrid car, my segway, my solar panels, my small house, my square foot gardening and my constant carrying of this type of stuff----there are times when i wish i had a folding psychiatrist in my bug out bag....

The most amazing piece of news surrounding the inauguration was the under reported fact that with a crowd estimated at over 1 million people there was not a single arrest..nor a single problem. Who says we as a society cannot change?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012004139.html?hpid=topnews

Our hard fought freedom from the fear mongering, Republican Philosophy will make us a better society..

Organize your small things--clean one item really well and step back and just look at it for awhile....say thank you to the UPS person....do not get so caught up in your own world you cannot see the world around you....people who are a pain in the ass are put on earth to teach you..... Patience...

My Internet connection was down for a week----somewhat disrupting for my blogging so please forgive----just a paragraph of places/articles I've found on the net that interested me and may interest you: First an article in GOOD magazine's online edition--i love GOOD magazine...you take your chances with each issue as to content but this is a piece on street art around the world:

http://www.good.is/?p=13978

It appears as if once again the flu shot we all supposed to get, the vaccination they try to force us to take---well--- this year's shot like last year's shot winds up not protecting us at all from this year's flu. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/01/12/flu.html Heads we lose, tails we lose eh? Here's a blog I've been stopping by routinely ART CAR CENTRAL http://artcar.blogspot.com/ beautiful cars---true works of art on a rolling canvas-just go and take a look. A photo listing on the site OOBJECT centering on watches worn into space----by the US the Chinese and the Russians----

http://www.oobject.com/category/watches-worn-in-space/

It's official--Bush is leaving the white house with the lowest approval rating since polls on presidents has been done--he's departing with 22% of register voters approving of his performance as President---it really does not get any lower than this--since about 22% of the American public are legally psychotic...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/16/opinion/polls/main4728399.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline

I just finished viewing the uncut DVD version of BABYLON AD….very, very nice. There was quite a bit of blah-blah about this film. Reviews on the internet were hammering it----to me nothing could be further from the truth---there are some great textures, great visuals and interesting elements within this film…very gritty---if you were not smart enough to notice this shame on you…here’s just a few of the films elements I found thought provoking---
1- A vision of the future much like the chaos in children of men---which I accept as a given for us. This setting may have disturbed many of the films reviewers—too real perhaps?
2- Aged bullet trains scarred by graffiti, aged soviet nuclear subs transporting refugee’s and lots and lots of guns and tattoo’s involved in this thing.
3- Peculiar corporate religions
4-Vin was excellent—very good acting on his part.
5-There was a group of those Urban gymnasts—the guys who swing around like monkeys on city stuff which made for a very cool weird vibe to the scenes they were in. A great texturing touch for the film. I’m trying to research this “sport” for more information. (not to try it that’s for sure) This type of physical performance was also done in Live free or die hard—involving the French assassin characters.
Vin did a great job playing a spiritually-tired Mercenary—-who liked his world a specific way. I enjoyed the fact the director made it obvious that the character Toorop maintained his hideout in Serbia to a certain standard…to keep from falling into the craziness surrounding him. He had a great personal kit as well, weapons, clothing, parka, backpack. Not too much stuff, but what he had he obviously attempted to care for despite the surrounding chaos---
I do not care at all for what the critiques said about this movie. I found it interesting and have viewed it several times with enjoyment. It has definitely got a spot in my SF movie collection. This is one of those perfect films to watch on your computer while traveling…If you like movies outside the box or if you enjoy SF movies in general I recommend BABYLON AD.

I’ve developed a new weakness ---I am suddenly and without warning very much into those rolling ball-sculptures—apparati or whatever you may call them—rolling ball clocks—rolling ball sculpture kits—anything that has to do with this eccentric little world of movement and complexity.
I’ve never really decorated my new office you see—four large, abstract art framed prints (for which I am constantly censured for by my co-workers who apparently prefer the dogs playing poker style of “real” art) and the odd photo is all I have done to personalize my place of work. I began to think of adding another element to my command center that would appeal to me but yet represent an incontestable strangeness…rolling ball sculpture therefore became my focus.
So far I purchased a very, very noisy rolling ball clock---and built one small, chain driven, rolling ball spiral tower (displayed)---and I am starting tomorrow a larger and more complex, rolling ball sculpture kit called Spacewarp 5000. I find the movement and complexity of these mechanisms very calming---some co-workers readily state that they are irritating and dismaying? This may be one of those love it or hate it hypothesis … disarming my conservative associates never bothers me----watching the balls emerge on all sides of the mechanism through a combination of gravity and track design pleases me deeply —I think I may have found an entire new genre for personal expression. These devices are also very popular in Japan---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsJHOYmK8Rk

Displayed is a photo of a very large canvas, hanging in my nerd cave--- I’ve been working on this project catch as catch can---it’s my usual cave art—stick man, no depth perception process done in manga markers—there is a long, long way to go with this yet but that is a part of the enjoyment. I work a little and put it up---I haven’t quite yet decided how these 4 universes are to meet. I’m leaving that to inspiration. But this project has been where all of my art intention has been going over the past two months---which is fine. I only do this for the sake of doing it---I’m not really planning on going anywhere with it. Art for art’s sake so to say.

I am such a lucky guy---my wife collects transformers---displays her Optimus Prime and Bumblebee by her computer--she and I are a geek match made in heaven.