This blog has been ignored for so long that I'm sure no one even bothers checking anymore. And you know, i deserve that. I've been a lousy blogger. Nearly-a/Over-a year has passed since i freed up the few minutes it takes to pass on even a good word to those of you who take would be kind enough to take the time to read it. It's a selfish and miserable thing that I've done. I have nothing in the way of excuses other than the bewilderment of a mind still heavy from trekking through a mire of joblessness and self doubt.
I've been not-laboring under the assumption that, "if [i don't] have something nice to say, then [I] shouldn't say anything at all". It's a sign of good upbringing, and my get-along-a'tude has never been better for it. Still, it doesn't pay to never bother saying anything at all. so fuck that noise, I'm going to recklessly reclaim this space and spit the truth for the emptiness to bear. {-The audience is now DeF-}
I can't promise that I won't do the same thing all over again, but the fact that I've cleared the room is more than enough reason for me to just sing to myself and fill the void.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, June 15, 2007
Jump High
Naturally, I agreed to help Hiroki with the music for his movie. I didn't know exactly what helping make movie music might entail, but I'm always happy to lend a hand. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I got the call. "Hey, man. Do you think you can come by the studio for a few hours tomorrow afternoon?" What was it that I agreed to do again? "Oh yeah, sure. Wait. Where?"
I met Hiroki and a few friends on a sunny Saturday afternoon on the rolling hills of UC Santa Cruz. His friend, Bret, was an electronic music composition major and had access to a very nice, and very expensive looking, studio. "But only for two hours, kids." Hiroki didn't waste time, I shook hands with a confused looking girl holding a violin while Hiroki flipped open his laptop. He leaned back in his chair with a very director-like demeanor, "Ok, in this scene the main character is going to meet the girl who shapes the storyline from here on." I realized that I knew the actor who is playing the main character. Neat. "And right.. here.. she starts to dance".
Hiroki explained what kind of music he was interested in for this and other scenes using pretty vague, sweeping descriptions and was content to leave the details up to me and the violinist. "Yeah, something like that - but a little bit more uplifting." or "I like that melody, can you play something along with that." and "Yeah! That's perfect!" I wasn't sure if I was actually helping or not, but Hiroki seemed pretty optimistic. Bret had us record samples so that he could play our instruments back with the midi keyboard. "For post-production." Right..
I recorded some ambient, distant sounding pieces with no particular rhythm or meter and some plucking parts on a few chord progressions I'd been kicking around. The violinist didn't say much, but she could wail. When we were in between one thing and another, I starting twiddling around with a little do-dad that I've been meaning to turn into something. "Hey, can I get a loop of that? Do you think we can use it?" "Sure thing." Before I knew it that little song was falling around me like rain and a sweetly sad violin melody was playing over it matching the final scene and fading out to black and the ending credits. "Ok, time's up. That should do, guys. Thanks a lot."
I went to the film school's premier in the media arts theater, not really knowing what to expect. I walked in half-way through a futuristic sci-fi thriller about androids gone bad. I found a seat and laughed along with a pretty full house as the next group poked fun at a stereotypical action flick. I saw a movie or two with almost zero dialogue and an anti-war themed movie. One director had made a cute educational film about clouds. Finally, Hiroki's movie came on.
"Jump High."
I was very impressed. So much had changed from the rough work-in-progress I had caught a glimpse of in the studio. The music really knocked my socks off. The "post-production" Bret had referred to might have been called "studio magic". The genius had managed to take those 30 seconds of music and fully orchestrate them. There were piano parts in some places and percussion parts in others. The music matched up with the visuals and the tone of each scene so well that it was clearly written specifically with each scene in mind. I might have been a bit biased, but I thought Hiroki's was the very best movie at the premier.
"Jump High" will be submitted to various film festivals and will probably kick-start Hiroki's super-star career as a film maker. ..
And here it is~ http://fdmsoftserve.ucsc.edu/videoarchive/showvideo.php?film=438 love that music by "magic pants!"
I met Hiroki and a few friends on a sunny Saturday afternoon on the rolling hills of UC Santa Cruz. His friend, Bret, was an electronic music composition major and had access to a very nice, and very expensive looking, studio. "But only for two hours, kids." Hiroki didn't waste time, I shook hands with a confused looking girl holding a violin while Hiroki flipped open his laptop. He leaned back in his chair with a very director-like demeanor, "Ok, in this scene the main character is going to meet the girl who shapes the storyline from here on." I realized that I knew the actor who is playing the main character. Neat. "And right.. here.. she starts to dance".
Hiroki explained what kind of music he was interested in for this and other scenes using pretty vague, sweeping descriptions and was content to leave the details up to me and the violinist. "Yeah, something like that - but a little bit more uplifting." or "I like that melody, can you play something along with that." and "Yeah! That's perfect!" I wasn't sure if I was actually helping or not, but Hiroki seemed pretty optimistic. Bret had us record samples so that he could play our instruments back with the midi keyboard. "For post-production." Right..
I recorded some ambient, distant sounding pieces with no particular rhythm or meter and some plucking parts on a few chord progressions I'd been kicking around. The violinist didn't say much, but she could wail. When we were in between one thing and another, I starting twiddling around with a little do-dad that I've been meaning to turn into something. "Hey, can I get a loop of that? Do you think we can use it?" "Sure thing." Before I knew it that little song was falling around me like rain and a sweetly sad violin melody was playing over it matching the final scene and fading out to black and the ending credits. "Ok, time's up. That should do, guys. Thanks a lot."
I went to the film school's premier in the media arts theater, not really knowing what to expect. I walked in half-way through a futuristic sci-fi thriller about androids gone bad. I found a seat and laughed along with a pretty full house as the next group poked fun at a stereotypical action flick. I saw a movie or two with almost zero dialogue and an anti-war themed movie. One director had made a cute educational film about clouds. Finally, Hiroki's movie came on.
"Jump High."
I was very impressed. So much had changed from the rough work-in-progress I had caught a glimpse of in the studio. The music really knocked my socks off. The "post-production" Bret had referred to might have been called "studio magic". The genius had managed to take those 30 seconds of music and fully orchestrate them. There were piano parts in some places and percussion parts in others. The music matched up with the visuals and the tone of each scene so well that it was clearly written specifically with each scene in mind. I might have been a bit biased, but I thought Hiroki's was the very best movie at the premier.
"Jump High" will be submitted to various film festivals and will probably kick-start Hiroki's super-star career as a film maker. ..
And here it is~ http://fdmsoftserve.ucsc.edu/videoarchive/showvideo.php?film=438 love that music by "magic pants!"
Monday, February 05, 2007
Santa Cruz, CA. Home (yes, that's right, I live in California~). Living room - a very short commute from my "cozy nook" (cupboard under the stairs). wireless beer.
so, yeah! i took a cheap place in santa cruz with some groovy house mates, including one little dachshund! i've got the space under the stairs partitioned off with a curtain and that's fine by me - beats hostels any day of the week. santa cruz is alright too - i can pop into the city, but i've got none of the high-rent or car-broken into situations that go with living there. i've got some exploring to do - there's some good hiking round these parts i hear!
and sorry for the massive long-time-no-blog. i've been busy-as, running all up and down the state getting shit all set up~ BUT i've got nothing but good news! got some great gigs set up and some fantastic supporting talent! i can't frigging wait for march 17 when The Psycrons land at the San Francisco International Airport and we embark on 7 days of non-stop rock touring~! so many good friends are coming out and my parents too! everyone's been so supportive. it's great.. thank you. thank you. thank you.
for all my efforts, it doesn't look like i'm going to land any sponsors this time around. so - what i've got going is a highly organized way of spending all my time and money on an odd extroverted hobby of sorts. i'm still hopeful that my well-documented success will pay off in some serious attention next time around~ i'm not out yet!
so, yeah! i took a cheap place in santa cruz with some groovy house mates, including one little dachshund! i've got the space under the stairs partitioned off with a curtain and that's fine by me - beats hostels any day of the week. santa cruz is alright too - i can pop into the city, but i've got none of the high-rent or car-broken into situations that go with living there. i've got some exploring to do - there's some good hiking round these parts i hear!
and sorry for the massive long-time-no-blog. i've been busy-as, running all up and down the state getting shit all set up~ BUT i've got nothing but good news! got some great gigs set up and some fantastic supporting talent! i can't frigging wait for march 17 when The Psycrons land at the San Francisco International Airport and we embark on 7 days of non-stop rock touring~! so many good friends are coming out and my parents too! everyone's been so supportive. it's great.. thank you. thank you. thank you.
for all my efforts, it doesn't look like i'm going to land any sponsors this time around. so - what i've got going is a highly organized way of spending all my time and money on an odd extroverted hobby of sorts. i'm still hopeful that my well-documented success will pay off in some serious attention next time around~ i'm not out yet!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Chelsea, MI. home home home. post cake, (haza!) magnificent 7 on the tv.
here it is!
here it is!
this is my dad's birthday cake~ it was awesome!! sharon ran into some difficulties and she said that it didn't turn out exactly how she pictured it. still, you'll agree it's pretty slick. she told me a few tricks of the trade. now, this is a professional secret, but you might try cola as a replacement for water next time you whip up a cake. it's also recommended that you slam the bowl of batter down on the counter for the length of one oprah interview just for luck. or was it bubbles?
here's my dad's new wallet:
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Palo Alto, CA. Chiann's floor, officially logged onto Stanford's very very secure terror-free wireless network.
i spent few days in San Luis Obispo taking care of business in a flash! i met with the poly cultural committee at Cal Poly and enlisted their official support (sweet) and then met up with my friend, shea from the ritz in boulder. she was running late for her radio show at KCPR - Cal Poly college radio. she ran in and kick started the "missfits' bandwagon"! it was a punk-packed rock-ass solid hour of 1 min. songs and a lot of fast-action queing in the control room. after the show i went out with shea and her boyfriend, ray. we had some pizza and beer and then drove off to their practice space to jam. it was awesome - their "own private idaho" - a trailer stuffed with drums, amps, and a few beater guitars~ we really rocked that thing, just pounding out whatever and switching instruments every few minutes. it was good to feel my ears ringing.
i stayed at the cute little hostel in SLO but soon found what everyone else seems to know about SLO. there's nothing to do..
I've been up here in Palo Alto with Chiann for a few days. it's fun! her boyfriend, thanh, is a teacher at a charter school and we went to his holiday party. we each had to bring a $10 gift for some sort of gift exchange so we drove into the city and got the coolest little doo-dads at giant robot~ when we arrived at the principal's complex in San Jose we walked in through an open garage and knocked on the door. we heard music, so we went in and this golden retriever came barreling down the stairs at us and we heard a woman yell, "just a second", then she came around the corner fresh out of the shower and just wearing a towel. "whoa!!" - we were apparently in the wrong house.. haha! it was like a cartoon! we eventually joined the correct party and sat around introducing ourselves. the gift exchange was called a "white elephant" gift exchange and some of the gifts were supposed to be stupid and deceiving - so i got a bag of flour and some deodorant. does that mean i won?
last night we drove out and picked up brian bell and drove into the city to see a show! two of the bands were from japan and on a short tour of the states. they were amazing! the audience hadn't heard of them and didn't know what to expect. most had come to see the headlining bay-area groups, but everyone was made instant life-long fans of shift and ni-hao. it was really re-affirming for me to see so many people turn into believers right before my eyes. the groups sold shit-tons of merchandise. we got to talk to them as well and they were really cool and easy going.
tomorrow i'm driving back down to LA and on tuesday i fly back to michigan for the holidays! i'm looking forward to seeing my family and just relaxing some. i've got to buckle down and get some proposals out over the break. i'm burnt out on the road work. looking forward to the change.
i spent few days in San Luis Obispo taking care of business in a flash! i met with the poly cultural committee at Cal Poly and enlisted their official support (sweet) and then met up with my friend, shea from the ritz in boulder. she was running late for her radio show at KCPR - Cal Poly college radio. she ran in and kick started the "missfits' bandwagon"! it was a punk-packed rock-ass solid hour of 1 min. songs and a lot of fast-action queing in the control room. after the show i went out with shea and her boyfriend, ray. we had some pizza and beer and then drove off to their practice space to jam. it was awesome - their "own private idaho" - a trailer stuffed with drums, amps, and a few beater guitars~ we really rocked that thing, just pounding out whatever and switching instruments every few minutes. it was good to feel my ears ringing.
i stayed at the cute little hostel in SLO but soon found what everyone else seems to know about SLO. there's nothing to do..
I've been up here in Palo Alto with Chiann for a few days. it's fun! her boyfriend, thanh, is a teacher at a charter school and we went to his holiday party. we each had to bring a $10 gift for some sort of gift exchange so we drove into the city and got the coolest little doo-dads at giant robot~ when we arrived at the principal's complex in San Jose we walked in through an open garage and knocked on the door. we heard music, so we went in and this golden retriever came barreling down the stairs at us and we heard a woman yell, "just a second", then she came around the corner fresh out of the shower and just wearing a towel. "whoa!!" - we were apparently in the wrong house.. haha! it was like a cartoon! we eventually joined the correct party and sat around introducing ourselves. the gift exchange was called a "white elephant" gift exchange and some of the gifts were supposed to be stupid and deceiving - so i got a bag of flour and some deodorant. does that mean i won?
last night we drove out and picked up brian bell and drove into the city to see a show! two of the bands were from japan and on a short tour of the states. they were amazing! the audience hadn't heard of them and didn't know what to expect. most had come to see the headlining bay-area groups, but everyone was made instant life-long fans of shift and ni-hao. it was really re-affirming for me to see so many people turn into believers right before my eyes. the groups sold shit-tons of merchandise. we got to talk to them as well and they were really cool and easy going.
tomorrow i'm driving back down to LA and on tuesday i fly back to michigan for the holidays! i'm looking forward to seeing my family and just relaxing some. i've got to buckle down and get some proposals out over the break. i'm burnt out on the road work. looking forward to the change.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
wait - there's more...
see!! hahaha! sushi cake by sharon solo~
It's a 2 layer yellow cake. The "rolls" are rice krispie treats flattened and rolled up with marshmallow and red and green fruit roll-ups, then rolled in red sprinkles for "fish eggs". The other sushi is red and green fruit roll ups and marshmallow. The leaf is made of homemade green fondant, the ginger is peach fondant. The wasabi is frosting, and the fortune cookie is real!
see!! hahaha! sushi cake by sharon solo~It's a 2 layer yellow cake. The "rolls" are rice krispie treats flattened and rolled up with marshmallow and red and green fruit roll-ups, then rolled in red sprinkles for "fish eggs". The other sushi is red and green fruit roll ups and marshmallow. The leaf is made of homemade green fondant, the ginger is peach fondant. The wasabi is frosting, and the fortune cookie is real!
i'll remind everyone to get their orders in for all of their holiday custom cakes! flyingsolo1121@yahoo.com
still in LA, car's still in the shop..
i'm seeing some great music! i'm meeting some cool bands who are definitely interested in participating in the spring. i've seen some good venues. i've finally got a few student organizations on the line. but what can i tell you of my concrete progress? not much.
i'm getting there though - here's my best foot forward: hear streaming audio, watch live performances, and read all about it on myspace!!
here are the bands i'm promoting for their debut tour in the US of A~
everyone check it out and tell me what you think!
more cakes and web updates?! mike!! get to the good stuff~
ok, ok - here's a little something for kicks:
i drove about 5 fully residential blocks down condon before i got to the 11110 block and i thought, "no fucking way is this address right." i was looking for a place called "the Hole" to see ninja academy play a free show on a saturday night. just to be sure, i parked and got out car to take a closer look. the house where the Hole should have been was little and not much unlike the others. the house on the left had a creative front lawn complete with raging bull bush sculptures. the house on the right had 1, 2, 3 direct tv dishes pointing out into space. planes flew low overhead. this couldn't be the place. i couldn't hear any music, but i noticed there was some dark hanging plastic between the house and.. what looked like a.. in fact was.. a porto-john. hello? i pulled the plastic away and wandered into the backyard where a couple high-school aged kids were standing around with beers and nodding to house-trance.
"am i at the right place? i'm looking for the hole."
"oh, you've come to the right place man - you're standing in it."
the hole is a backyard in fucking lennox - not far from the airport. they have a stage, a sound system, a bar, and red lanterns hanging from big tree. ninja academy showed up and i got to know them better. very cool guys. we hung out and talked shop. then the first band, some recent high-school dropouts called don't throw rocks at us, played new-wave, minimalist schlock with a disco beat. fun stuff. then ninja academy rocked my socks off!!
tamie trots out in her kimono complete with converse shoes. she bangs a gong. "konichiwa, bitches. i'd like to introduce the ninja academy, indo ninja and outdo ninja."
they come out in full ninja garb - masked, shrouded under cover of night - the NA symbol embroidered on their backs. it's just two of them. into plays bass, outdo plays drums - but they rock and wind and swirl - melodic, mystic then aggressive and heavy. there's really nothing doing.. you'll just have to see them for yourself. their martial artist, donkey punch, kneels at the foot of the stage, disciplined and motionless - then reaches into a guitar case and pulls out his nunchucks! wa-PA! he knocked us out with a masterful display of deadly skill and grace. he took a big open area in front of the stage, performing with open hands, staff, pike, and even blindfolded. some routines featured an apathetic fan dance from the lip-ringed tamie. unbelievable - the audience was completely entranced (and stoned).
an incredible performance by ninja academy - www.myspace.com/ninjaacademy
Thursday, November 23, 2006
wait - wait.. you've got to see this:
this is the rock&roll, sweet-ass cake sharon made for deborah on her birthday! holy crap!! she said that it's chocolate and that the stings are made out of asian noodles. it sucks that i missed it, but i'm really excited about it anyway. yeah - ok - now that you've seen it..
Los Angeles, CA. Granny's house, granny's computer - granny's birthday.
OMG! monday was my first day of METAL SKOOL!! actually, i went to hollywood with bill and we saw an 80's cover band called, metal skool. but it was AWESOME!! holy crap - they really achieved mighty metal-hood wearing leopard print spandex and long flowing wigs. they did bon jovi, van halen, whitesnake. their act and on-stage banter was decade-appropriate too. they even did high fives. i'm just happy that the test of time has proven that metal is comedy.. awesome.
other than that, it's been business as usual.
things are good! i think i'm getting things done. i alerted you to the massive, super-smoking-hot updates to myspace. (if you haven't surf over their now and see the psycrons video! NOW!!) that was something i worked on to stay abreast of my talking the talk. i sent out emailes to all of the japan-related student organizations requesting a meeting to try and spin my show to them. i've only heard back from one, but it's the big player, the UCLA japanese student association. i'll meet with them monday and hopefully get them amped about my bands! when i called the college radio people, i ended up talking to the chick in the on-air room. she wasn't useful, so i just requested something japanese. then she said it was a classic rock show so i requested the who~ so i net radioed her (can you believe that's how you spell "radioed"? i frigging can't.) and she intro-ed it out to me. nice..
i've been scouring the web for local asian-rock musicians~ i posted a creig's list ad and a few misguided model/actress showbiz types emailed me. their amusing resumes include things like, Stunts / Some Martial Arts / Stage Combat, 5'3" @ 108 lbs. 34D(Natural), and Official Hooters' Intl Swimsuit Calendar Model for Sept 2005. they always include head and full body shots.. yikes.
anyway, i meeting with another guy friday from 7 samurai records. he represents a few japanese bands that are operating in the states. one in particular would be rock-ass perfect for this show. he's optimistic, we'll see how it goes.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Los Angeles, CA. granny's computer, working my web-nose to the web-grindstone~
just to shoot you all a quick update - i'm enjoying my time here, keeping it real. i went to the japan expo today and networked my way into a few handshakes with prospective media and corporate sponsors~
i'm writing to direct you all to my myspace page so you can see some truly sweet updates!!
http://www.myspace.com/solo_records
new pics and eye-popping streaming video of the psycrons setting the stage on FIRE!! read band bios fresh off the translation presses~ and you can even keep track of my networking progress! thanks~
that's what i'm sit'n here doing.. anyway, i would love to hear from you and get your reactions!
just to shoot you all a quick update - i'm enjoying my time here, keeping it real. i went to the japan expo today and networked my way into a few handshakes with prospective media and corporate sponsors~
i'm writing to direct you all to my myspace page so you can see some truly sweet updates!!
http://www.myspace.com/solo_records
new pics and eye-popping streaming video of the psycrons setting the stage on FIRE!! read band bios fresh off the translation presses~ and you can even keep track of my networking progress! thanks~
that's what i'm sit'n here doing.. anyway, i would love to hear from you and get your reactions!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Los Angeles, CA. Granny's house post jeopardy.
phew! what a crazy few days. you know what? i was in vegas~ i just wanted to break up the drive to LA and it seemed right. i car-pooled out with some european girlz and we split a room for about $14/a person. we hit the town, but it was just the same old vegas.. i've been here in LA for almost a week now and i've been going non-stop!
on my second day in LA i got into a little fender bender changing lanes to get on the 405. the sad truth is that it was all my fault and everybody knows it. i was looking over my shoulder to change lanes and by the time i turned my head back to face forward, the guy in front of me was in a brake-like-the-world's-ending situation! ug.. i just barley clipped him, but it was enough to do $4,686 worth of damage to my little car. but don't panic, it will be covered by my insurance (minus the $500 in deductible). thanks, granny for helping me take care of some business and letting me borrow her car once or twice. anyway, it's been an insurance headache, but i'm now renting/driving a little pontiac vibe and getting around alright.
i'm diving head first into the asian indie-rock scene and loving it! i'm attending shows and art exhibitions, handing out business cards, and shaking hands. most people i talk to are enthusiastic about my plans to introduce independent japanese music to LA, and many have a few pointers they don't mind sharing. my aunt gail is also helping me chase down a few contacts that could be key. it's too early to tell, but i'm feeling good and i've got at least 13 more working days in LA before my car is even fixed..
i got to see bill from the optionals, stephanie fresh out of film school, and tomorrow i'm picking up tomoe from japan at the airport. good times - i think i'm liking LA.
phew! what a crazy few days. you know what? i was in vegas~ i just wanted to break up the drive to LA and it seemed right. i car-pooled out with some european girlz and we split a room for about $14/a person. we hit the town, but it was just the same old vegas.. i've been here in LA for almost a week now and i've been going non-stop!
on my second day in LA i got into a little fender bender changing lanes to get on the 405. the sad truth is that it was all my fault and everybody knows it. i was looking over my shoulder to change lanes and by the time i turned my head back to face forward, the guy in front of me was in a brake-like-the-world's-ending situation! ug.. i just barley clipped him, but it was enough to do $4,686 worth of damage to my little car. but don't panic, it will be covered by my insurance (minus the $500 in deductible). thanks, granny for helping me take care of some business and letting me borrow her car once or twice. anyway, it's been an insurance headache, but i'm now renting/driving a little pontiac vibe and getting around alright.
i'm diving head first into the asian indie-rock scene and loving it! i'm attending shows and art exhibitions, handing out business cards, and shaking hands. most people i talk to are enthusiastic about my plans to introduce independent japanese music to LA, and many have a few pointers they don't mind sharing. my aunt gail is also helping me chase down a few contacts that could be key. it's too early to tell, but i'm feeling good and i've got at least 13 more working days in LA before my car is even fixed..
i got to see bill from the optionals, stephanie fresh out of film school, and tomorrow i'm picking up tomoe from japan at the airport. good times - i think i'm liking LA.
vegas~
Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Solar Cooker
me, all-the-way-from-santa-fe, and the second i walked in the door i lifted my eyes to see eric's solar reflector still taking up space awkwardly in the middle of his living room. you should have seen it - huge, cardboard, ugly - aluminum cans peeling up from their places as if to say, "this will never work". i loved it. the ingenuity. the hard work. the passion was there - i could see that. it was his hammer. one man, acting alone, swinging away at all the troubles of his world like john henry at his mountain. his was an honorable task and a very real challenge. eric's solar reflector had turned out to be a bit of a failure, but it was an important step toward my very own change in paradigm.
it was eric's first cooker, an oven type (pictured), that had been a moderate success. sure, it hadn't been quite capable of boiling water, eric's benchmark for solar cooker success, but it had heated up to 170 degrees. and hey - that's hot enough to pasturize water, making it safe for drinking. this was literally a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil and already here was this serious practical application - especially in those parts of the thrid world where there isn't enough safe drinking water. it was a good start, and there was so much room for improvement.
i wanted to make a reflector. i thought eric was on to something there, but flattening out beer cans just wasn't going to provide the smooth curved surface he needed to focus the sun's rays to a single point. i wanted to start with some manufactured surface and work from there. i was thinking of a satellite dish. it works along the same principle, but it's engineered to spec., saving us the trouble of building something substandard and from scratch. on a sunday we jumped in the car and headed for the junk yard.
ok - so, we didn't find my satellite dish, but we did find a big-ass light ballast. would it work? we took it home, cleaned it, and argued endlessly about what might give us the best results. just for kicks, i hung a pot from strings at noon the next day and the thing shot up to 170 degrees. we set upon improving it. largely driven by my impatience, we hunted down the old swiss army stove - a sweet find - and painted it black. the next day we put the cooker outside at 10:00 pointed it south, and by 10:45 water was at 206 degrees and holding - at a rolling boil under the power of the sun - and this was in october. it was a real trick getting the thing out of there - i mean it was hot hot HOT! we had built a very working solar cooker of hybrid design - combining a reflecting dish with an enclosed, insulating oven space - and effectively constructed out of junk.
wait, what?
water holding at a rolling boil? i had no idea it was even possible, yet plausible - hell, it was practically too easy! and with all my extensive (read: expensive) education in science and engineering there was nothing in my intuition that suggested that the sun could boil water on a cool fall afternoon on eric's front lawn. it blew my mind - defied all my scientific common sense. i guess they just don't teach this stuff in school. sure, i've seen semi-conducting solar panels converting energy from the sun into an electrical potential, even powering a car. and yes, i've seen the sun's rays focusing to a point and cooking the hell out of an unsuspecting ant. but solar energy has always felt so delicate and ethereal. i never felt any substance or a strength there. but seeing the sun pound out a dynamic 206 degrees felt like real power. for the first time it felt so simple and accessible - it felt like discovery. i felt like Isaac fucking newton.
but why? i hadn't done anything new. there are existing technologies capable of harnessing the sun's energy. and eric and i weren't the first to build a solar cooker in this same way. but there was something about my experience that felt so new to me. i felt like i was cheating - or stealing. i never knew that there was so much free flowing energy under the mid-day sun. a rolling boil on the front lawn - there was still snow on the ground - amazing. i imagine that same pot of water, or hearty stew, heating up on the stove top or in the microwave. i think about just how much "conventional" energy it takes to heat that same pot up to a boil and hold it there. it seems like a lot. and where does it come from? my mind traces the cord back to the wall, up a line, down the street. to where exactly, i'm not sure. but i see it, the place where some huge machine is pumping, churning, burning - making my meal out of an energy source i don't see and can't comprehend. and from what? you guessed it - fossil fuels.
there's just such a disconnect. my experience is that my energy comes from a hole in the wall. i don't gather the wood, turn the wheel, or light the fire. i don't even need to think about it. energy is so available, something we use so often and so easily, that we can't conceive of producing it or going out and harvesting it on our own. but cooking on your front lawn with the clean, free energy of the sun was a really enlightening experience for me. it's so simple and it's right there! it's there all the time - every day, all over the world. it's falling down all around us - and going largely unused by the modern man.
you don't need to wait for your government or your power company to come around. you don't need to take a class or hold certification. you don't need semiconductors. it's right there and you have everything you need to make use of it in a practical and meaningful way. who knew?
i want to introduce all of you to eric kampe's blog. he's a most excellent and life-long friend of mine who (with a little pressure) has started a blog that will be changing the world in small manageable doses. please add him to your favorites and post regularly in the comments section. we want to hear from you!
http://erickampe.blogspot.com/
it was eric's first cooker, an oven type (pictured), that had been a moderate success. sure, it hadn't been quite capable of boiling water, eric's benchmark for solar cooker success, but it had heated up to 170 degrees. and hey - that's hot enough to pasturize water, making it safe for drinking. this was literally a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil and already here was this serious practical application - especially in those parts of the thrid world where there isn't enough safe drinking water. it was a good start, and there was so much room for improvement.
i wanted to make a reflector. i thought eric was on to something there, but flattening out beer cans just wasn't going to provide the smooth curved surface he needed to focus the sun's rays to a single point. i wanted to start with some manufactured surface and work from there. i was thinking of a satellite dish. it works along the same principle, but it's engineered to spec., saving us the trouble of building something substandard and from scratch. on a sunday we jumped in the car and headed for the junk yard.
ok - so, we didn't find my satellite dish, but we did find a big-ass light ballast. would it work? we took it home, cleaned it, and argued endlessly about what might give us the best results. just for kicks, i hung a pot from strings at noon the next day and the thing shot up to 170 degrees. we set upon improving it. largely driven by my impatience, we hunted down the old swiss army stove - a sweet find - and painted it black. the next day we put the cooker outside at 10:00 pointed it south, and by 10:45 water was at 206 degrees and holding - at a rolling boil under the power of the sun - and this was in october. it was a real trick getting the thing out of there - i mean it was hot hot HOT! we had built a very working solar cooker of hybrid design - combining a reflecting dish with an enclosed, insulating oven space - and effectively constructed out of junk.
wait, what?
water holding at a rolling boil? i had no idea it was even possible, yet plausible - hell, it was practically too easy! and with all my extensive (read: expensive) education in science and engineering there was nothing in my intuition that suggested that the sun could boil water on a cool fall afternoon on eric's front lawn. it blew my mind - defied all my scientific common sense. i guess they just don't teach this stuff in school. sure, i've seen semi-conducting solar panels converting energy from the sun into an electrical potential, even powering a car. and yes, i've seen the sun's rays focusing to a point and cooking the hell out of an unsuspecting ant. but solar energy has always felt so delicate and ethereal. i never felt any substance or a strength there. but seeing the sun pound out a dynamic 206 degrees felt like real power. for the first time it felt so simple and accessible - it felt like discovery. i felt like Isaac fucking newton.
but why? i hadn't done anything new. there are existing technologies capable of harnessing the sun's energy. and eric and i weren't the first to build a solar cooker in this same way. but there was something about my experience that felt so new to me. i felt like i was cheating - or stealing. i never knew that there was so much free flowing energy under the mid-day sun. a rolling boil on the front lawn - there was still snow on the ground - amazing. i imagine that same pot of water, or hearty stew, heating up on the stove top or in the microwave. i think about just how much "conventional" energy it takes to heat that same pot up to a boil and hold it there. it seems like a lot. and where does it come from? my mind traces the cord back to the wall, up a line, down the street. to where exactly, i'm not sure. but i see it, the place where some huge machine is pumping, churning, burning - making my meal out of an energy source i don't see and can't comprehend. and from what? you guessed it - fossil fuels.
there's just such a disconnect. my experience is that my energy comes from a hole in the wall. i don't gather the wood, turn the wheel, or light the fire. i don't even need to think about it. energy is so available, something we use so often and so easily, that we can't conceive of producing it or going out and harvesting it on our own. but cooking on your front lawn with the clean, free energy of the sun was a really enlightening experience for me. it's so simple and it's right there! it's there all the time - every day, all over the world. it's falling down all around us - and going largely unused by the modern man.
you don't need to wait for your government or your power company to come around. you don't need to take a class or hold certification. you don't need semiconductors. it's right there and you have everything you need to make use of it in a practical and meaningful way. who knew?
i want to introduce all of you to eric kampe's blog. he's a most excellent and life-long friend of mine who (with a little pressure) has started a blog that will be changing the world in small manageable doses. please add him to your favorites and post regularly in the comments section. we want to hear from you!
http://erickampe.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Flagstaff AZ. Grand Canyon International Youth Hostel, front porch. wireless stealing, fine feeling.
i sat around the hostel the other night and made some friends~ in the morning i collected a group of 3 others and we all piled in my car to go see the G.C! man - i gotta' say photos just don't do it justice. floored. we hiked down into it for a 5 mile round-trip and saw the sites~ we hiked out just as the sun started to slip and the temperature started to drop.
carolina from engliand and lydia from slovakia bought me dinner for my sweet driving services and sam from england fronted the beer money. the girls and i went to sedona the next day and did some more scrambling up rocks to capture the view. we decided that the only real way to see arizona is to climb all over it. here are a few of the prize-winning photos.
cathedral rocks, sedona. the canyon~
i sat around the hostel the other night and made some friends~ in the morning i collected a group of 3 others and we all piled in my car to go see the G.C! man - i gotta' say photos just don't do it justice. floored. we hiked down into it for a 5 mile round-trip and saw the sites~ we hiked out just as the sun started to slip and the temperature started to drop.
carolina from engliand and lydia from slovakia bought me dinner for my sweet driving services and sam from england fronted the beer money. the girls and i went to sedona the next day and did some more scrambling up rocks to capture the view. we decided that the only real way to see arizona is to climb all over it. here are a few of the prize-winning photos.
cathedral rocks, sedona. the canyon~
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Flagstaff AZ. Grand Canyon International Youth Hostel - front porch. stolen wireless, smoking Swedes.
well - i'm mostly over my cold. it set in as i left boulder - too much sleepless, extended goodbye celebrations, maybe. i was ache-y and unhappy about it. i stayed at a motel in durango, CO for a night and waged war on my cold with V8, orange juice, hot soup, and sleep. the next morning i dropped in on the mesa verde national monument (pictured). stunning! you might recognize these photos from your 5th grade history book, but they don't do the place justice. it was so cool to see the ruins up close and with my own eyes.. amazing. there's still debate over what the purpose of these structures was. it was long-abandon before being re-discovered by white people. i'll let the pictures speak.
after checking out mesa verde, i drove to canyon de chelly. i got in after dark and started pricing out the motels - i was only finding prices in the 60-70's. ugh. i considered the free rustic camping sites outside the park.
i called my mom and told her that i was on tv and i was using my lifeline. "how cold will it get in arizona tonight?" she and my dad struggled with the net - even called to try and make a reservation with an aarp discount. no luck. i ended up at the thunderbird lodge for 58.55 - the most expensive room (and the nicest) yet, and by far. i lounged in luxury and watched cartoons (as you do). this morning i redeemed my free continental breakfast and drove around the canyon stopping at all the lookouts and taking pictures~ amazing place. it reminds me of the dinosaurs - can't say why. i got to hike down and get a closer look. it really knocked me out. it's all so ancient in arizona! now in flagstaff, looking for food soon and tomorrow i'll do the big one - the GRAND CANYON!!
canyon de chelly
mesa verde
well - i'm mostly over my cold. it set in as i left boulder - too much sleepless, extended goodbye celebrations, maybe. i was ache-y and unhappy about it. i stayed at a motel in durango, CO for a night and waged war on my cold with V8, orange juice, hot soup, and sleep. the next morning i dropped in on the mesa verde national monument (pictured). stunning! you might recognize these photos from your 5th grade history book, but they don't do the place justice. it was so cool to see the ruins up close and with my own eyes.. amazing. there's still debate over what the purpose of these structures was. it was long-abandon before being re-discovered by white people. i'll let the pictures speak.
after checking out mesa verde, i drove to canyon de chelly. i got in after dark and started pricing out the motels - i was only finding prices in the 60-70's. ugh. i considered the free rustic camping sites outside the park.
i called my mom and told her that i was on tv and i was using my lifeline. "how cold will it get in arizona tonight?" she and my dad struggled with the net - even called to try and make a reservation with an aarp discount. no luck. i ended up at the thunderbird lodge for 58.55 - the most expensive room (and the nicest) yet, and by far. i lounged in luxury and watched cartoons (as you do). this morning i redeemed my free continental breakfast and drove around the canyon stopping at all the lookouts and taking pictures~ amazing place. it reminds me of the dinosaurs - can't say why. i got to hike down and get a closer look. it really knocked me out. it's all so ancient in arizona! now in flagstaff, looking for food soon and tomorrow i'll do the big one - the GRAND CANYON!!
canyon de chelly
mesa verde
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
i almost didn't want to go out! i was totally halloween-ed out, but i decided to amp it up and go straight over the top! i got into my elvis best and called eric and meredith out to the shop to pick some stuff out. my manager, being the sweet lady she is, let me borrow everything for the night~
we didn't stay out too late - just hit a few bars and checked out some cool costumes. eric flew out on business this morning and i'm packing my bags.
boulder was a great time. i learned a lot and i was really productive. so many thanks to eric and meredith for hosting me and helping me have the time of my life! now it's back on the road, taking up the purest of all pursuits - traveling west.
we didn't stay out too late - just hit a few bars and checked out some cool costumes. eric flew out on business this morning and i'm packing my bags.
boulder was a great time. i learned a lot and i was really productive. so many thanks to eric and meredith for hosting me and helping me have the time of my life! now it's back on the road, taking up the purest of all pursuits - traveling west.
Monday, October 30, 2006
burnt toast cafe. sunny front windows, stray wireless. smoking hot waitresses, three.
man. this morning is full of doubt and coffee. i've got bags under my eyes.. the mark of an eventful weekend. there was a girl. i left my wallet at eric's house, but i've got good credit here. it's all good. it's 10, right? the time changed, but the time on my phone didn't. i hope it's 10. if it's 11 i should be getting ready for work. it's 10. it's going to be rough today, the thought of getting all decked out for another day of the wall-to-wall costume explosion that has been the ritz exhausts me. ugh - just today and tomorrow and i'm done. i'll leave boulder with a few bucks in my pocket and a good recommendation at my back. smooth sailing.
i guess i should go into more detail on the girl. i went out with coworkers saturday night after a champagne toast at the ritz. i was dressed in the sexy nun costume with blond braids and wing-tip glasses - the coworker-elected favorite of my costume creations. i jumped in disco-ninja mike's 75 firebird and we rolled to 'the motet does madonna' show. sweet band, sweet music, amazing vocalist - i was dancing and bouncing about. i met gogo-boots LJ on the dance floor and we hit it off. what might have been a typical hook-up turned out to be very cool and very worthwhile. she's a stand-up babe and loads of fun to hang out with. maybe just a bump in the road romance, but a sweetheart and someone i will keep in touch with. anyway, i made a friend.
solar oven 205 degrees and holding - water is at a rolling boil! what an outstanding success, and with a total build cost of $25~ i'm stoked! i'll link you to some pics soon!
unplugging.
man. this morning is full of doubt and coffee. i've got bags under my eyes.. the mark of an eventful weekend. there was a girl. i left my wallet at eric's house, but i've got good credit here. it's all good. it's 10, right? the time changed, but the time on my phone didn't. i hope it's 10. if it's 11 i should be getting ready for work. it's 10. it's going to be rough today, the thought of getting all decked out for another day of the wall-to-wall costume explosion that has been the ritz exhausts me. ugh - just today and tomorrow and i'm done. i'll leave boulder with a few bucks in my pocket and a good recommendation at my back. smooth sailing.
i guess i should go into more detail on the girl. i went out with coworkers saturday night after a champagne toast at the ritz. i was dressed in the sexy nun costume with blond braids and wing-tip glasses - the coworker-elected favorite of my costume creations. i jumped in disco-ninja mike's 75 firebird and we rolled to 'the motet does madonna' show. sweet band, sweet music, amazing vocalist - i was dancing and bouncing about. i met gogo-boots LJ on the dance floor and we hit it off. what might have been a typical hook-up turned out to be very cool and very worthwhile. she's a stand-up babe and loads of fun to hang out with. maybe just a bump in the road romance, but a sweetheart and someone i will keep in touch with. anyway, i made a friend.
solar oven 205 degrees and holding - water is at a rolling boil! what an outstanding success, and with a total build cost of $25~ i'm stoked! i'll link you to some pics soon!
unplugging.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Boulder, CO. eric's living room - floor sitting, internet stealing.
i'm working a very full week and i expect we'll be slammed! we've been doing a brisk trade - in fact, some of the racks are actually starting to thin..
sunday i was dressed up as robin, the boy wonder, and a few of us got to go out on the pearl street mall and pass out businesscards! i followed my coworkers out the front door and directly into the bar next door where we they proceeded to order drinks at 11:23 am. i was shocked at their disregard for the time-honored rules of work, but they assured me that it was standard operating procedure at the ritz. "well - when in rome.." we walked around, made a scene, and then stopped for a nip before heading back into work. it made for an entertaining day, but i came crashing down and felt like i needed a nap at 6 something when i noticed the boss and a few others slipping out the back to grab a quick pick-me-up at the bar next door. haha~
this weekend eric and i got back into our solar cooker experiment. we raided boulder's re-use center (read: junkyard) and returned with a huge light ballast - like the kind you might find hanging from the ceiling of a warehouse. this is his third attempt, and it's kind of a hybrid - both a reflecting cooker and an oven-like enclosed space. yesterday i was working inside and i noticed that the sun was coming down pretty good outside. it was late, at 2:45 but i was able to heat water up to 165 degrees in just 20 min! that's not boiling, but it's hot enough to pasteurize water for safe drinking~ really very good for a trial run~ so, last night we bought a swiss army high-altitude cooker and painted it black for our next attempt. it should be more efficient than the crappy pot i had dangling in there from strings.
here i am, hard at work:
i'm working a very full week and i expect we'll be slammed! we've been doing a brisk trade - in fact, some of the racks are actually starting to thin..
sunday i was dressed up as robin, the boy wonder, and a few of us got to go out on the pearl street mall and pass out businesscards! i followed my coworkers out the front door and directly into the bar next door where we they proceeded to order drinks at 11:23 am. i was shocked at their disregard for the time-honored rules of work, but they assured me that it was standard operating procedure at the ritz. "well - when in rome.." we walked around, made a scene, and then stopped for a nip before heading back into work. it made for an entertaining day, but i came crashing down and felt like i needed a nap at 6 something when i noticed the boss and a few others slipping out the back to grab a quick pick-me-up at the bar next door. haha~
this weekend eric and i got back into our solar cooker experiment. we raided boulder's re-use center (read: junkyard) and returned with a huge light ballast - like the kind you might find hanging from the ceiling of a warehouse. this is his third attempt, and it's kind of a hybrid - both a reflecting cooker and an oven-like enclosed space. yesterday i was working inside and i noticed that the sun was coming down pretty good outside. it was late, at 2:45 but i was able to heat water up to 165 degrees in just 20 min! that's not boiling, but it's hot enough to pasteurize water for safe drinking~ really very good for a trial run~ so, last night we bought a swiss army high-altitude cooker and painted it black for our next attempt. it should be more efficient than the crappy pot i had dangling in there from strings.
here i am, hard at work:
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Boulder, CO. eric's living room. stolen wireless connection (mudoji7). beer by new belgium.
you know - working at the costume shop is getting better and better~ after that first rough day, i've grown into it a little more and i'm really starting to enjoy it. the day-to-day manager is far more together and with-it than the owner, and she's friendly and fun and when she's around the authority of the mean girls just disappears.
yesterday i wore a hot-ass skin-tight elvis costume with bedazzled jewels and a sequined eagle on the back! i had on silver platform shoes and the rod stewart wig from the "if you think i'm sexy" era. the overall effect was very ziggy stardust - it was far out and people loved it! one guy walked in the store and saw me and said, "that! i want that!" it's weird, but i think the costume helped me gain the favor of the manager - she say's i'm "on it" and she gives me jobs to do that she says she needs done right and once-and-for-all, like organizing the nylons. (until yesterday, i didn't know a damn thing about nylons, but now i'm an expert~ we've got tights in all colors - we've got some with dollar signs, striped patterns, hippy patterns. we've got fish-nets, fence-nets, and body stockings in all colors, we've got garter style hose, thigh highs, back seems of lace, ribbons, and rhinestones. we've even got fish nets with holes already torn in them!)
today i was captain jack sparrow of the pirates of the Caribbean! we got a few wigs in yesterday, so i wanted to use one before we sold out. i don't know what i'm going to do tomorrow.. better get there early.
best costume ideas so far:
4 frat guys as The Fanta Girls - red, yellow, orange, and purple~
Marie Antoi-Marionette
Marla Singer from "fight club"
Condoleezza Rice
best question:
"do you have something a little slutty-er?" (sure- let me direct you to the slut section. were you thinking naughty girl scout or sex-pot cop? we also have a fine selection of nurses)
you know - working at the costume shop is getting better and better~ after that first rough day, i've grown into it a little more and i'm really starting to enjoy it. the day-to-day manager is far more together and with-it than the owner, and she's friendly and fun and when she's around the authority of the mean girls just disappears.
yesterday i wore a hot-ass skin-tight elvis costume with bedazzled jewels and a sequined eagle on the back! i had on silver platform shoes and the rod stewart wig from the "if you think i'm sexy" era. the overall effect was very ziggy stardust - it was far out and people loved it! one guy walked in the store and saw me and said, "that! i want that!" it's weird, but i think the costume helped me gain the favor of the manager - she say's i'm "on it" and she gives me jobs to do that she says she needs done right and once-and-for-all, like organizing the nylons. (until yesterday, i didn't know a damn thing about nylons, but now i'm an expert~ we've got tights in all colors - we've got some with dollar signs, striped patterns, hippy patterns. we've got fish-nets, fence-nets, and body stockings in all colors, we've got garter style hose, thigh highs, back seems of lace, ribbons, and rhinestones. we've even got fish nets with holes already torn in them!)
today i was captain jack sparrow of the pirates of the Caribbean! we got a few wigs in yesterday, so i wanted to use one before we sold out. i don't know what i'm going to do tomorrow.. better get there early.
best costume ideas so far:
4 frat guys as The Fanta Girls - red, yellow, orange, and purple~
Marie Antoi-Marionette
Marla Singer from "fight club"
Condoleezza Rice
best question:
"do you have something a little slutty-er?" (sure- let me direct you to the slut section. were you thinking naughty girl scout or sex-pot cop? we also have a fine selection of nurses)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Boulder, CO. - snowing like it means it. Burnt Toast Cafe. homey, front room atmosphere. great breakfasts, bottomless coffee, stolen wireless.
oh, man! days of solid hiking and rock climbing~ so much fun! we were out on the wall in the sun, rain, cold, and dark! it was cool - alina and eric's brother chris are both pretty good. chris would lead climb a wall and clip into the bolts as he went. when he got to the top, he'd run the rope through the bolts at the top of the route and come back down. then we would take turns climbing up one after another with someone belaying from the bottom. they know their stuff, so we were safe and i learned a lot. it's hard work, man - we were drinking beer through straws because our arms were so tired~
yesterday i worked my first day at the costume shop! i got suited up, and spent some time on the floor. it was rough - i couldn't find anything.. it's such a huge place and their organization is bunk! later, i got to stock up some stuff and spent the day learning the lay of the land. eric and alina popped in to check on me and look around. they couldn't get over it! "what a fun job!" - well, it would be if not for the stone-cold bitches that work there. hardened over a decade of service, these women have come to hate everyone and everything.. especially new people or temporary employees. they spent the day pushing me around and being generally unpleasant. "hey - want a job to do? can you run across the street and pick up food for me?" - i rose above it, and i was as pleasant as i could be, but already i'm happy that this is just a temporary thing.
here i am in my costume posing with a rack of prosthetics - i'll keep these coming~
oh, man! days of solid hiking and rock climbing~ so much fun! we were out on the wall in the sun, rain, cold, and dark! it was cool - alina and eric's brother chris are both pretty good. chris would lead climb a wall and clip into the bolts as he went. when he got to the top, he'd run the rope through the bolts at the top of the route and come back down. then we would take turns climbing up one after another with someone belaying from the bottom. they know their stuff, so we were safe and i learned a lot. it's hard work, man - we were drinking beer through straws because our arms were so tired~
yesterday i worked my first day at the costume shop! i got suited up, and spent some time on the floor. it was rough - i couldn't find anything.. it's such a huge place and their organization is bunk! later, i got to stock up some stuff and spent the day learning the lay of the land. eric and alina popped in to check on me and look around. they couldn't get over it! "what a fun job!" - well, it would be if not for the stone-cold bitches that work there. hardened over a decade of service, these women have come to hate everyone and everything.. especially new people or temporary employees. they spent the day pushing me around and being generally unpleasant. "hey - want a job to do? can you run across the street and pick up food for me?" - i rose above it, and i was as pleasant as i could be, but already i'm happy that this is just a temporary thing.
here i am in my costume posing with a rack of prosthetics - i'll keep these coming~
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