Principal and Principle

"CALL FROM OLIVER" appeared on the display screen of my then somewhat new Motorola RAZR V3c flip phone. I answered, in my usual manner with an appropriate, "Ahoy, hoy!" 

A melancholy voice responded, "Hey, it's Kirsten. I'm using Oliver's phone." "Hey, what's up? Where's your phone?" I asked. "They took it and won't give it back and Mr. Michelle wants to meet with you to talk about it..." she replied nervously and proceeded to describe to me how she was caught using her phone during class and that the teacher had confiscated it and turned it over to the campus security officer. The security officer and high school principal, Mr. M, then proceeded to go through the texts and images on the phone and determined that there was sufficient concern to involve me. 

"What are you worried about?" I asked. "There's a video of me and Ray smoking in my room." she lamented, knowing I'd be disappointed and potentially angry. 

I was angry. But not with Kirsten, I was angry that the school had performed a massive intrusion of personal privacy. I told her that I'd deal with it and would see her when she got home from school.

It was still early in the day, and I was amidst an until then, unmemorable round of disc golf at nearby De Laveaga Disc Golf Course, so there was time to make a plan B4 meeting with Mr. M.

Approaching tee 8A on the course, I put down my disc golf bag and placed a call to the high school. Receptionist K answered and happily made arrangements for me to meet with Mr. M at 4:00. I had known K for years. Both K and her husband had attended some of my lectures and their children attended some of the same extracurricular activities, clubs and general school functions as my kids. K knew me well enough to know that I was no dummy, and it must have been a thrill for her to know what was in store for me at the meeting. We cut our round of disc golf short, and I headed home to think about the situation. 

I didn't know what was going on. Why did they need to see me? Is Kirsten in trouble? Am I in trouble? What do they want from me? I played multiple scenarios over in my mind. I finally concluded that they wanted to leverage me and or Kirsten somehow and that I was walking into an ambush. I needed to be rational not paranoid. Was I paranoid? I would be on Mr. M's turf, and he would have his own agenda and idea how the meeting would go down. I had to come up with a tactic to gain the advantage. An unanticipated distraction from the onset would lay a trap that he would hopefully stumble into, I surmised.

While showering, I considered what to wear to the meeting and decided that psychologically, a red shirt would be best, and I had one. A video camera would also be a powerful intimidation factor, I mused. It didn't take long to get dressed. I grabbed my Canon PowerShot A710, checked the battery level, and headed out the door. 

The school was only a five-minute drive, so I didn't have a lot of time to stress over the situation. I pretty much had my plan in mind and was ready for the show. K's show. 

Mind gaming and un-practical jokery was something I did for fun until I was convinced that it isn't nice to play with people's minds, and now I want to play nice. I only do it on rare occasions now, like when Jehovah's Witnesses are at the door, or annoying solicitors who call on the phone. I was definitely a bit rusty, but reluctantly, I jumped back in for this cause... whatever it was to be, I was still unsure.  

 There was a convenient parking spot at the entrance to the ramp that descended toward the principal's office. I grabbed the camera, locked the door of my 85 Mazda RX7 and began walking down the ramp, mentally rehearsing my opening line as I neared the entrance. Turning the camera on and making sure that video mode had been selected, I pressed RECORD, opened the double set of large glass doors, and walked into the office, holding the camera in an obvious filming position.

Lights, action, camera... K's show had begun. K was sitting at one of the desks as I entered and said, "Hi K. I have an appointment with Mr. M, would you please let him know that I'm here..."

"He's expecting you," she replied as Mr. M entered the room to greet me. We walked towards one another and extended our hands to shake. With unbroken eye contact, I embraced his hand firmly, delivering the line that I had rehearsed a dozen times; "I spoke with the ACLU and they recommended that I record this meeting, but I don't have a recorder, so I brought a video camera, I hope that's all right." Obviously, I hadn't really spoken to the ACLU. I did consider calling a good attorney friend but determined that I could defuse the situation on my own, even though I was unsure exactly what that was. Mr. M agreed to my conditions without hesitation and escorted me to his private office, which fortunately for K, was within earshot of where she was sitting. 

With a wave of his hand, I was directed to sit in one of the chairs positioned across from his desk. I sat down, placing the camera on the seat to the left of me. The slope of the seat allowed the camera to point directly at Mr. Michelle, who, upon taking his seat, positioned himself strategically behind a family photo on his desk, avoiding the camera's intimidating gaze. 

After briefly exchanging niceties, Mr. Michelle got down to business. He spoke about rules, and that the use of cellular phones is strictly forbidden during class and that offenders' phones are systematically confiscated and turned over to security. He said, "Normally, a student can retrieve his/her phone after school, but we found some video of Kirsten smoking with another student who we think is a major drug dealer in the school. We're concerned about the safety of our students, and want to know what you know, and what you can tell us about Raymond..." 

And with that, and without realizing it, by invoking the word, safety, Mr. M had stepped into my trap. At that same moment, I had an epiphany, and it was clear to me what this was all about. They were going after Ray, one of the only black kids on campus. A family friend, I had known Ray for years. He was an honorable and trustworthy kid. Ray was no drug dealer. Every kid in Santa Cruz smoked weed and it seemed to me that Ray was being racially targeted. I was disgusted and gleefully moved my metaphorical queen into checkmate position.

I took a deep breath and delivered my second rehearsed line, "I'm concerned about the safety of the students too, and I think that the biggest safety concern here is the fact that your security officer has been accessing images and videos of young girls on their private phones. This seems dangerous to me. Maybe we should have a look on his hard drive to see what kind of collection of young girls he may have amassed."

"OH SHIT" was the look on Mr. M's face as he tried to save face by assuring me that his security officer is on the up and up and there is no need for concern. Now, overly friendly, Mr. Michelle handed over Kirsten's flip-phone, (the battery was dead) and with uncomfortable friendly discourse, escorted me out. "Bye K, nice to see you" I said as I departed through the glass doors. Mission accomplished. 

I returned home, downloaded the video I had shot at the principal's office to my computer and reviewed the footage. No one else was home at the time, but after a few minutes, Kirsten and Oliver walked through the door. I was still sitting at the computer. "Here's your phone" I said, handing it over to Kirsten. "You Got it? How did that go?" she asked nervously. I summoned them both to the computer and played the video of the meeting. Watching with dropped jaws, they were both thrilled. I had never seen a bigger smile on Oliver's face. Kirsten thanked me and I warned her that I would not be doing anything like this again.

Kirsten, Oliver and Ray graduated together, and it was reported to me that Mr. M and his henchman never messed with them again. 

True Story. Some names have been abbreviated because I wanted to do it that way.

.       

The Tell-Tale Tunes of Two Townies - Oliver Tree's UIB and Denney Joints' the Beast - a JOINT Review

Flashback to April 21, 2011

Another chilly evening in Santa Cruz, CA. The gentle 68 degree breeze sweeps misty fog through the streets of town. Denney Joints' band, Midnite Snack, is having a CD joint release party* with Ship of the Sierras and Rachel Fannan at the Crepe` Place, a local Santa Cruz music epicenter. Inside the venue, the show goers are taking their respective positions either at the bar, or standing on the hardwood floor in front of the stage. Among the attendees, but oddly nestled away, sitting on the floor, tucked beneath the counter where the soundboard operator reigns, is Tree in its infancy - Kirsten Artemecia and Oliver Tree, the familiar and seemingly inseparable duo for half a decade. Having recently established Tree as the name** for their new trio. Their first recordings are available to a few lucky people in town. To Tree, this show featuring family and friends is of special interest. Not only to socialize, but a good opportunity for recon too boot. 

Soup is good food, (crepes are good too)

Santa Cruz is a primordial stew for artists. A small town where everyone knows everyone, and supports each other's artistic endeavors. Conditions are perfect for the culmination of new ideas that merge progressive art with new technology. There's no shortage of talent in Santa Cruz either. It's been said that "you can't swing an Omnichord without hitting an artist or two." Actually, no one ever said that, but I just did, so there.

By 2011, Denney Joints had established himself as a favorite local performer with amazing, and well attended live shows plus a few CDs and shirts. Oliver was just beginning to record his unique style of dub-glitch electronica that culminated in Splitting Branches, his first full-length album. It was a time of great expectation and optimism for the future, (those were the days). 

It may seem odd to flashback an entire decade to begin a joint review of two 2020 releases, but roots are important. A return to those earliest recordings help me to better understand the foundations and origins of Oliver and Denney. Drawing parallels (if they exist) to showcase their evolution as artists is not necessarily my goal here, but will be entertained nevertheless. It's difficult for me to remain objective since I have known both Denney and Oliver for many years. I can't entirely detach and review them objectively, therefore, I'm approaching it from my own personal perspective as a close, long-time friend, fan and observer. This requires a sensitive balance of disclosure while maintaining responsibility and respect for their privacy, therefore any personal information not previously established in other media is intentionally excluded. No spoilers here... unless you can read betwixt the lines.

Sometime in 2010, I stumbled across Denney's CD, Soup Samwich. I was astounded by the sophistication and musical expertise of his band, Midnite Snack. The songs are honest, powerful, fun and somewhat profound. And the band is tight, like a well tuned and maintained German dynamo. I met Denney for the first time soon afterward. Denney had recruited local legend, Mason, (a member of our household), to play bass in a new incarnation of Midnite Snack. I remember hearing the raw demos of the songs that morphed and came to fruition in BEDTIME, the celebrated inductee into Zenberg Blogue's Best Album of 2011. THIS "Joint Review" however does NOT receive the BEST OF 2020 designation because the entirety of 2020 was outstanding in and of itself; the BEST of everything. Picking a BEST in 2020 is impossible. It was all good.***

LISTENING: Comedy is Not Pretty

To prepare for this review, I put off playing the 2020 releases and instead, played the first tracks**** I had heard from both Joints and Tree a decade earlier. I found myself playing these songs repeatedly over the course of a few days. I listened a lot more than I thought I would and came away impressed, having a sense that I'm privy to some special music that most of the world will never hear.  

Eventually, I got around to listening to The Beast and Ugly Is Beautiful (UIB) and immediately discovered subtle overtones and themes echoing back to to the early material. I was already familiar with most of the music on both UIB and the Beast, (much of it having been released previously), therefore it was refreshing to hear material that was new to me. 

Both albums are well thought out with design in mind. The Beast has a raw, anti-commercial and serious punk attitude, while UIB is edgy commercial rock/hop. Both are anti-pop in scope. 

Oliver Tree is a true Alien Boy in the world of commercial pop icons who overplay the tough sexy motifs we've come accustomed to seeing. In juxtaposition, Oliver arrives on stage riding a Razor Scooter, wearing an old nineties ski coat, exaggerated bell-bottom JNCO Jeans and sporting a bowl cut hairdo that sometimes falls off, (intentionally). To me, this persona is a kind of "in your face" to the music biz' pretty boys and tough guys, none of whom know any sweet scooter tricks. Oliver plays the fool, but he's no fool. He pretends to not take himself seriously, but Oliver is an artist who insists on perfection; be assured that his videos and songs are precisely how he envisions them. And he's influential too. Oliver has become a pop icon responsible for a new generation of fashion and scooter sport. It's become common to see folks of all ages on Razor Scooters and random people sporting bowl cuts and JNCO Jeans. There's even an Oliver Tree Scooter Army group on Facebook where fans can share thoughts, art and photos of their own personal emulations of Oliver. Razor Scooters are back too, in a big way, and by making it cool to scoot again, Oliver is partly responsible***** for that. The scooter plays an integral role in the Oliver Tree mythos and is a common theme on stage, in videos, memes and narrative from the many interviews he's given. A story he never fails to share is his explanation of the lyrics in his hit song Hurt. According to Oliver, while competing in a scooter competition, his long awaited ride was thwarted when his front wheel hit a tiny pebble at the base of the ramp, sending him crashing and breaking his hand in the fall. Obviously, (if you know Oliver), any real meaning of Hurt is intentionally obfuscated by this story, but personally, I prefer to think of it metaphorically and view Oliver as the pebble who temporarily derails commercial music industrialization. He's the surprise that no one saw coming. He mocks the machine while profiting from it. 

Something that has always impressed me about both Oliver and Denney, is their keen sense of humour. In Denney's case, the comedy was more prevalent in his earlier works and reflects a certain amount of optimism for the future, whereas, (now that we live in the future), Denney's positivity has waned. The Beast is much more mordant than any of his previous releases, but can still make me chuckle. It's clear that Denney is pissed off, (and if you're not pissed off, then you're not paying attention). Denney is great at pointing out the obvious in an oblivious world, but unfortunately, there's "no one listening." The Beast does have some really personal moments that tug at the heart and Denney really knows how to write a great song. This album really rocks and makes you feel alive. One song that I want to highlight on The Beast, is the track, Walking With the Beast, a Gun Club cover that Denney handles marvelously. His treatment of the track is complementary to the original and I may love it more than the Gun Club version. The YouTube video of Walking With the Beast features Denney and friends jamming and hanging out in Santa Cruz. At one point in the video, Denney pulls out his cellphone and lets his fingers do the walking with the beast. Noice "touch" Denney. 

Oliver is hailed for his comedic****** persona. His popular memes and videos are obviously humourous, but Tree's early releases are blatantly introspective, thoughtful and seemingly personal. UIB has its introspective elements too though. Bury Me Alive is one song from UIB that has a serious Tree flashback vibe with resurrected lyrics from the song, Rising Phoenix.******* For the most part, the songs on UIB are mostly inner-directed themes, shielded behind juxtaposed befuddling comedic videos. UIB seems like all fun and games, but BEWARE! These songs are addictive, and once you're hooked, there's no return. I got sucked in and find myself singing these songs regularly, (I like to make up my own lyrics). No wonder UIB made it to #1 on Billboard's Rock Chart and #1 on Billboard's Alternative Chart. Damn! That's impressive!!! It really is a great record, and I dig spinning my three different coloured versions of red, yellow, and orange.

Apocalypse Now? Why Wait?

The music of Denney and Oliver were a fitting soundtrack to remember 2020, the year that kept on giving. It seemed there was a new and frightening development every day, from Murder Hornets to mysterious monoliths. Late in the year, as UIB and The Beast were finally available in their completeness, the Bay Area beaches began to experience some beautiful bioluminescence dancing and sparkling in the dark waves along the coast at night. Unfortunately, the phenomenon was soon eclipsed by a ferocious and spectacular lightning storm, the likes of which has never been witnessed in the area. The lightning ignited numerous fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond, while thousands of people evacuated their homes and entire communities. I couldn't help but consider the irony of the UIB album cover that features Oliver in a playground that's being consumed by fire. The I'm Gone video depicts Oliver surrounded by fire too. And then there's Denney's 2018 album, City on Fire, who's cover depicts a large, all-consuming warehouse fire. I've always associated this image with the fatal Ghost Ship fire in Oakland that killed many of Denney's friends in 2016. 36 people died in that fire. The 2020 fires******** and associated evacuations and ominous red skies were unprecedented. That no doubt weighed heavily on both Denney and Oliver as their communities, friends and families were being impacted by a strange mix of lockdown, evacuation and uncertainty. At least there was some great music to listen to, unless PG&E's roaming blackout program shut your electricity off. That was fun. 

Who Are These People?

Denney and Oliver share many friends and experiences in Santa Cruz, they however express their vision very differently. With Denney, what you see is what you get. He lives in his car and views the decline of western civilization from under the overpasses and streets of Oakland. Denney's many projects have been mostly funded by himself and a handful of friends who contribute, either financially or by helping with performance, recording, production, and merch etc. This new release is minimalistic and anti-capitalist in essence and intent. There are no available CDs, tapes or any merchandise associated with The Beast which is exclusively available at Bandcamp.  

Unlike Denney, Oliver maintains a guarded personal identity apart from his manufactured and carefully crafted public persona. The Oliver Tree mythos is layered in deception. Nothing is true and everything is true at the same time. Like Denney, Oliver's first album, Splitting Branches, was self recorded and realized by the helpful assistance of friends that he roped into the project. Things are obviously different now that he's well funded and enabled by the industry. Records and all manner of merchandise********* are available for purchase at the official Oliver Tree Store.  

I've played both of these albums a brazillian times, and enjoy them more every time. I'm happy that I know about these recordings and can share them with you, the reader/listener. They're pretty amazing. 

Buy The Beast Here 

Buy UIB Here

NOTES

*Rachel, Ship and Snack are Santa Cruz supergroups that boast personnel from local favorites Birds Fled From Me, Mountain Animal Hospital, Sheena, Sleepy Sun, and the Vox Jaguars. 

**Tree is the name adopted for the projects that became Splitting Branches (2012) and Demons (2013). Conceptually, Tree is a play on Trio and the triangle/delta symbol was adopted as the official Tree logo to represent the trio. It also resembles a tree and since Tree is Oliver's middle name, it's the obvious choice, and a good one imho. The original Tree/Trio is comprised of Oliver Tree, Kirsten Artemecia Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny who together recorded the first few songs before the project was expanded to include other contributors under the Tree Collaborations umbrella. 

 

*** Santa Cruz lingo

**** Soup Samwich by Midnite Snack and Splitting Branches by Tree including Rising Phoenix, an early song that predates much of the Splitting Branches material but not included on the album 

***** Oliver really does deserve credit for this. He was taking his Razor Scooter to the Santa Cruz Skate Park B4 anyone else ever had and pretty much initiated Scooter Sport. People thought it was weird, and it was... it was Oliver being Oliver. 

****** Someone once asked me if I was surprised that Oliver became a famous musician. I said I'm not surprised that he became a famous comedian. Oliver is among the most witty people I've known and is genuinely fun to be around.

******* Rising Phoenix by Tree was recorded spring 2011 and features Kirsten Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny - the track is not included on the Splitting Branches album

******** The 2020 fires in Santa Cruz County destroyed more structures than the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake did. 

********* Whether he knows it or not, Oliver has embraced the Rozz-Tox Theory of Obscurity. 

Art By Artemecia

Happy Birthday Bassin' Mason

I've loved Brian Eno's music since the seventies, and was stoked when I learned that he was responsible for the soundtrack to the art film, For All Mankind, a documentary about the Apollo missions to the moon. That was 22 years ago. When the movie played in Madison, Wisconsin, where we were living at the time, Mighty Mo was nine months big with child. Mason must have been intrigued with the wonderful Eno soundtrack because while we were watching the movie, he decided it was time to be born, and Heidi began her labor pangs. Mason, (Madison without the di), was born the following day, while Beethoven and Peruvian flute music played on a boom box. No wonder he is so musically inclined.

Here's some video I shot that features Mason playing a live looped version of Trentemoller's popular song, Miss You. I shot the video near the shore of the Great Salt Lake, where we just so happened to stumble upon these ruby-red slippers hanging from a tree and dangling in the breeze. Two Bald Eagles soar whilst a heard of Antelope graze in the distance.

I recently stumbled across this video of the Vox Jaguars that I shot at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA in late 08 or early 09 that features some fancy bass playing by the birthday boy.

Happy Birthday Mason!

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes in 3D

I sliced my finger a good one whilst washing a glass, therefore, typing will be minimiZed for this post.

My son, Mason, flew out from Santa Cruz to celebrate my birthday. After Mighty Mo left for Central America, Mason and I took the old truck out for a drive across the valley. The photo above is an enormous windmill that can be seen from almost everywhere in Tooele Valley.

The 3D photos below were taken earlier that same day at nearby Rush Valley. The towers under construction are part of an enormous power line project that has already permanently scarred the landscape and will change the skyline forever.

Thanksgiving 2011

Another beautiful sunrise resulted in this scene that lasted only a few moments. I barely had time to find my camera, shoes, keys, and drive to West Elementary School to take the photo. It was much more spectacular thirty seconds before it was taken, and thirty seconds later, the scene of the colorfully illuminated Deseret Peak had vanished.
Tooele is a pretty awesome place, and is the only one in the world. I am SO thankful that our little town is surrounded by beautiful majestic mountains. The Oquirrs to the East, separate us from the Salt Lake Valley, and all the crime and pollution associated with the big city. At the same time, we're close enough to the city to travel there in little over thirty minutes, and there's always something going on in Salt Lake.
On Tuesday, we left early and drove to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, where we spent the day enjoying the hot, mineral pools located there. The one pictured above in 3d, bubbles up from natural springs at a pleasant, 112 degrees Fahrenheit... my favorite pool at the facility. A day pass costs only $5... something else to be thankful for.

I am thankful for so much today, but I am missing my kids who had to remain in Santa Cruz for the holiday. Looking forward to seeing other family later today though.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

rZ

11-1-11 Post

It has been so wonderful to be here in Santa Cruz after being away for nearly four months. Today, I've been thinking about all the things we won't see in Tooele... like whales, dolphins, sharks, lighthouses, bikinis, and etc... Looking forward to being home, though. I can't wait to have a home cooked meal. Meanwhile, here are a couple of 3d photos of the King Crimson* stage at the Regency in San Francisco on October 18, 2011.

*The Stick Men, Adrian Belew Power Trio, then a combined trio/double trio performance of a slough of King Crimson classics.

One Year Without Dad - :-(

It was a year ago today that the medical industry successfully killed my father. Two weeks earlier, his immune system was compromised when he received a flu shot.* He told me that he hadn’t felt good since the shot, and before he knew it, he had contracted pneumonia, and died a few days later.

The day dad died was truly a beautiful one. I remember standing on the main beach next to the Boardwalk, in Santa Cruz, CA that morning, watching the sailboats come and go. Knowing how much dad liked the out of doors, I wanted to tell him about my beautiful morning, and find out how he was feeling. When I spoke with him, he told me that he didn't think he was going to make it. I knew that he was serious, and I began preparing to travel to Utah in hopes of seeing him before it was too late.

My sister soon called and reported to me that dad’s doctor had informed her that dad probably wouldn't make it through the night.** I immediately called Delta Airlines, who happily accommodated me and booked a family emergency flight, and within a couple of hours I was on my way. Even though the flight took only two hours, the anxiety made it the longest flight of my life, hoping that I would make it before dad passed.

Dad should have died before I arrived, but he waited for me so that we could be together one last time... and say goodbye. When I finally entered the hospital in Tooele, I found my sister and her family sitting with my sickly looking old dad who appeared to be ready to die. His countenance lifted and we enjoyed a wonderful, but brief reunion.

We had a wonderful time together that evening. He asked us if there was anything that we would like to say before he passed. I took the opportunity to tell him how much I love and appreciate him, and thanked him for the good example he has always been to me. I told him every positive thing about him and our family relationship I could think of, and after everyone had a chance to say what was in our hearts, dad said, “OK, lets get this over with” and removed his oxygen mask. A little more than a half hour later, he was gone.

As we cried and held each other, dad’s frail empty shell sat silently in the room. The giant hero in my life was gone, and I knew that things would never be the same without him.

One year later, things are definitely different. We no longer live in Santa Cruz, and have moved into my late parent’s house in Utah, and have been busy making it our home.

*Flu shots are a successfully sinister public relations campaign directed at the naive and gullible masses who prefer to hand their agency over to the neo-high priests that they oxymoronically refer to as health care professionals.

**Doctors regularly blame their patients for the medical industry’s own incompetence, and are responsible for more American deaths in one year than all of the wars in the last century combined.

Fall 2011 - Time Traveling

Mighty Mo and I have been having a great time enjoying the latest season... FALL.

We spent a couple of days in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, soaking in the lovely 112 Fahrenheit mineral pool in the middle of town.
We also went to another planet called Soda Springs, Idaho, where we enjoyed a wonderful timed carbonated water geyser, and some of the most unfriendly folks we've come across since before the war.
On the way home, we drove a few miles out of our way to the Rocket Display at the old Thiokol headquarters near Promontory Point, Utah.
I didn't count them, but there must have been close to a hundred rockets on display.
Then we traveled a few more miles, (and back in time to the nineteenth century), to the Golden Spike National Monument, the site where the first coast to coast national rail system was completed. The above photo is of the old original rail, and telegraph lines at Promontory Point, Utah. Communications and travel have come a long way, baby!

What do all these things have in common?

Everyone Went On Vacation and All I Got Was This Stupid Hurricane

When I saw mighty Mo off at the Amtrak Station at 3:00 AM, I had no idea that a Hurricane named Irene would keep me from seeing her for an extra week.

Strangers have left on longer trains before, but Mighty Mo was no stranger to trains, and took the California Zephyr all the way to Chicago. In the windy city she caught another train to New York City, (the one in New York), where she met up with Mason who was on his first trip to the Big Apple, and en route to spending a week with King Crimson's Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastellotto at a music camp in upper New York State.

Mighty Mo was there for a week-long yoga retreat in Rhinebeck, NY which happened to be in close proximity to Mason's music camp, so the timing was perfect... or so it seemed.

Kirsten left her cool and cozy California surf town to fly out to Utah and hang out with me in the hot, dry desert for a spelunking, wilderness hiking, salt flat sunset viewing adventure behind the Zion Curtain.

We all had a wonderful time doing our respective activities, and everything was going as planned until Hurricane Irene scared the knickers off of New York, and they evacuated many areas.

For the first time in history, NY city shut down the MTA - buses, cabs and subways - and the airlines canceled thousands of flights, leaving Mason and Mighty Mo stranded in Manhattan for many more days than planned.

Tooele Reservoir in 3D

After two computer crashes in three months, it appears that I have lost many of my 3d photos. Many of them had been backed up, but the majority of the photos on my five-month young Toshiba with a dead hard drive are gone forever. I'm switching to Mac, and have a lovely new MacBook Pro that I'm learning how to operate.

Following, are a few recent 3d (cross eye) images fer ya to feast yer eyes upon.

Folks fishin' allowed me to take this photo.

The Tooele Reservoir is a beautiful place to get away from all the clutter that hasn't found a place in our new home. I haven't timed the drive yet, but I'm assuming that it only takes three to five minutes to get there from our house. I love being SO close to the mountains.

Above, Mighty Mo takes a gander at the 100% full reservoir.

The walkway across the earthen dam is lined with green vegetation. The foliage is usually quite brown by this time of year, but the excessive rain, snow and cool temperatures have allowed the soil to remain moist enough to sustain life.

Water pours over the spillway.

An old twisted wire fence keeps drunken dumb asses from falling into the deep spillway.

Safety is my maiden name.

Solstice Schmalstice

Mighty Mo and I have a wonderfully eclectic* group of friends, and last night, we had the opportunity to bid farewell to 25 of them. Strange, I probably won't see many of them ever again. Those friends that were able to attend were treated to a trendy Utah themed going away party that featured stereotypical food favorites ranging from funeral potatoes to green jello. There was also a salt flats tasting bar, and authentic orange slush... just add 7Up. Unfortunately, some of our friends were unable to make it to our mid-week extravaganza, but I hope to see them sometime over my last two, (and very busy), weeks in Santa Cruz.

Leaving (too) soon

I realize that after our soon approaching long-term departure to Utah, I'm going to miss seeing the seductively beautiful Monterey Bay... a regular and everyday scene for me. The Great Salt Lake has beautiful sunsets, but will never replace the magnificence of this region. In an effort to deal with my separation issues, I purchased a wonderful, (and very large), ocean scene painting by my favorite artist, and close friend, Richard Bennett.

Pictured above is the southeast corner of our living room in Santa Cruz, where my new painting, South Coast, by Richard Bennett, temporally resides. Also pictured in the picture is my authentic Tom DeLong Fender Stratocaster, Dean 12 string electric guitar, a skim board, and three Talking Heads records in frames. I can't wait to see how the new painting looks in my home in Tooele, but I'm in no hurry to leave either.

Since I may never see many of our friends again, I thought it would be a good idea to get photos of the attendees to our Utah themed party, so after signing in, each guest was photographed in front of the new painting.
Kirsten Atemecia - Multi Talented quadruple threat who recently graduated from high school with a straight A report card. Smart, beautiful, talented with a great sense of humor... she's got the world by the tail.
Greg - One of the best drummers I've had the pleasure to watch perform. Greg has drummed for numerous bands, including A Quantum Visionary, and these days plays for Isolation Factor, who it is rumored will be releasing a new CD soon.

Mason - Another local rock star, Mason is a founding member of the Vox Jaguars, and AQV. He's performed with, and contributed to ensembles too numerous to mention, and recently had the opportunity to perform with the Santa Cruz County Symphony who performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Ode for Joy. One of my favorite pieces of all time.

Skippy - If you look up Frisbee in the dictionary, Skippy's picture should be there next to the definition. A master of disc golf and Freestyle pioneer, he can do things with a plastic disc that astonishes the masses.
Oliver aka Kryph aka Tree - Dubstep officianado racking up the hits, and stretching the genre beyond traditional limitations, took time out to drop in and hang out for a couple of hours.
Shawna, Erin and Ryan - Whether you are a pet, or a human being in need of emergency care... you're in good hands with these gals, and Ryan, the million dollar baby, knows it.
Aaron - The master of presentation of everything from metallurgy to hollandaise is beloved by all who know him. Together, Aaron and I have attended dozens of Bay Area performances ranging from Adrian Belew to the Vox Jaguars and played numerous rounds of disc golf at the De Laveaga, Black Mouse and Aptos courses. He's going to miss me.
Emily - Even though it was her nineteenth birthday, she stopped by to say goodbye.
Kallista, Olin and June - I've known Olin for many years and was so happy to meet his new little family. It seems like Olin and I have been everywhere in this region; surveying areas in the mountains to beach properties, in addition to playing lots of rounds of disc golf.
Richard - The artist himself graced us with his presence. In addition to being a master of every artistic discipline, Dicky B speaks numerous languages and dialects and has scoured the globe in search of artistic inspiration. He's been a wonderful friend and inspiring associate. I'm going to miss Dicky B's stories, and endearing demeanor.

Ann - She's seen it all and done it all. Everything from being a military pilot, land surveyor, theater reviewer and world traveler to hanging out with Elvis. Also a mother, she always raves about her two sons. She is a fascinating woman and we love the amazing stories of her adventurous life.
Reid - Snappy dresser, and performance specialist. He not only attended the party, but came to our yard sale too.
Kevin, Graham and Karissa - Pulling strings behind the scenes, Kevin and Graham are PR wizards extrordinaire and great urban homesteaders and home brewers. Karissa a new friend we met at the party.
Seana - Another amazing PR professional, who brought along a little bump and a big announcement to the party. : )
Katie - Another stellar public relations pro who was Mighty Mo's right hand account manager for years.
Cassie - Another birthday girl. Despite the fact that it was her 21st birthday, Cassie stopped by for the party.
Eileen - Brilliant artist, and winner of Catalyst's best Halloween costume contest. She was Mona Lisa, and even had her own frame. Eileen was one of the first people we met when we moved to Happy Valley in Santa Cruz all those years ago, and she's been a great friend to the entire family.
Claire - A former PR pro who escaped with her soul intact. Now pursuing environmental work, Claire has actually walked on the Great Salt Lake.
Ronaldo Antonio - Former NASA astronaut who has spacewalked more times than Michael Jackson has moon-walked (in 2011). A sparkling personality, and one of the funniest if not the funniest persons I know. He's one of the few people who actually understands my twisted comique.
Alexandra - Believe it or not, another PR industry pro, Sheesh! How many PR people are out there anyway? She speaks numerous languages fluently, including Russian, German and English. A Romanian native, she lives here in Santa Cruz with her family.

* Attendees included artists, musicians, propagandists, pre-borns, a baby, a toddler, teens, twenty somethings, thirty somethings, forty somethings, fifty somethings, sixty somethings, seventy somethings, eighty somethings, vegans, vegetarians, veterinarians, a nurse, a pilot, a teacher, an astronaut, professional athletes, rock stars, Jews, Mormons, Wiccans, and etc. I had planned to make the party as eclectic as possible, and for the most part, that goal was accomplished, but unfortunately, none of my illegal alien friends showed up. Camera shy, I guess.

Fathers Day 2011

Today is my first Fathers Day without the most awesome person I have ever known, my father. I miss him so much. I can't believe he has only been gone for a few months. In a way, it seems like forever.

Ron Paul for Mothers Day

The best thing that could happen to American mothers, would be having Ron Paul as President of the United States. 

No one cuts through the political bullshit better than the seasoned politician who always tells the truth, no matter how painful or unpopular it may be. 

Unfortunately, there are those who don't want American's to know the truth, therefore corporatists, like Obama, Palin and Romney, get to take center stage, distracting the masses with color, curves and cash, meanwhile, freedom continues to dissipate like a fart in a windstorm.*  

Last Thursday, Ron Paul participated in the first 2012 presidential debate that was held in South Carolina, and as one would expect, there were attempts to defame Congressman Paul. Here is one example. 

* one of my mom's funny old sayings. I miss her today.

Wild World

Today I am officially an empty nester. I never thought it would happen so quickly, but it seems that is the nature of our world right now... everything appears to be happening so fast, everywhere, and everyone in our family is beginning a new phase in our individual lives that require significant change* too.

I'm sure going to miss my little punk girl . She has been such a sweet person to have around for the past eighteen years.

Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl

Cat Stevens

* My son moved out a month ago, and Mighty Mo & I will be moving to Utah in a couple of months. Yikes!

Merry Christmas

"You buy, you die. That's the motto of America." Joe Strummer

Here's another stereoscopic image fer ye. This one is of my new Clash, Revolution Rock shoes that I purchased with X Mas money from my sis. I remember when the Clash's Combat Rock record album came out in the early eighties, and I accused them of selling out to commercialism. Now the Clash have sold out by allowing their name to be used on these snazzy Converse Shoes... and I sold out by buying something made in China, (something I never do and have been opposed to for decades).


The holidays haven't been the same without my folks. I miss them so much and keep feeling the urge to call them to wish them Merry Christmas... and a million other things. I don't know if they can follow this blog through the veil, but just in case... Merry Christmas Mom and Dad. I love you.

Harpie ThanXgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, and we woke up to clear blue skies and bright sunlight sparkling on frosted automobile windshields. Yes, it does get cold in Santa Cruz occasionally... but nothing like Madison, Wisconsin does.

I feel like I should pay some attention to this blogue. I intend to have at least four posts per month, a number that should be easily attainable, but since my father passed away last month, I just haven't had the spark when it comes to writing. I remember a similar thing happening to me when my mother passed away last Christmas. At that time, I cut back on my posts from eight per month to only four. I guess I feel like I'm listening more and saying less right now. I still have plenty to say, but not today. Instead, here a couple of pertinent videos.

Happy ThanXgiving

I think I'll watch Gentlemen Broncos today and make Thanksgiving Harpie.