Hallucinations & Other Such Drivel

Lingua Luna LIVE - Don't Look Down

2009-09-24T00:39:45Z

This past weekend my band Lingua Luna performed at Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior, WI and at Amazing Grace Cafe in Duluth, MN. Here is some live footage from the Thirsty Pagan!

Mississippi River Challenge: The Sonnet

2009-07-10T13:23:57Z

With this being my third year paddling the great Mississippi for charity, I thought I'd forgo the boring letter and try a sonnet. Enjoy!

Paddle To Protect

The constant waters flow from north to south;
Its source, Itasca, lake of Viking pride,
Through lock and dams to gulf’s expectant mouth.
The call of Mississip I must abide;
“Please, help!” she cries her plea with silent tear
O’er traffic, factory and lumb’ring barge,
The tale of ancient waves, does no one hear?
No! River friends add voice to make hers large.
A mighty challenge made and I accept:
To paddle to protect our treasured Miss.
In order to insure my oath is kept -
A pledge is needed from you for this!
So skip the latte, danish or cruller,
And donate today, if e’en one dollar!

In a mere two weeks I will be paddling from Coon Rapids, MN to Grey Cloud Island, MN (44 miles!), raising money for the Friends of the Mississippi River and their conservation efforts. Before I get on the river I need your help! Please consider making a donation here or by sending me a check made out to the Friends of the Mississippi River. Checks can be sent to me at 4314 Linden Hills Blvd #304, Minneapolis, MN 55410. No donation is too small - seriously, every little bit helps! The river thanks you!

Summer 2008

2009-04-29T17:21:31Z

A photo collage set to music (Free Life by Dan Wilson) to remind that summer is almost here - we put up with another MN winter and are on the cusp of receiving our reward!

#41: Tickets Booked!

2009-04-01T15:25:56Z

Derek and I have booked our flights to Death Valley! I have made reservations for the Saturday, May 2 show at the Amargosa Opera House Yay!

Observation: March 16, 2009

2009-03-16T15:53:06Z

Spring makes me so very happy. I literally just hugged myself.

I opened a window today. Fitzwilliam is sitting in it watching life stroll by.

I can hear everything. Birds, planes, foot steps, wind - it's spring.

Life is good. Right now, life is good.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

2009-01-20T15:27:24Z

I've never been a particularly patriot American. In fact, while traveling aboard I'd try to blend in and avoid disclosing my nationality at all costs. I would be lying if I said I disagreed with the anti-American graffiti found on the toilet stall of a Dublin hostel.

This year has been different - I've felt the well of noble patriotism bubble over, much like Scrooge and the Milk of Human Kindness. There's this kid, you may have heard of him - Barrack Obama. HIs presidential inauguration is today - the essence of renewed hope is palpable in the air. We're going to be ok and yes, even I'm feeling like "American" is no longer a dirty word. He isn't a miracle man, just a good one. Things aren't going to change overnight and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better, but the fog is lifting. For the first time in my adult life, I really am proud to be an American. No punchline, no joke.

Here's lookin' at you, America. Let's not fuck it up.

A little bit of warmth

2009-01-13T15:19:03Z

"One kind word warms three winter months"
-Japanese Proverb

High Cats

2008-12-18T16:06:56Z

Our cats were pissed that I played with the black kitten from the apartment downstairs (don't let her in, they get REALLY pissed). So I gave them catnip to appease. Now they're high. It's awesome.

Good stuff, good stuff

2008-12-05T19:50:01Z

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

I Voted!

2008-11-04T14:13:01Z

It's my birthday and I have one wish, that you all go vote! So go!

Art Quiz

2008-10-27T19:33:20Z

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

6 Abstract, -9 Islamic, -6 Ukiyo-e, -1 Cubist, -8 Impressionist and -12 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred artform tend to be visionsaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendancy to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Aliens!

2008-10-21T16:50:02Z

I knew it! Read more.

Horoscope - Free Will Astrology

2008-09-30T13:58:27Z

Scorpio:

What reasons might you have to celebrate your own private holy day? Why might you want to go off by yourself or in the company of special people and conduct a reverent ritual that reinvigorates your knack for having fun? Here are some possible answers: 1) You're over due for a break from everything you usually do. 2) You're hungry for the magic that happens when you take refuge in the sacred. 3) It's time to stop the world and jump off long enough to break the trance you are in. 4) You would generate uncanny blessings by paying tender attention to your origins, returning to your sources, and examining the foundations of your life.

I Could Hold My Own

2008-09-18T16:57:15Z

1 minute, 6 seconds

100 Trailer

2008-09-18T14:07:36Z

Opening October 3rd! If you don't have a legitimate personal distaste for any of the people involved, you should totally check it out.

Alien Invasion Dress

2008-09-16T14:58:17Z

Seriously?

French Connection, originally $158, now on clearance for $49.99. Come on bupwethern , you know you want it....

Breaking News from CNN

2008-09-08T14:17:40Z

FRESNO, California (AP) -- Authorities say they've arrested a man who broke into the home of two California farmworkers, stole money, rubbed one with spices and whacked the other with a sausage before fleeing.

Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Ian Burrimond says 22-year-old Antonio Vasquez was found hiding in a field wearing only a T-shirt, boxers and socks after the Saturday morning attack.

He says deputies arrested Vasquez after finding a wallet containing his ID in the ransacked house.

The farmworkers told deputies the suspect woke them Saturday morning by rubbing spices on one of them and smacking the other with an 8-inch sausage.

Burrimond says money allegedly stolen was recovered.

Today's Annoyance

2008-08-12T19:53:02Z

Ok, seriously, do you really think I'm going to listen to your recorded message oh crap-tastic telemarketing people? I get up to 5 calls a day that lead right into record messages, why do you people think that I'm going to listen to the whole thing? And even if I did listen to your tedious message, what makes you think I'd really want to press 1 to talk with a customer service rep? Your customer service rep should have called in the first place! Real live telemarketers are bad enough, but these damn recorded messages make me want to catapult my phone right out the window! grrr.....

#100. Participate in the Mississippi River Challenge - COMPLETED

2008-07-28T17:56:09Z

At 3:15pm yesterday, Sunday, July 27th, 2008 I completed my 44-mile trek down the Mississippi River! I challenged the mighty river and won!

The weekend started Friday night when we packed our gear and headed to Coon Rapids to register, drop off all of our camping materials, and pick up our canoe. After seeing the opening of the Temp, I went to bed early in preparation for the big weekend.

Saturday morning, Derek and I headed out to Grey Cloud Island at 6:00am to drop off my car at the finish and catch the shuttle bus up to Coon Rapids, joining with my good friends Rainy and Aaron. After getting over the nostalgia of riding in a big yellow school bus, we settled in for the 45-60 minute shuttle ride to the start, the dam in Coon Rapids. While fighting to stay awake, we were serenaded by the annoyingly loud voice of the woman in front of us. Let's just say we now know more about her life than we could ever hope to know.

The event began with a traditional native American drum prayer (my apologies for not noting the tribe who graced us with their skill). It was wonderful and as tradition goes, they had tobacco passed around for those who would like to take a pinch and put it at the base of a tree for a prayer (it wasn't smoked). We grabbed our boats, Rainy in her touring kayak, Aaron in a borrowed kayak from Dawn who lives on a house boat in the marina, and Derek and I in our rented canoe.

Derek can't swim, so the beginning of the day was spent helping him over come his fear of drowning. It helped that we were all required to wear our PFDs (personal flotation devices). We made good time, getting to Fort Snelling around 4:00pm. Derek and I ended up beating Rainy and Aaron since we got into the Ford lock before them, causing them to be an hour behind us. We had beautiful weather for day one and thankfully no head winds. Awful head winds and the wrong kayak for the conditions caused me to have to quit at the first rest stop of the second day when I tried to complete this challenge 2 years ago. In that case I challenged the river and got my a$$ kicked

The second day, the boys were feeling awfully sore. Aaron was experiencing the most pain (he pulled something in his right shoulder) and so we dropped off Dawn's kayak at the marina (meeting our friend Louis on the shore with crepes and coffee in hand - he rocks!). Aaron then road the rest of the way in our canoe since the weekend was about fun, not speed. Our progress slowed with the extra weight, but we finished the full 44-miles at 3:15pm Sunday! We all had a blast AND did our part to protect the river we love so much!

I just want to thank everyone again who was able to donate time or money to the cause! If you had wanted to donate, it's not too late! You can still donate online or by sending a check. Though this weekend's paddling is complete, the challenge to protect the Mississippi rages on!

Today's Dove Promise

2008-07-17T16:43:17Z

"Learn to say 'I Love You' in a different language."

Spanish: Te amo.

French: Je t'aime.

German: Ich liebe Sie

Italian: L'amo

Dutch: Ik hou van u

So Sweet

2008-07-11T22:27:56Z










"That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet."

Emily Dickinson

Today's Dove Promise

2008-07-08T16:03:59Z

" Think without boundaries"

Let's Talk About Sex

2008-06-26T21:41:49Z

"And we are objective about sex. It's a commodity just like booze and drugs. Sex is part of this business. Leave your emotions out of it, and your ego."

Miriam, The Last Vampire by Whitley Strieber

Books Not Bombs

2008-06-26T17:10:16Z

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

#100. Participate in the Mississippi River Challenge

2008-06-18T16:53:35Z

Yesterday Derek and I registered to canoe the 44 mile route from Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park to Grey Cloud Island for the 2008 Great Mississippi River Challenge on July 26-27. As paddlers for this event, we each will be raising money to benefit the Friends of the Mississippi River's river protection efforts. The pledge funds I raise will directly support their 2008 projects, including:

Raising community awareness and developing grassroots initiatives to protect water quality, habitat and human health in rapidly developing areas

Restoring hundreds of acres of oak savannah, prairie and wetland to provide ecological and recreational amenities to your community

Engaging more than 3,500 volunteers and 1,300 members in activities such as river clean-ups, habitat restoration and Special Places Tours to restore and enjoy the vitality and beauty of the Mississippi River watershed.

If you are interested in support me and the mighty Mississippi, you can make an online donation on my fundraising page.