I'm preparing this blog with the concept of launching the evening prior to going off line for a few days due to the resizing move into the mothership RV...There will be without a doubt much,much confusion..house closing, electric off, phones, water, furniture remaining in storage, setting up the campsite for the upcoming winter in the mothership--blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah...although these are things which can never truly be plotted out--and which may go easy--or may go hard..we're moving stuff into the Mothership today and tomorrow, trying to insure we have what we need and no more--and then move the mothership to the campsite tomorrow evening. Live there and finish moving out of the house during the upcoming week. When all is said and done, the house closed and sold, the mothership organized and set up-- I am looking forward to just being with my wife, talking, drinking coffee, smoking, planning, and designing what we want for the second half of life...I think the concept of Mothership living for a time will allow us the freedom---to just think.....The initial fear of doing this process has vanished, mentally replaced by a feeling of doing right---how will this work out on a daily basis, going to work etc. is the one remaining fearful thought running through my head. I'm not even truly worried about anything--but actually looking forward to the experience--I'll post this blog as we step out the door and from that point on I'll be working on rehooking up to the matrix during the settling in process at the campsite....

Ok so i am behind the curve?? I understand that soon there will be AVP2 or aliens vs. predator requiem. No one really seems to have a solid idea yet on the actual plot line for this film with the exception that all speak of the fact that the movie centers on a lone predator who must destroy loose Ripley aliens, survivors of a predator ship crash on earth in Colorado? http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avp2/ I am a big fan of aliens 2 and alien resurrection (the others uck!). The first AVP i didn't care for at all. The underground pyramid and the predator design and execution were very cool but--the humans both as characters and actors-- bit the big one---Hopefully AVP2 will have a real plot and real acting character wise...it definitely needs these types of strengths if this series of movies is to survive. Or it will be Rocky vs alien vs predator=movie death not unlike the career pattern of Steven Seagal.
The BBC has an interesting article on the recent construction of a social networking site for individuals 50 years old or older, imagine a wrinkled, smart, "my space". I find this tremendously interesting---luckily for everyone and all the senses, wrinkled flesh photos are prohibited---the idea however is a conversational place for adult&senior humans---Currently this project site focusing on what the bbc calls "silver surfers" and is focused on an English audience.One of my private thoughts is that access to the web will provide social contact and brain exercise as I age so i am planning on investigating this concept more closely.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7073582.stmtype

Here's a link to one of the most bizarre republican leadership debacle's i have read ....well since the phony FEMA press conference last week anyway. The Republican government in power just keeps the stupidity rollin' along on a weekly basis. In the latest bizarre world situtation, US Department of State employee's are refusing to serve in Iraq calling it a "death sentence". They are in contact with the press, attempting to fight orders to work in Baghdad. It astounding that the government in power hides its stupidity behind patriotism and flag waving while it's own employee's refuse to go along with said stupidity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7074733.stm can't wait to see how this turns out...how can you control the Iraqi's when you cannot control your own employee's----it's game over for these guys for a long-long time.

One of our reasons behind downsizing our lives is the search for a higher quality of living. More time together, less things, but a higher quality in a smaller footprint...I am sure that you may shake your head regarding this statement since bigger has always meant better. Up till now, that is. I believe that the "get smallers" are the cutting edge of the boom generation. A logic path would indicate that soon MACMANSIONS and big ass Harley motorcycles will be selling for 1/10th of their original value---because for many reasons a lifestyle is ending--people like me in their 50's want to live smaller, but live better. We have to make a smaller footprint--our choice is to accept and control the situation or have circumstances forced upon us both by aging and by current events. I for one would rather make controlled choices in my reduction in advance of the wave that will force it. A prius, a smaller higher quality house and lifestyle...drinking coffee in a cafe--rather than household duties. Reading rather than lawn mowing...I'll let you know how it is going as soon as i can.

wish me luck.

OK-OK-OK--updates on the moving-resizing project-----

We just must be in the flow--but also my lovely wife makes Eisenhower look like a no-count punk cause he just organized/planned D-day...anybody could do that---Our house is sold, contents selected out and sent to the auction service, the rest going to storage, the Mothership is being serviced, cleaned and updated and we've reserved our long term space at the rv park. I'm working and not much help--but what husband is in the greater scheme of things eh? I am preparing kits and boxes of material i feel that we'll need to continue life as we know it--in 434 square feet. I discovered several interesting new facts this week regarding our project---First--in being questioned by friends/co-workers about what we are doing--the first item is always---why?--followed by an inherent understanding that our "rightsizing"/"downsizing" is both a cool and right thing to do. This inherent understanding is most visible in people my own age (55) when speaking i often see a flash of "i want to do that" look across their faces....Second (and without question more important) is that the RV park serves an excellent breakfast every morning....need to take advantage of that on the weekends for sure----It appears as if the launch date for the new lifestyle will be around November 12th(?) depending on the x-factor--if there is a stoppage in the signal Mal--i am just attempting to set the world up trying to get back online.(obscure browncoat/firefly film reference there)and lastly i found a great book on doing what we are doing by someone called ciji ware, called rightsizing your life on amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Rightsizing-Your-Life-Simplifying-Surroundings/dp/0821258133/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-0007922-6093253?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193507092&sr=1-1 If you are our age and at all interested in trying this process--buy this book...Mothership living is to be viewed as a step toward a smaller house, a higher quality of life and not an end unto itself--this is all a part of the process for us--as we make more and more progress, faster and faster towards moving out surprisingly the personal fear surrounding the project becomes less and less.........

I finished the 'last exile' series Saturday night and began viewing 'the third' vol 1. The Third is excellent!--watched part of one episode at lunch the other day and immediately had to order volume 2--what's not to like, samurai swords--cybertanks--and the earth as a desert---i am a constant companion of amazon's anime selection now...anime has become one of my art form passions.Anime requires an open mind and the ability to simply sit and not really think---just lose yourself in the seeing------my tendency to follow through on series's is a plus for the anime marketers...also I thought I'd show a 'machinegun girl' military style hat with pocket that i want if i can ever find one actually in stock somewhere in the US. Alot of places this hat on their websites but are somehow always out of stock---the search is often the challenge...eh? I also this week tried out amazon's movie download process--downloading an episode of ghost in the shell's stand alone complex' into my desktop with the hope of then downloading it to my sony clie for on-hand small video viewing--i'm having great difficulty transferring the download to the sony format however--this may be a pipe dream but...

I admire concepts like http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ guerrilla gardening...pure inventive greatness...the principle...attack abandoned small city area's and plant gardens...even harvest later but simply for the plant's well being and to use the sale of the plant products to financially support additional gardening 'attacks'. How tremendously wondrous...you need to support these guys...genius.

I enjoy the Japanese popular culture and the culture's underlying thought process's very much. Here's a Japanese fashion designer who's clothing line provides a bizarre security option. If pursued by a pervert, simply stand at the end of a line of vending machines and by pull up a part of your outfit--become a vending machine--thus duping the perv who was chasing you...of course this presumes alot about the nature of crime and how it happens but---what a concept. Very Zen---Don't just use the vending machine--become the vending machine

A link to an interesting article on Japanese homeless and how they hootch up in all night cyber-cafe's in Tokyo...apparently for $5.00 you can stay seated at a machine and get free soft drinks all night....Apparently there is a tremendous increase in numbers in the 'lost generation' japan suffered with their past economic downturn..i've discussed the homeless living in Tokyo subway stations constructing cardboard hootches with tremendous art on the outside of them and this is simply a differing approach by those who suffer..interesting.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2343711.ece

I'm really in a hold pattern on movies at the moment---the one's i am interested in are not out on dvd yet---the must see dvd list includes: 30 days of night, i am legend,and resident evil extinction...of the 3 the one i am chomping at the bit to get my eyes on is.. i am legend...a remake of Charleton Heston's The Omega Man..this time constructed under the original title from the short story by richard matheson---I am a tremendous fan of the original movie considering it to have been years ahead of it's time. I am legend will be out in theaters Dec. 2007 so I have a long way to go till it hits dvd---"come out neville!"
In closing it's been an interesting week in Republican government---the State Department announced that it has no idea what happened to the 1.2 billion dollars it was given to rebuild the Iraqi police force---just kinda disappeared? It's only 1.2 billion so nobody is paying any real attention---crazed---and my favorite incident--Fema--you know the guys that screwed New Orleans and were commanded by a ex-racehorse breeding republican---well they got caught televising a phony press conference where high level fema staffers pretended to be news reports during a press conference which was broadcast on fema support to the wildfire emergency in California---the phony reports would ask soft-ball leading questions so the new fema boss could rap about how big a help they are being to the fried out folks---what a bunch of cretins....I'll leave you to think about both those marvels of republican leadership....

Planning ahead right now...for the upcoming small living RV experiment...i always start my planning small, with my personal gear---it's the only way i can begin these types of massive changes---i work my way up from personal gear to the major life change elements of a project--yeah i know, but i consider it a system i suppose--- I started today with how am i going to keep my computing, art, reading, gaming, photography,anime necessitities available for organized micro RV living as well as standard usage & transport in the regular world and for access at work---i am a 'kit' person. I like to organize my personal gear into carriable bags-packs-load bearing gear. Not only does is allow for easy organization at home and makes sure that i have what i need when i need it---- i'm sure this habit is the residue of having a "bug out bag" or "3 mile run bag" handy at all times. (if you know these terms then you know what i mean..) I have come to the conclusion that a regular messenger style bag--just does not have enough room for me to carry my required massive quanities of 'stuff' during my average work day and will definately not allow me to keep everything in an organized specific location during our upcoming RV life experiment...so i ordered two new items today.

The first, a military spec backpack which i saw used as a computer carry bag by an individual on the flickr site 'what's in your bag' http://flickr.com/photos/tags/whatsinyourbag/clusters/

I had never seen this particular item before and researched it down since the design appealed to me when i saw it and it seemed a good fix to my personal gear carry problems....the The MAXPEDITION Falcon backpack (#0503) available though Botach tacital.http://www.botachtactical.com/

The maxpedition backpack is hopefully my solution to the above discussed problem areas. It has two large pockets capable of holding my mini-laptops,and a ton of smaller compartments for books, sketch notebooks, chargers, dvd's, games,and magazines. I also purchased maxpedition's RAT wallet for stand-alone carry of my pda, moleskinne and cell phone, or to attach the RAT to the falcon backpack. This way i am sure to have my commo devices with me. http://www.botachtactical.com/maratwa.html Organization and management of necessities in 434 square living feet will be paramount.An additional requirement is that we will be spending more time at 3rd places. Coffee Shops, bookstores, restaurants, etc. since home will get tough to hang out in if not balanced with places out! At these 'good 3rd places' we want to be able to do our little things at will if possible...so carrying our creative worlds with us is of primary importance.

Everything has to get smaller, things i would usually not think of are now of massive importance...a limited number of electrical outlets and zero space for surrounding access to electrical supply made me just purchase travel (define travel as tiny, well thought out and designed) surge protectors for charging our phones, laptops and usage within our upcoming reduction of space from 4000 square feet to 434 square feet. I know i cannot think of everything--but i'm trying---more on this subject as we progress....

I just found an interesting magazine that i am considering subscribing with simply to insure it's survival: Otaku USA..featuring all things in japanese popular culture referenced to American taste so to say. Anime, gaming, manga, music, design and style are all sort of roled up into one magazine which seems to be very interesting. http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/ if you are into any of this material you should take a moment to search this magazine out on the newsstand... I also finally finished watching the Last Exile series---most excellent---

The Solar decathalon has completed in Washington D.C. This event displays off the grid project houses designed and constructed by a variety of Universities. The houses have to be self-sustaining as a power source and be able to charge an electric vehicle which must be driven a specific number of miles per day. Meals must be prepared for judges in the kitchens, and a specific amount of laundry must be done..basically all household taskings must be capable of being supplied by the self power generation of the house itself....This year Germany is the winner with a beautiful design...i have followed this project for several years now and believe it to be a great example of sponsoring advancements in applied technology.
I love it when cyberpunk novels preceed actual technology---Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is a great cyberpunk novel from which many of the "sci-fi" elements have made the transition to real life---the Metaverse became 'Second Life' although SL is not i hear in tremendously wide usage....the Kourier skateboard may be another---shown is an electric motor powered skateboard...if only they could do Stephenson's smart wheels it'd be perfect.

a 45.9 mpg week---I had things on my mind you know--lot's of stuff going on and i was not one with the hybrid--no excuses for the low MPG---The Tokoyo motor show had some interesting hybrids however which included this rascally toyota concept vehicle. A hybrid-- with interchangeable rear components like a truck bed or camper--it is cool looking however is it not? Kinda like a Judge Dredd vehicle or whatnot?

I'm up late finishing this--many-many thoughts in my head--worried about this downsizing--what's going to be the result---thinking about life and what i still want to do--what's left, what's coming--how all that great mystery works out in the end you know? At times like these i find it impossible to sleep--thank God for the internet, i would just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling prior to the web---i have more questions in the last 1/4 of my life than in all of the rest of it combined---who knows as time goes on maybe you figure it out alittle more..I can't tell if i am getting wiser about things or just older...i wish all this came with an instruction manual...