...Journal and Stuff I am Learning TOP

Warning: Read at your own peril, for what I have is psychologically contagious.
Second Warning: this is a journal first and a source of info second.

There are 2 sections that follow: The JOURNAL and THE EDUCATION
In the Journal section I pretend to be smart, in The Education section I try to get smart.

THE JOURNAL(top)

(This journal contains trip information that may be of interest to those who are interested. It also contains personal ramblings typed inside [ ] brackets so as to be easily ignored)

Skip to: Oct 6 - 9, Oct 9- 20, Oct 20th to present

note: the sections above are chosen based on volume of writing

October 6th (top)- People say the beginning is always difficult, but it has always been the finishing that has caused me the most grief. Tumbler Ridge... a town in the middle of nowhere (northern B.C.) with lots and lots of parking space. If you have ever seen the episode of Star Trek (the original) where the people on this strange planet walk around being polite all the time and then suddenly, at 12:00 noon the clock bell rings and everyone goes nuts, well, that's Tumbler Ridge without the going nuts.Polite and nice but at any moment, the whole time I was there, I had this eerie feeling someone was going to bash me over the head. It might have been my imagination, but, the lady working in the pub, was also the lady I said hi to on the street, and the lady at the desk at the hotel, and the lady at the swimming pool. This town has suffered a loss of one coal mine and another mine is shutting down in March so I realize there must be fewer people in the town than usual but, is it possible that the town has devised some crazy scheme to make it appear that the population is higher than it actual is? To what end? Or maybe it is the experimental (I stress the mental) cloning research center of the world. [Aside: I have read that, to date, there has not been one known case of cloning without genetic defect] None the less the houses were cheap and the facilities were fantastic and more than that, it's oddness suits me fine and will remain a consideration for future nesting. However, for the moment it is time to move on and continue the adventure/experiment/trip/(if you have any idea what we are doing fill it in here?).

October 7th - The word engaged has occupied my mind lately. Are you engaged or in a daze?

October 8th - I have been engaged lately. I swam with Shogo this morning and was lost in play. I bought a pair of socks and swindled another pair for have price. I saw thousands of sockeye salmon spawning and touched one that was, although engaged, not quite going to make it. [I heard that in the Gita it is said that it is not important what you do but how you do it (or something like that). I believe that what it is talking about is "intention". I have also heard, on many different occasions lately, from varying sources, the words: "life is a voyage,not a destination". I still like Nike's slogan best, but can never find a pair of their shoes that fits me quite right.]

October 9th (top)- Tasted wine in the Okanogan today. Learned to hold a glass, inhale, sniff and swish and then pretend to know the intended flavour I was supposed to guess. Mostly, I was impressed with the tour guides nice ________ (since this is a most public forum, I leave words like tits, ass, fuck, shit etc. blank so that you may fill them in at your discretion). Secretly, I think Rika was impressed also. SUMAK RIDGE MERLOT. [We decided on a name for the van. Actually a nickname. Edge, short for the Edge of Chaos, the only place that adaptability and stability have drinks.] I was a little on edge today myself when Rika took over the wheel for the first time this trip. Within one hour we were hauled over by the cops for speeding but who could give sweet Rika a ticket. After a polite warning and directions to the tourist bureau, we were on our way.

[We have come up with a proper name for Edge (the van). Since our van is a Half-breed, German body (85 VW) and Japanese heart (subaru engine) it must a have a name from both cultures. The last name first. It was easy for me ... Stien... a vessel for drinking beer out of. Rika came up with the Japanese first name Furusoto which means "home", the one where the heart is. And so Edge has a proper name... Furusoto Stien.]

October 10th - Very close to the Vancouver movie festival
[The following story is a little long but had to be written because it truly captures the thrill of travel. Rika heard a strange noise. Earlier she had semi-squashed a moth in a piece of tissue, put the tissue in a plastic container and then the container into a plastic bag of garbage. I witnessed the whole event and noticed what appeared to be a sense of pride and satisfaction on her face after completing the deed. Later I found out Rika has always had an unusual fear of moths. Nudging me out of a half sleep she whispers, "did you hear that?... the moth is still alive... check it... I've been very brave lately, don't you think?" I'm confused... but obedient and check the bag. Rika is a very efficient killer. I am not sure where the fear of moths originated but the case seemed to be closed. Lights out... Not a minute past, Rika is already sound asleep, and a second, rather large, rustle from a bag is heard. The hair on the back of my neck is not only standing up, but running down my back and taking cover in the crack of my ass (that was a little over the top). The point is, if this rustle, this noise, was made by a moth, it would have to be a huge mother _______ moth back from the other side looking to exact revenge. I didn't wake Rika. Lights stayed out, flash light went on, and I sat perched like a cat, trying to determine the supermoth's exact location. Turns out we had a stow away. A cute little mouse munching on my trail mix. A mouse in itself is enough to make some people scared (Rika included) but a moth the size of a mouse gives fear justification. A certain relief was felt followed by the dilemma of how to evict our new tenant. I turned the lights on and turned everything in the van upside down in search of our friend's hiding spot, until I was satisfied it vacated due to noisy neighbors. Lights out...rustle, rustle, rustle... flashlight back on. Mickey was back and no longer feared my flashlight and was all and all to comfy in his new home. Not only that, he brought Minnie along. Now one mouse is one thing, but two is a different story. It wasn't Mickey and Minnie either, it was more like Speedy Gonzalos and his fast cousin Photon. Two little bullets can look allot like ten in a dark van and I began thinking about abandoning ship. A half hour later I was able to judge there were only two and began to plan the hunt. I definitely descended from Hunters and not Gatherers. I couldn't have been more exhilarated if I was hunting bears. I constructed my trap with the usual material: tupawear, duct tape, and granola. 10 minutes later I moved 2 cute little mice from the cramped space of our home to the great spaces of the outdoors. The hunt was over. Sleep

THE EDUCATION(top)

I have not learned anything as of yet.