My Soapbox

I’m really not good at this whole blogging thing. I have 6 posts total on a 2+ year old blog. Or is that, a blog that I haven’t posted on in two years? Anyways, I’ve just gotten home from taking my wife and son to Toy Story 3 (yes, she cried, yes he loved it), and I sat down to goof around on the computer. Well, my dashboard was up from upgrading my blog to wordpress 3.0 (does it make me a geek to update blog software I never use?), so I decided to sit down and write… something.

The last time I did this, I wrote a novel about a motorcycle I still haven’t bought. I still want one, but I just haven’t gotten around to saving up for it. I could blog about other toys I’m looking at – reloading equipment, car stereos, etc… but really, they’re just toys. I could blog about my son, but my wife has that one covered exceptionally well on our family blog. So what is there left to blog about? Well, I think I may know – I think I may go all political. Easy and fun to do since no one reads this. Welcome to my new soapbox!

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m not very opiniated, nor am I stubborn, so this ought to be insightful, well reasoned, and never preachy… … …

Ok, I can’t do it. I could never be a politician because I can’t lie like that with a straight face. I’m very opiniated, very right of center, and VERY stubborn, though I have been known to change my mind when real evidence (EVIDENCE NOT UNPROVEN THEORIES) is presented. So where to start? There are so many places. Maybe I’ll just introduce me.

I’m nearly 30, a college graduate with a degree in the social sciences (and I’m a conservative? WTF?), a Mormon, a gun owner, a member of the NRA, and I most definitely did NOT vote for Obama. I am for small government, strict adherence to the constitution, capitalism, free market, family values (REAL family values) and a belief in God. I intend to use this blog to vent about my frustrations with our government and its complete and utter recklessness, disregard for the constitution and its lack of respect for US the American citizens. I’ll need to be careful to restrict this to a single topic each time I post, because there are sooo many things to rant about with this travesty of a government we have and their dictatorial socialist leanings.

I will probably anger some people who may stumble upon my blog. I may anger some of my online friends if they ever happen to read this. Some may take offense to it (I say “take” on purpose – you cannot give offense, you cannot “offend” someone – it is a person’s choice to BE offended, no one is forcing someone to take anything said here or anywhere else to heart, it is a choice of the recipient), but remember, this IS America, and we DO have the right to free speech, to differing opinions. That is what made this country so great, that is what the founding fathers WANTED. A country where differing voices could be heard, different opinions expressed. Where people fight passionately for their beliefs. They didn’t want a uniform single ideal government. They WANTED heated debate in the senate. They wanted it to take a LONG time to resolve any bills or new laws. They wanted EVERYONE represented. The founders would have scoffed at the idea of “bipartisanship”. Read about the writing of the constitution. Concessions and compromises were fought over, were hard won. The debates were often raucus, ungentlemanly, often almost violent. The founders were not of a single mind on how the government should be formed, they had different ideals and fought hard for them. The same is true in the private sector. We should have our own ideals, we should believe in them and stand up for them. We should not worry too hard about who might take offense. We SHOULD be polite and respectful and allow others the same courtesy. We should never resort to threats. We should listen to arguments that are against our position, weigh them, and then rule on them based on our morals and ideals. I have many good friends who do not share my moral values, who have differing beliefs on government, family, and god. They are still my friends, they are still good people, and they are still Americans. Remember that. If we disagree, then we disagree. But I will NOT change my morals to fit what society tells me they should. I will not sacrifice my values on the altar of political correctness. I will not quiet my voice because I might offend someone. If that bothers you, then you probably ought not to read this blog.

If, however, you are open to dissenting opinion, if you are open to debate with a possibility that no one will be the clear victor, then this might be someplace that might, on occasion, hae something interesting to read. I will allow comments if they are appropriate. I reserve the right to delete them if they are simply inflamatory or name calling, and not counter-point argument, or for whatever reason I deem necessary. I will try to require the same of myself most of the time, but I reserve the right to post occasionally in frustration for no other reason than to blow off some steam.

So, welcome to my soapbox, and heaven help anyone who dares to read it.

As most people know, I started a new job last month that I’m really enjoying. There is only one drawback – it is 45 miles away, and with today’s gas prices, that really adds up. I’ve adjusted my driving habits to compensate as much as I can, my average gas mileage per tank has gone from around 22mpg to around 28mpg. That’s fairly significant. However, even with that, it still adds up to $68/wk in gas, just for my commute. So I started thinking – and started reading – and what I’ve started researching, is this:

Yup – a motorcycle. I’m still in the research stage, and it is not something I’ve decided definitively on yet, but it is under serious consideration. Triana has even tentatively ok’d it. The first step, is to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course (BRC). MSF BRC

After the course (which waives the practical test for the Utah motorcycle endorsement, I’d only need to take the written), I’d then really decide if I wanted to proceed, based on how the course went, and how I felt on a bike. You see, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, aside from the back of my uncle Rick’s. If I felt good and decided to go ahead with it, I’d then have to decide on a bike.

There are several that I’m considering, and they all have good and bad points. The one pictured above is the Kawasaki Ninja 250r. It is considered the end-all-be-all of beginner bikes. It is light, easy to handle, not too powerful, and supposedly quite fun to ride. However, it is often said that it may not be as good for freeway riding since it has so little power – there isn’t much juice if you need to power away from something. Along with the Kawasaki is the Hyosung GT250R – a very similar bike, just Korean made. I’d go with the Ninja given the choice though.

The next on my list would be the Kawasaki Ninja 650r (or the Suzuki SV650, very similar bikes). Their engines are a good bit more powerful than the little 250′s, but they are still decent beginner bikes, and will serve me better on the freeway, and likely last longer. They look very similar to the bike above. The bikes I’ve mentioned so far are considered “sportbikes” – in the same spirit as a “sportscar”. They are decently fast (most motorcylces will out-accelerate most cars), but not quite “race replicas”, so they aren’t as twitchy, tempermental, or difficult to handle as the faster bikes.

“Supersports,” however, are much faster, much more responsive, and far less forgiving to a newbie like me. They are the bikes that you see at the 600cc and 1000cc levels (and the occasional 750cc and 1300/1400cc level). Yes, the 600cc looks smaller than the 650cc I mentioned above, but the 650s above are either a V-twin or a parallel twin motor, generally carburated, while the 600cc supersports are usually fuel-injected inline 4-cylinder bikes. They are FAST – they are aggressive, and they do whatever you tell them to do instantly, whether you meant it or not. I am not likely to get a 600cc “SS” any time soon, and I’m likely to never get a liter+ bike. If I did get a supersport eventually, I really like the Yamaha R6S.

Now, along with the bike, are some other very important items – gear. I will not ride without full protective gear. Period. That includes the obvious helmet (despite the lack of a helmet law in Utah – dumb), as well as full armored leathers. Armored. That means kevlar inserts and lots of padding to protect me in the event that I put the bike down, or some cager (the biker term for a car) decides to be an idiot. I’ve pretty much picked out and tried on what I want to get, even.

Scorpion EXO 700 Street helmet:

Cortech by Tourmaster Impulse II Leather Armored Jacket:

Tourmaster Apex Air Leather Sport Pants:

Cortech Adrenaline Gauntlets:

Sidi Sport Boots:

That is about as protected as you can get. The leather protects against road-rash, and the armor tries to keep my joints and delicate areas intact. The trick though, is to not crash, but to always be prepared anyways, by wearing all the gear all the time (ATGATT).

I’ve been reading safety tips, advice, instructional sites, everything I can get my hands on to learn as much about the risks and how to avoid them as I can. I have a wife, and a toddler son, both of whom I love to death, and I would not want to leave them, or burden them with what could happen on a bike. However, statistically speaking, bikes are not much more dangerous, or deadly than cars. It’s all about constantly being on the defensive, constantly looking around, watching for road conditions, always have the mindset that you are invisible to the cagers (meaning that they won’t notice you, and will likely run you over/down cause they “didn’t see” you), and always be looking for an escape route.

The other thing that has prompted this is similar to the first. I love to drive. I love to take my car and drive it – anywhere. In the mountains, up a canyon, whatever. I can’t now. It’s too expensive to drive the car everywhere. But a bike – a bike gets 55mpg+ (some get over 70!). They are much cheaper to run. And they can be fun.

Some of you are probably thinking, “just get a scooter, they’re safer.” Actually, that’s wrong. They are more dangerous than a motorcycle, especially at high speeds. Their wheels are so small, that they are very unstable. They are smaller, so more likely to be “not seen” by a cager and run over. You sit lower on them (and they are smaller) so you can’t see as well, either. Scooter riders rarely wear the proper safety gear – rarely even an open faced helmet (stupid), let along a full face one, and almost never any protective apparel. They can barely go highway speeds, and can’t accelerate enough to get away from a bad situation. Their brakes are underpowered. They don’t handle as well as a bike, so you can’t swerve to avoid a problem as easily. They are cheap though, but my life is worth more than the money I’d save buying a scooter. There really isn’t an upside to them besides price (unless you live in Italy and drive little tiny streets at 25mph tops). Plus, no guy can ride a scooter and not look gay. Sorry, it’s true. I don’t care if it’s a vespa. If you’re buying a vespa, though, you can afford a motorcycle that is more powerful, better handling, more stable, has better brakes, and looks a lot freaking cooler. ’nuff said.

And remember:

Little story – last night, my wife and I are in the basement laying down vinyl tile in the bathroom (we’re finishing our basement). I go over to the closet to grab a utility knife, and lo and behold, there is a puddle of water on the floor against the back wall. Now, this wall had leaked last winter, and we called the builder who came out and “fixed it”. Well, it didn’t work. We have carpet coming at the end of the week… And I have to have the doors hung, casement, and baseboards in before that.. hard to do with a wet floor. So I called this morning and they are coming out to fix it, but they’ll have to rip out the sheetrock and insulation to do it (which they will then fix, but still…). Ugh.So I’m in the doctor’s office today, and I hear my car alarm go off… I go outside, and there is a massive dent in the rear driver’s side bumper corner – and no car, no note, nothing. This is the second car of mine that’s been “hit-and-run” in Provo. I am so freaking pissed. I’ll post pics when I get home. My deductible is $250, and the quote to fix it was about $800, so… bah! I’m so freaking mad right now! Not that it matters, but I did file a police report, and the cop said they get a lot of hit and runs here. They have to replace the bumper and the rear side skirt.Gah, nothing bad ever happened to my cars in California, but I move to Utah, and I get hit by 2 hit and runs, and another car of mine gets broken into and the stereo + a digital camera get stolen.Oh, and I was at the doctor’s office because I went hiking over the summer with boots I was apparently misfit for, and I lost three toenails. The prenail on one was growing out and curving down into my toe, so he had to shave it down, cut it, and cut out a bunch of skin with no anesthetic (ouch!). In the middle of that is when my car alarm went off. The podiatrist also mentioned that I ought to get my bone spur/bunion/whatever it is removed and my tarsal cut and straightened (skating plus genetics… sheesh), but I won’t think about it till after ski season, but as I sit here, that joint is hurting… which is also aggravated apparently by my pronation, which I just shelled out $300 for “sport” orthotics to fix. /sighI hope tomorrow is better.

My parents bought my wife and I a digital video camera as a combined birthday/Christmas present. We have been having a blast with this. On Veterens’ Day, my dad, my buddy BJ, his wife, and I went to the Nellis AFB Air Show, and I nabbed a few clips. Unfortunately for you all, watching the air show through the small screen of the camera doesn’t compare with giving it my full attention, so I only recorded a few clips. Enjoy!

Apparently I blog like I write in my journal – infrequently and sporadically (yes, both – they exponentially affect one another). Really, there is little to discuss besides what my wife already wrote in her blog, but hey, as I stated previously, we all like to hear ourselves talk (read ourselves blog?).

My primary focus, at the moment, is completing school. Yes, completing something – my bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. It was towards this end that I attended a hellish seven-week field school in Southern Utah/Northern Arizona. It wasn’t all bad, but I’m glad it’s over. It consisted of either freezing to death (which I can deal with) or being roasted and baked (which I can’t), while digging in the dirt, being lorded over by grad-student-crew-chiefs, treated like children, and basically counting down days until it’s over. There was some fun, there was a lot to learn, there were people I was glad I met and people I never want to see again but will have to for at least 4 more months. I did enjoy a lot of the Archaeology, don’t get me wrong, but as I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to be one, it wasn’t as exciting for me as it could have been.

So, on to now – I am taking what I hope to be my second to last semester as an undergraduate student – with a light load of 18 credits, 40 hours of work, a wife, and a child. I was going to drop one of the classes, but decided to work through it. I am taking one of my last GE’s, and five Anthropology classes. They are, in no particular order, Forensic Anthropology, Moral and Ritual Institutions, Ancient Peoples and Cultures of Europe, Mesoamerican Archaeology, and my Archaeology Lab Skills class which is the follow-up to field school.

It will be a hard, but interesting semester. Most of the classes have light work loads (just lots of reading), while two – the lab class and the European archaeology class – have a bit more. However, it means that Winter semester will be a much lighter load – only three required classes: a language and culture class, a GE, and symbolic anthropology. That means more time for skiing! If all goes as planned, I’ll graduate on the 24th/25th of April, 2008. It is definitely exciting to have a light at the end of this very long tunnel (don’t ask how long).

Triana is wonderful, as ever. My beautiful and amazing wife is not only taking amazing care of our son, but she is now working, as well. She’s doing a great job and Gavin is healthy and happy and growing like a madman – see her blog for more info on the little man.

Our basement is almost finished, though at the moment, it is being held up by a contractor who refuses to return phone calls. We’ll have to find someone else to order and install the doors and trim on the room, as the one we were referred to apparently does not want our business. After that, it is just a matter of getting carpeting in, and finalizing the plumbing on the bathroom, and the Grandparent Hotel will be complete and open for business!

So apparently my tongue-in-cheek sarcasm was taken a bit too seriously, so I’ll clarify a few points. First off – this is a blog. So there is a bit of irony in using a blog to post something like the previous post about blogs, don’t you think? Second, I have a blog, a myspace account, and a facebook account. I don’t use them a ton, but still, either I’m a hypocrite, or I’m including myself in one of the two groups (and there was more than narcissism mentioned). Finally, I’m an anthropologist by training, and critical analysis of cultural or social activities is par for the course for me, and in this case, I was simply making a joke and enjoying “hearing myself speak.” I have nothing against blogging, myspace, facebook, or any other such activities, I was simply being cynical, sarcastic, whatever. So, enjoy your blogging folks, and don’t let anything you read on the internet bother you. It’s the internet, take it all with a grain of salt.

What is this blog thing? Some place to tell a world that won’t read it about stuff they won’t care about. It’s funny really, but then, this is what the internet has enabled us to do. It broadens the the group of people we could interact with. Myspace, facebook, personal webpages… it goes on. The internet is the embodiment of humanities’ narcissistic tendancies. “Look at me! Look at me!” And yet, there is an undeniable allure to such trappings. Ironic, isn’t it, that I’m saying this on a blog, the very medium that I’ve described above. I, too, have fallen prey to the temptations of believing that I am important to the world at large.

Or is it something different? Less of a narcissistic pull, than a plaintive cry to the world, hoping to be noticed, to stand out in the sea of humanity and have our voices heard? A cry in the dark, hoping to find a place, our place, somewhere we are accepted and belong. There is certainly precedent for this theory – a much larger pool of cliques and individuals all vying for acceptance (even if through declared diversity and uniqueness – is anyone really unique?) – and all looking to accept others to strengthen their groups, their bands, to add members that justify their existence, their paradigm.