The weather has been perfect thus far. So today we woke up and rode the metro for 45 min to one of the “warmer” beaches, but just our luck you can’t see 30 feet through fog… So we eat some lunch, we read, and drink warm beverages, still nothing and it is 2pm. So we walk along the beach and it finally starts to lift and warm up, we change into our swim suits and I swear in a matter of about 10 minutes heavier thicker foggier fog rolls in… We will be back as it looks like a great beach to learn to surf and boogie board. And we feel very safe given their flag system to warn us when great white sharks are nearby and you should get out of the water…

To see the crazy fog just take a look at the below photos, one is taken during the short window where the sun was out and the fog starting to lift, the others as soon as it came back, you literally couldn’t see people surfing just 30 feet out.

Click below for an awesome panoramic too!

We survived our first game which was Cameroon versus the Netherlands. We pre gamed a little too hard but were none the worst for wear. And I will say in our defense it is a long walk to the stadium and really really fun to walk all the way with tons of cheering fans moving from bar to crazy dance thing to bar to live music on the street to bar. And apart from getting pretty lost leaving the stadium it was an awesome experience! Our next game is pretty far away and requires a 12 hour bus ride, but we got really lucky and are seeing England versus Germany which hopefully is one of the most brutal soccer games seen yet. And hopefully the USA beats Ghana so we can party with everyone once they get to the semis!

Click the first image as its a big panoramic of the stadium and really really cool to see what a monster it is. I was really impressed as you have a great view of the players and everything from everywhere!

What a great game with so many chances and in the end the USA finally scored to win their pool (they got robbed by a ref again and some bad finishes)!!!! Awesome game and great fan base here in Cape Town to cheer them on!

I almost wish they had gotten second in our pool as I’m going to see that game live! So instead I’ll see England and some other team, hopefully Germany. I will be cheering for whoever is playing England, I usually cheer for England but I just watched some English fucker try to pick a fight with some Americans for no reason down on the street. So fuck them, they should be used to coming in second place.

“I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.”
– Demetri Martin

This is an amazing book and I highly recommend everyone read it, the book is called War by Sebastian Junger.

It is a must read because:

1. You come away with the clearest understanding possible of what it means to be a soldier in their own words. A bit of a cliche maybe, but you realize what soldiers go through for “us” in the worst possible place in Afghanistan. And you get to follow them home, off the front, and see what it’s like to adapt to normal society after being put at the fringes by that society.

2. It is one of the most brilliantly written accounts of war I’ve encountered. The author has amazing way to place you right in the middle of everything and he writes like a video camera.

3. And finally, you get to see from ground level what it is like in Afghanistan, which we have been fighting in for almost 10 years. And we will probably be there for a lot longer… So important to read and understand what modern warfare has turned into, why it costs so much, and what tactics it takes to win in a place Alexander the Great got stuck in.

Here is the official description:

Junger spent 14 months in 2007–2008 intermittently embedded with a platoon of the 173rd Airborne brigade in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, one of the bloodiest corners of the conflict. The soldiers are a scruffy, warped lot, with unkempt uniforms—they sometimes do battle in shorts and flip-flops—and a ritual of administering friendly beatings to new arrivals, but Junger finds them to be superlative soldiers. Junger experiences everything they do—nerve-racking patrols, terrifying roadside bombings and ambushes, stultifying weeks in camp when they long for a firefight to relieve the tedium. Despite the stress and the grief when buddies die, the author finds war to be something of an exalted state: soldiers experience an almost sexual thrill in the excitement of a firefight—a response Junger struggles to understand—and a profound sense of commitment to subordinating their self-interests to the good of the unit. Junger mixes visceral combat scenes—raptly aware of his own fear and exhaustion—with quieter reportage and insightful discussions of the physiology, social psychology, and even genetics of soldiering. The result is an unforgettable portrait of men under fire.

The apartment is fantastic which you can see below, and watched two games in a local bar today and had a great time. The weird food item is a “Russian Dog” which was actually quite good, and I haven’t tried the blueberry energy drink but will report on my findings shortly. South African wine is also quite good.

So Joel and I bought a house this last week in Denver, its a bit of a fixer upper but in a very good location, here are some pictures :)

I’ve never seen any of the USA above Denver (besides Seattle) so while I was homeless the last few weeks I drove up to Missoula Montana and went through Grand Teton national park and Yellowstone on the way up, and highway all the way down through Wyoming. It was a a great road trip with some awesome landscapes that change quite a bit over the drive. It is always nice to know how quickly you can drive to Canada and Mexico if the need presents itself.

Yellowstone was an odd place with water bubbling up and just looked like what you would imagine biblical drawings of hell to look like, plus it smelled of sulfur. I read a Bill Bryson book a few months ago and he had a great story about some of the employees tat Yellowstone, it seems that some of the hot ponds are about as warm as a hot tub and even though it is not allowed some employees go to them at night, one night they jumped into the wrong one after drinking and it was way way too hot and boiled them alive. Crazy.

I really liked Missoula, it reminds me of Fayetteville in a lot of ways. They even have bumper stickers that say “Keep Missoula Weird” which is the slogan Fayetteville uses as well (I think we all stole it from Austin Texas). They had awesome running trails and since I was not at high altitude I had some really nice long runs. The third day I headed out on their trails and had gone about 4 miles out when this giant giant wind started going through the trees, at first it was pretty but then it didn’t stop and kept getting louder and louder, I actually had to jump off the trail behind a sturdy tree as branches started flying off the trees and a few trees actually fell over! I thought I was about to get sucked up into a vortex of wind, some type of flash tornado or something when it finally settled down only to start raining cold splats of water, I took off sprinting back to town but still ended up getting soaked and luckily there wasn’t any lightening or I would have gotten very cold cowering in a ditch covered in icy water. Bad planning on my part but a fun adventure, and at least I didn’t get chased/eaten by a bear.

I don’t think there are daytime speed limits on highways in Montana is another reason to visit.

If you are in Missoula I highly recommend the running trails (even if you walk them), Indulge Bakery as it was delicious and I learned what huckle berries are their constant struggle to collect them while fighting against the bear army, and Kettle House Brewery as I actually liked their Cold Smoke Scotch Ale.

I’m on my way to South Africa, will get there Monday and looking forward to the crazy that is the world cup!

Confusing, I know. With this title you would think I am ushering the four angels of the apoch into my living room…

Glenn Beck is the head of an entertainment company, he seems to be the functionally retarded equivalent of Oprah for stupid white people. That said I have a lot of respect for the retard. He has such respect for the power of the system, that he is willing to abuse the fuck out of it and hope it remains working. Which is awesome both in his patience and the power of his belief, or maybe just his greed.

I’m going to work towards this as well, fuck belief, fuck what you think, fuck “good”. if you truly believe the established system is built to handle crazy retards then for all means abuse it. Let’s say some crazy shit, let’s rewrite history, let’s cry some crazy shit, and then let’s sell some books and seminars! Yeeehaawww! Or as they say in Glen Beck land, “crazy tear-rant wink wink”…

How the hell have I accumulated so much crap, between all my cold weather gear and books I’ve bought in Denver I’m already up to about 4 big boxes which is ridiculous. Moving out of the church June 1st or shortly after so I am franticly cramming everything in boxes as work has been super super busy the last few weeks (buying half a house). Especially since I’m headed to South Africa June 11 to meet up with Karl and see that World Cup thing. Did you know it was winter in the southern hemisphere right now? Because I didn’t. Frack.

This is a great music video, very creepy and as a Ginger we know this is coming and we will fight!

I’m not really sure what independent art means? Isn’t all art independent or has it been taken over? But I do love this site and their work, check out Resist Today, it features the work of a small group of visual artist who sell prints, wallets, bags, shirts, pillows, etc. Just awesome awesome designs, here are a few:

Check out their products at Resist Today, I wish them luck!

I flew over to Ireland for the weekend to surprise Iris, Rose, and Steve and had an absolutely amazing amazing time! Watched some rugby, drank one or two Guinness, danced, and somehow managed to stay up for 40 hours that first day / night. Thanks to Rose and Steve for putting me up in their awesome new gaff!

I ended up delaying my return for a few days because I was having so much fun! I went to Galway and the Clifts of Moher with Elizabeth and it was great to see Ireland when the sunshine was out. It made me realize when I was living there how much less sun you see in Dublin. My flight was probably just 20 minutes from getting canceled Wednesday and I should have just stayed through Sunday (Volcano screwed me by about 30 minutes)! No decisions should be made prior 10am when it comes to leaving a country :) (and in general).

Getting back was a bit rough, on the ride home from the airport I got a call about a massive work emergency which has occupied every minute of the last two days, it is ok now though (enshallah) and a lot of work to do to ensure it never happens is finished.

Here are some pictures from my iPhone, not great quality but I forgot my normal camera.

I’m not sure why but I find this song and video slightly memorizing. Weird steam punk fantasy feel off parts of it.

I made two loaves of dark herb bread last night! I even substituted oil for pesto to see how that would work (deliciously if you were wondering!). They have Rosemary, garlic, and parsley in them. Thanks to Lindsey for a lot of the ingredients!