Seattle was Awesome!

I did it. I went to the Emerald City in the nearly-rectangular state of Washington. I drank coffee at the world's first Starbucks, saw the Experience Music Project, the Space Needle, the Science-Fiction Museum, saw fish being flung at the Pike Market, and took a boat tour of the sound. I snapped some amazing pictures and will be putting those up shortly.



So, I was a little skeptical of Seattle at first. I imagined rain and clouds. I got rain and clouds, but I also got to see a ruthlessly efficient freeway system, beautiful and breathtaking mountain views, and Dave Matthews at The Gorge (just off the Columbia River near George, WA). We also stayed in Wenatchee, WA, the apple capital of the world. By the roadside fruit stands and numerous fruity groves we saw along the way, I don't doubt this. Oddly, Wenatchee looks like high desert just like Tucson - very sparse vegetation with lots of grasses - only without the mesquite and cactus. There was also a steady, prevailing wind that ran through the valley. On talking with some of the locals, I found this steady wind is normal and expected. It wasn't a cold wind at all, though it brought a slight chill; I was quite comfortable wearing jeans and a t-shirt - well, almost: we got caught in the rain on the third day of the DMB Gorge shows and spent most of the night trying to warm up.

All-in-all, it was a great trip and I'm quite glad I went. At the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum, I got to see all about Jimi Hendrix and other Seattle musicians (like Nirvana and Pearl Jam), and, more importantly, got to see all about the science fiction genre I love so very much. The entire Sci-Fi Museum stems from the mind and personal collections of one Paul G. Allen. He seems to have a great interest in much of the history and memorabilia from the past hundred years of science fiction as a genre and as a social tool. There were tons of movie props, models, and first edition books that made Kerrie and I drool uncontrolably. They had the Terminator metal skeleton from the first and second films, the last remaining death star model, several Star Trek and Star Wars props and miscellany, and some great history of some of science fiction's most pivotal and popular works.

The Pacific Science Center was predominantly kid-oriented with a large dinosaur display rife with movement and animatronics and, Kerrie's personal favorite, a walk-in butterfly house with hundreds of rare and foreign butterflies. They had a great video showing one of Will Vinton's early classic claymation films, Dinosaur. Will Vinton Studios did such classic favorites as the California Raisins, The PJs TV series (voices by Eddie Murphy), and one of my favorite stop-motion films, The Adventures of Mark Twain. Oddly, Will Vinton Studios laid Will off, then the company was absorbed into Laika (Laika is making the upcoming stop-motion animated Coraline by Neil Gaiman with director Henry Selick of Nightmare Before Christmas fame). Okay, so my tangents are getting worse, but, hopefully, more informative. Sadly, the PacSci center was not enough to keep me really interested, it was a great place to bring kids and get them interested in science. Notable bits: the toilet flushing display with a cutaway toilet view and working half-toilet, the Washington-area miniature demonstrating in real time the impact of tidal waters on the copious waterways of the Seattle area, the iMax theatre with 3D abilities, spacecraft, a giant chess board, and a few other bits and pieces typical of most science centers (eg: laser shows at the planetarium, all about plants and bugs, etc.).

Well, I wouldn't be complete without mentioning the great time I had at the three-day Dave Matthews Band show at the Gorge. The Gorge is a fairly plain venue with lawn seating taking up the majority of the available seating. The view (during the day, anyway) is breathtaking. It's a sweeping view of the Columbia River and a massive gorge. You can see boats and waterskiers waaaaay down on the water. The accoustics were okay. Dave even apologized for some of the problems with speakers which kept cutting in and out. Not being a huge DMB fan, I'm sure I didn't appreciate the concert as much as some audience members who seemed to feel a near-religious experience at the show. Like a Rocky Horror Picture Show event at the Loft, audience members have things they say and do at specific points of certain songs. Me? Well, since I can't usually hear anything anyone is saying, singing, or playing (I have very sensitive ears so I have trouble filtering out the shosh of background noise and loud music doesn't help). This is why I don't generally go to concerts, but DMB was a unique experience. Also, they recently lost one of their founding members, saxophonist Leroi Moore due to "sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia." Despite the thousands and thousands of people there, traffic was mostly painless and efficient.

At the end of the show, we ventured back to Seattle, got into our swanky hotel (I have crticism for that, but no energy right now), then went to the Pike Place Market. This is where they fling fish for the entertainment of the crowds and for purchase. Fish prices were absurdly high - the price you pay for the entertainment value and a popular little market area that certainly charges a lot for space (no I didn't confirm this, I'm guessing). We got to visit and drink coffee at the world's first Starbucks, watch fish fly, and got to see a great little knickknack store in the market called Golden Age Collectibles with my personal favorite, Stikfas.

Some have heard me say, "Seattle is like a retarded San Francisco." I mean that in a nice way (if that's possible). I loved Frisco. If I could afford to live there, I would in a heartbeat. It's bloody expensive, though. Not so sure about Seattle's costs, but I'm not sure I could live there - not enough sun! Both cities have great architecture, beautiful surroundings, fantastic nightlife, and great transportation, but Seattle seemed so stark and grey while Frisco was bright and colorful. Also, the people in Seattle seemed like they were all in a daze. No joke, it was like everyone was mildly depressed. Kerrie and I theorize it is the lack of regular sunshine (studies have shown a lack of sunshine can cause depression due to reduced dopamine, vitamin D, and hyperthyroid levels - solution? drink lots of milk and get lots of sunshine) - hence things like winter depression. This is something that just doesn't happen much here with our 300+ days of sunshine a year.

Anyway, nice trip, lots of fun, great seafood, ruthlessly efficient highway system, good sights to see, tons of water, gorgeous mountains, slight depression, somewhat retarded when compared to Frsico, needs more bright colors, awesome SciFi Museum/Music Experience. Yay! Seattle!

Too Much Free Time...

See the latest video of me in the Olympics! As many of you may not know, I was recently involved in a series of experiments involving athletes and determining the best ways to train them for the grueling trials in Beijing. It was sponsored by McDonalds and I have yet to be paid, but I have this great video:



Lemme know what you think!

Madness is Setting In

Well, it's another day working hard at doing nothing. That's not really the case. I'm actually working on my resume, writing to potential employers, keeping up with them and what they are doing so I can be more adequately employed (or at least somewhat gainfully employed). I have had exactly one job interview for a very promising position in the last week (actually, my first job interview in months - the last one being at Paragon Space Development for a project management position). Paragon was (and is) great. They have an amazing group there, but I didn't have the skill-set they were seeking in a candidate - they wanted someone with more of an administrative assistant sort of background versus actual project management background. On the other hand, they actually got back to me and told me, honestly, I was one of 2 people up for the position and the girl that got it is very nice and quite apt for the job. I really like the people there personally and consider myself lucky to know such an amazing group of people. I'm not just saying that to be kiss-assy, either. I really like everyone I've met there through my good friend Karenmichelle (yes, that is her real first name).

So what now? I find myself in a unique quandary: I am not employed, having voluntarily left my previous job over a year ago to pursue a career in sales which fell horribly through and made for a lot of bad feelings. I have long since passed the point of having to make a decision as to whether to get a job or continue pursuing my own private concerns and am in dire need of some kind of cash flow. I haven't started selling things off yet. Though I have a number of books that have significant value, I can't bear to part with them - like my first edition hardcover copy of The Gunslinger by Stephen King - these are prized possessions which my wife and I have fought long and hard to obtain (it helps that she works for a used bookstore). There are other things of value, too, but would require large volume sales to be practical (like selling our entire DVD collection versus just one or two). I'm beginning to see a bit of the impractical in my decision-making.

What about the last interview? Thanks for asking! Now feel my rhetoric! The last interview was for a non-profit company called the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. The woman I met with was a charming, personable woman who is doing the same job I could be doing. The position is that of a communications specialist cum documentarian (the real draw for me). I won't find out for a week or so (she said it would be 2 weeks before they knew) who will be hired. I was quite hopeful about the position, but I'm afraid I might have screwed myself out of a job by arriving at 2 AM from a trip the previous night. Consequently, I know I had nice, big circles under my eyes, and I was less than fully coherent for a proper interview, though I'm sure I looked good. Though I enjoyed the interview and meeting the woman who interviewed me, I am certain I am up against some stiff competition with some more experienced writers with a far less eclectic past. My eclectic past might be a help or a hindrance and the next week will bear out my strengths and weaknesses.

Perhaps I am sabotaging myself? I have considered this, too. The brutal truth is that I don't want any kind of regular "JOB." You know, the 9-to-5 grind that I fell out with almost a year ago. It's not my former employer's fault (any of them), mind you. It's mine. All me.

Fun note: Just before my interview with Paragon, they gave me a personality test. It was a short web-based test to determine what kind of person you are and your general personality type. Well, I scored fairly well, though there were no real markers to indicate whether a certain score in a particular area was good or bad, I did note (as did they) I have a particular proclivity towards not following rules. Don't get me wrong: I understand why we have rules. I'm not a moron. On the other hand, I understand that some rules are made for good reasons and others are not. It's the apple philosophy: one bad apple spoils the bushel and that's fine for apples, but not people.

Most people make rules to prevent others from doing specific, undesirable things. There's the crux between most rule makers and rule followers (or breakers). In the workplace, you want to encourage and endow not discourage and disallow. Every job I have ever had started out very open and encouraging, but managed to close up and discourage. Pretty soon, the real creative thinkers are gone and you are left with the rule-followers. Decisions start to get predictable, consistent, manageable, etc. When I started with America Online, Inc. in 1997, I was amazed at their cavalier attitude towards the traditional workplace. I was only doing telephone technical support, but we were encouraged to find answers to problems, to present information, to seek out new life and new civilizations (wait, sorry, that was Star Trek), and you get the idea. It was a great workplace and I enjoyed coming to work everyday.

Fast forward a bit (about 2 years) and AOL is the number one internet online service in the world (or pushing very close to it). There are more rules and regulations now. The company has 4 times the number of employees than just two years prior. We had call centers all over the country and new ones around the world. We had call time limits, scripts, many disparate groups in multiple locations. Suddenly, nobody remembers who does what anymore and the ones that do are somehow secret and convoluted. When a problem emerges, you are encouraged to report it versus helping find a solution to it. Wham! Your opinion is no longer valid. Here's some stock options to keep you quiet. Here's some health care for free (that won't last long unless you are a government employee). Here's a cheap trophy for some mundane effort on your or someone else's behalf. Now, here's some more rules and regulations designed to "help you do your job better," but, really, it's a ploy to get you to conform to a more stringent set of "guidelines" because some vice-president (like Keith Jenkins) decided they could squeeze an extra million dollars from the call centers if the level of service were more efficient by a couple of percentage points (no joke: Keith Jenkins had the reputation of being able to squeeze a million dollars from a penny).

So there you have it. My beef with most jobs. As I say, it isn't my former employers' faults, but mine. Of course, this could be the employment equivalent of "it's not you, it's me..." I have to concede that. I could very well be unemployable. That's a hell of a place to be at 35 years old. Somehow I don't mind. I've had tense moments where there was no money coming in and being very, very guilty at having a wife who made more than me when I used to pull in over $60k a year. On the other hand, our relationship is going good. It's not perfect, we fight over silly things for which we apologize afterward. We are both gaining weight and failing our diets. My wife had an idea of what I was doing when I left my last job as a graphic designer, but I don't think she thought (nor did I) that it would go this long.

Now, the 401K money is gone, gone, gone, the savings is kaput, and the money is still not coming in. The credit card debt is getting bigger. You must understand it is quite a challenge to not be completely depressed all the time. No kidding, I feel bad if I watch a movie during the day just to relieve stress. I can't spend money anymore, either, which I'm sure is going to lead to some really poor decision-making. I go for short walks and smoke cigarettes, trying to think of things that will help. Then, I can't seem to find time to work on the weeds in the yard - as if it were somehow too difficult. My priorities are completely skewed. Also, I'm finding my mouth-filter is failing more and more often. I'm afraid I will drop the F-Bomb during an interview. I feel more free, but somehow caged. I've had a few financial successes, but more failures.

I said I was rewriting myself again. Something I've done more times than I can count. I rewrote myself when I went to college at the University of Arizona and I explored things a bit. I did it again when I tried to make sense of things and explored various religions. Again when I started with AOL, went to school to get a degree in graphic design, and yet again when I left AOL to be at Acrylic Idea and, finally, when I left. I'm still in the rough draft stage and I guess I always will be. I was always so jealous and admiring of those that knew exactly what they wanted and dove headlong after it. I have almost never known what I wanted with any level of sincere clarity. That hasn't stopped me from diving headlong after things I think I want. For certain, I've been burned more times than I can count while reaching for the sun, but it won't stop me from reaching anyway. There is a better life out there than sitting in a cubicle all day long and I mean to push for it.

Talk to y'all later!

-Jonathan

Ah, Vegas in the Summertime

Greetings all! Welcome to another installment of me and my blog. I'm pretty sure nobody is listening out there, but I haven't done very much marketing and promotion, either. All is well, though, as I am happy to generate content to my heart's content.

I had the chance this weekend to stay at the massive Wynn hotel/resort/villa/spa/what-have-you. Man, is that place nice. I mean that with heartfelt sincerity. That is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at. I have stayed at places like Bellagio and such. I didn't care for the experience. I think of these places as bourgeoisie kitsch in essence - they have the right look and feel for a high-class experience to the untrained eye, but fail the test when it comes to the overall experience. So, places like Caeser's Palace, Bellagio, Venetian, etc. have all this great facade and artifice, but the overall experience is lacking true substance to back up the overall look. Granted, much of Las Vegas is all about artifice, virtuality and fiction, but the Wynn offered enough of the little things to make it that much more of an experience.

They've put the usual amenities I've come to expect in a suite in their presumably lower-end "resort" rooms: beautiful bathrobes, copious towels, regular hangers (versus the hangers with the little ball on the end so you don't steal them - you know we are expecting a hanger blight in the coming years), a massive bathtub, a glass walk-in shower, tons of little extras like shoe polish and a buffing rag, outrageously comfortable beds, a large HD TV with lots of channels (usually you get a science channel, CNN, whatever local programming and the casino's looping "station" of how great they are), etc. I liked the dresser, but was disappointed to see a refrigerator on one half of it full of all the things they will charge you for the minute you lift them from the holder. That eliminated my ability to put things like soda or sandwiches or leftovers. Oh well, I guess nothing is truly free.

The staff was incredible. They humored my mother. Wow! You can tell anyone is humoring you, but would rather not be there when their stance suddenly changes from the usual legs on the ground, hands at the side to leaning to one side or another or legs crossed or whatever. They don't SAY they are humoring you, but their body language does. Courteous and polite (and this was with really rude Italian people pestering the woman helping us) staff kept us going. Also a note: I hate to dress up on vacation. I want jeans and a t-shirt when I'm on vacation. I'll dress up for business or a nice dinner, but I prefer my attire to be casual when I'm on vacation. I wasn't wearing the "uniform" of the bourgeoisie: docker-type slacks or shorts with a polo shirt or the younger loose-fit button-up shirt. At least that seemed to be what everyone else was wearing. Perhaps I should opt for a suit and tie - I look really good in a suit and tie. I'm not trying to be gloaty or anything here, but I really do look good when I dress up - like I was made to be in a suit and tie.

The gambling floor was great. We won fairly consistently throughout the trip which was largely due to a deal I made with Satan. Sadly, the ritual lacked serious conviction and resulted in a net loss for the trip. Next time, Satan gets first billing so I can win considerably more money.

One thing. Planet Hollywood blows goats. I mean that will all sincerity. Take that place and shove it up your proverbial ass. I was there all of 30 minutes and got 2 (not just one, but two!) rude coctail waitresses who wouldn't get me a drink because I didn't have enough money in the machine! I had a dollar in a machine at the Wynn and never had a single problem with getting a bottle of water, cranberry juice, or soda (I rarely drink liquor when I gamble), but there is a minimum at Planet Hollywood. I went there to get a shot glass for a friend who needed it to complete her collection. I found it in their rediculous shopping area and immediately left. Fuck those guys. The Planet Hollywood people really ruined what used to be a nice hotel (when it was the Alladin). Maybe I'm just not young and hip enough to appreciate their poor excuse for service.

I also spent the first half of the trip in the geographic anus of Nevada: Laughlin. I tease them, but there really isn't much to do except river boating activities and gambling. They have a few shows, but it's generally B- and C-Roll entertainment. Vegas has the big Cirque du Soleil, musical, and general big-production attractions while Laughlin tends to blue-collar comedians and musical shows like Starship (sans Gracie). I don't mind this and my wife and I will go there if we get a nice offer or two. Lately funds have been shorter than usual so we opt instead for cheaper entertainment. I guess the casinos want you there once a month to keep making offers. I guess some people (mostly retirees) have more time and money than my wife and I.

On a final note: I'm a bitter and curmudgeon-like man when I get going in print (or on the blog), but I'm really not that bad. I like being the bitter little cynic. On the other hand, I also like being the one with all the great ideas and positive outlook. I am a mass of contradictions. I can be mister optimistic one minute and mister pessimism the next. I can be the guy waiting at the end of the trial telling you what a great job you have done or the guy telling you where you screwed up. Somehow, I don't quite see dry-humping the American dream as good living and I am bitter when there are few other choices. So, go figure. The next vacation is to Seattle. Ought to be good times!

-Jonathan

My Arizona Lake Adventure

Well, true-believers, it's time for another post by yours truly. As many of you know, I recently completed a contract (okay, "recently" is a stretch, let's try last month) for Arizona Game & Fish (the map takes a bit to load) through Matrix Resources. I can't tell you how excited I was to do this project. The information on the gig was sketchy at best, but rife with fun and excitement.

I was contacted via my website to complete a series of lake photos and :30 of video from each one. This wound up being 15 lakes in 3 major areas, over 1100 miles of travel, 3 days of shooting and 2 days to process. I completed the project early and they were pleased with the results. And they paid on time! I can't tell you what that means to me!

The first day was quiet and nearly simple until we (myself and my friend Ron who was happy to come along for the ride and take some pictures, too) got to the general area in which I was supposed to take pictures. Well, not only was it difficult to find, I had to traverse a series of unmarked forest service roads to get to what I hoped was the final destination. This was the Picacho Reservoir near Picacho, AZ. Let's just say it was hard to find, but the pictures were quite nice. Next, back to Tucson!

After a quick bite, the Kennedy and Silverbell lakes were easy. Then, it's off to Sahuarita, a small, residential, "Master Planned" community built by one of the builders here in town (just read an article they have donated 32 acres to the town of Sahuarita to expand one of the parks in the area). Anyhow, there is fishing there, but the lake is only a few feet deep and is stocked. The last leg of the first day was to Mount Lemmon. Ah.

Mount Lemmon is a great place to escape for the day in the summer. They have parks, picnic areas, wildlife (yep, bears), and Rose Canyon Lake. The lake is a great little tourist spot, gorgeous, beautiful, and very pretty. You can fish for crawfish and bird apparently, but no boating is allowed. This was odd considering the project was for boat fishing. I guess that's why it disappeared from the AZ Fish & Game map.

Day 2 was down to Nogales. First, we hit Arivaca - possibly the most beautiful lake in all of Southern Arizona. Next, we took an exceedingly rough ride through the mountains via Ruby Road to Lake Peña Blanca. Absolutely beautiful. Not as good as Lake Arivaca (or is it Arivaca Lake?), but definitely a great little oasis. No time to dawdle, it's off to Nogales, get some breakfast, then head to Lake Patagonia.

Lake Patagonia is the big tourist spot for fishermen and vacationers. It's really big for a lake in Arizona. Being from Minnesota and constantly amused at what passes for a "lake" in Arizona, I can honestly say Patagonia lives up to the name. It's big. It's also very crowded on the weekends. I imagine east coast tourists when they say they want to go to the mountains for the weekend and then everyone goes there, too. I got there on a Monday so it wasn't bad at all, but the facilities are plainly set up for a large volume of people. Well, no dallying here, one more lake today: Parker Canyon Lake.

Parker Canyon Lake is another reservoir in Southern AZ. It's nestled in the mountains and has signs warning of smuggling and illegal immigration. It's pretty close to the US-Mexico border. I met some great people there, shot some terrible deer pictures and finished the project for the day. Now, I take a day off and continue on Wednesday.

Bright and early on Wednesday (up at 2:30 AM), I get in the truck, pick up Ron, then head to the Safford area. First is Mount Graham, a 2 hour drive from the highway which was nearly 2 hours, too. We arrive at 7:00 AM and are completely blown away by the sheer beauty of it all. I snapped almost 300 pictures there alone. Well, after spending nearly an hour there (that's the longest of any lake not including travel time), we head back down Mt. Graham. Safford is a very small town. So small, in fact, most don't even realize it's surrounded by lakes! We hit Dankworth Pond (fed by a real Artesian Spring), then another one which excapes me. Now, it will drive me nuts.

Anyway, it's off to the town of Safford to get some grub and find out where the next lake is. Nobody knows. It's not on the map. The GPS coordinates take us to the wrong place. We meet a heavily sunburned local who tells us the way. The road is rough. Like beyond rough. I have a 4-Wheel Drive and I have some experience, but this road was a 5-10 MPH road up a 1-lane, winding pass leading to Frye Mesa and the Frye Mesa Reservoir. I was a little mad when I got there. Not only can't you fish there, but you really can't bring a boat with you. Regardless, I did the work, got the shots, and moved on. Got a great picture on iStock from that trip, too.

Last, we hit the Cluff Ranch area and take some leisurly photos. This part was easy. No 4-Wheelin', no rude locals. Just us and the water and our cameras. I'll tell you all about the rest of the trip in more detail later. For now, the Blogger.com site is getting ready for scheduled maintenance and I don't want to miss posting this.

-Jonathan

All's Well, Sorta

Well, things are going pretty well here. The business is not really tanking, but it's not exactly going swimmingly, either. I get a job or two here or there and then nada. Zip. Poof. I'd like to blame the "recession," but I think the very idea of a recession is completely ridiculous. You know what a "recession" is? It's when somebody in the presidency or other position of power says, "We are (or may be) in a recession." Then everyone says, "Oh God, No! Please save my children and freeze my brain for future generations to study! Whatever shall we do? Think of the children! Take me first, Lord!" And if you think that is melodramatic, you haven't been watching the news. Then, people stop spending money on what is commonly known as "frivolous shit" and start spending money on TV dinners and home art and craft projects (sorry, you can't invest in Michael's anymore, they are a private company now). What's the difference? Well, now they can't go out (actually due to all the money they are spending on "inexpensive home projects" like macramé which isn't a bad thing) because there isn't enough money to go around anymore due to "The Recession!" Aaaaaaagh! No, please God, save my miserable, worthless soul from the fires of Hell! There was no difference between how much money they had before and after, they just quit spending money in one place and put it in another.

The last recession was in the 90s. I think the media plans these silly media events once in a while just to keep us on our toes and remind us that they control our lives and the world. Machiavelli would have been proud of the gargantuan monster that is the United States. Don't get me wrong here, I love this country. We are free to do so much and be whatever we want, but we behave like children given a 9mm pistol: destroying what we don't understand, remaining easily frightened and/or paranoid, being willfully ignorant of the larger world, and staying woefully apathetic to the world. No wonder there are so many that hate us. We can be dicks. On the other hand, we are capable of tremendous charity, horrific terrors as witnessed by many a foe (real or imagined), incredible inventions, art, film, etc. i guess that is more human nature than anything else.

Well, this post probably won't help my business any, but it might make me feel better about not being gainfully employed (which is total bullshit anyway - sorry, I just don't want another fucking job). Until the world collapses from the shattered hopes and dreams of many a wayward angel, I remain forever yours.

-Jonathan

The Electric Tiger Site is Up

Well, after much trial and tribulation, my site, Electric Tiger, is up and open for business. I'll make this one pretty short and sweet. After working for 2 weeks (and adding and subtracting tons of data) I have one that seems to work pretty well. It will be a work in progress as I would like it for promoting my business!

Thanks to all and see you soon!