Santa Cruizin

Fuck this shit...I'm going surfing. This weekend I'm loading up my camper and heading over to Santa Cruz to get some waves and camp under some big trees. I have no clue if I can even surf. My squat is pathetic, so it might not work so good. Maybe more of a couple days of kneeboarding, but at least I'll be floating. Floating and chumming in cold, shark waters. I'm barely able to touch my knees these days so I'll need to find a way to make it work. It'll be the 4 month birthday of me writing large checks to my orthopedic surgeon. And it will be the 4 month plus 1 week anniversary of my last surf. I can't think of a better way to celebrate.

Altered States

Today I finally hopped inside an isolation tank for the very first time and got weird. It only took me something like 25 years to get around to doing it. Somewhere back during the 1980's, I watched a movie named Altered States which was about some scientist who spends time in an isolation tank. The movie was shitty, but it helped spark my interest in getting outside my head. Drugs are what I used for a long time to accomplish this, but eventually I realized Dead Shows weren't the answer. Jumping in the tank today reminded alot of the best, most successful mediation sessions I've experienced. But it was no balls-to-the-wall hyperspaced DMT trip. What seemed like 10 minutes of floating through a dream ended up being over an hour. I came out pretty chill and relaxed. And since I had already driven an hour south to Stateline, Nevada, I decided to make the leisurely clockwise loop around Lake Tahoe on my way home. Prety cool experience and I'll need to float around more to form an opinion as strong as Joe Rogan.

Silver State

Nevada is a swing state. Get your mind out of the gutter, sicko. I'm not talking the group grope kinda way, I'm talking about the Democrats and Assholes. So I registered to vote for the first time in many years. And I'm fully committed to voting whenever this election thing happens. But I certainly don't want to hear about how my vote always counts. I call bullshit. I voted for years, but every time November 8th was just like any other day. No change. I lived in Oregon...SOLID HIPPY STATE, Idaho...100% RED STATE, Washington...COMPLETELY SMELLY, and California...DIDN'T CARE HATED EVERYONE. With my transient, non-mortgage, no property tax paying, health insured life, none of the crap that spews from these filthy, rotten, prick's mouths made one eyeota of difference in my daily life. And I'm white, so I get all the breaks anyway. All along I cautiously supported our Commander In Chief, no matter who they were because, in theory, a majority of my peers chose him as the best. But now in 2012, every vote matters in Nevada, whose state motto is fittingly, "All for our country". Hopefully I'm turning a new leaf in life or something.

NAM

A couple days ago I spotted a gorgeous smelly hippy cosmic cruiser outside a casino, which sparked my interest to check out some local culture. I seem to have a lot of downtime still due to my Curious Case Of Jeff Wirtanen body. Today I cruised down to the Nevada Museum of Art, but it was closed. No biggie, I'll check out some vintage rigs at the National Automobile Museum which was just a few blocks away. Damm they got some cool old rides inside there. Lots of aero, chrome, horsepower, radical ideas, and silky smooth lines. The building was filled with rare old cars and old people. I fit right in. Worth the $10. Last bus out of Burning Man

1938 Phantom Cruiser

Krit with American Indian Swastika symbol (bad timing)

Early Brown Recluse prototype

Orange Spaced Age

Fiat...Fix It Again Tony

Dymaxion, I even love the name

Matchbox

Reno redux

Reno is quite possibly the most underrated city I have ever seen. Seriously. It just needs to scrub and clean up their hookers, move on past the 1980's, and hire a better PR firm. This place is fucking rad. There's all kinds of dive bars and bike trails. The trendy food thing here seems to be All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi. But there's also all kinds of cheap good eats. Jim Gaffigan is here tomorrow. The weather is unbeatable. It's a dry heat every day. Come fall it gets cooler and I'll be able to ride my bike nearly year round. Just over the hill is Lake Tahoe and it's EXTREME! I plan on breaking at least one of my body parts at Kirkwood, Squaw, or Hevenly this winter. There's so much to do outdoors that it's ridiculous. And to top everything off, my new jobby job is awesome. I'm finally working alongside My People. Chicks and dudes who don't give a fuck about anything except having fun. Work hard, party, and be a dork while sitting at your desk, then rush outside and be a dork in nature. Count me in. I drank the Kool-Aid and got the company tattoo. I've been indoctrinated and shaved my head. I often chant...."THIS IS MY FALL 2012 WORKBOOK, THERE ARE MANY FALL 2012 WORKBOOKS LIKE IT, BUT THIS ONE IS MINE. MY FALL 2012 WORKBOOK IS MY BEST FRIEND. I MUST MASTER IT AS I MUST MASTER MY LIFE"