Unexpected Sources

Motivation.

For some reason, it has been rather elusive in my private life lately.  Work motivation has been fine so far this year, but at home it's been back to the ol' Sloth and Gluttony.  I haven't been watching as much T.V. since the Olympics because it's mostly mindless trash.  The computer has been my major downfall, however.

I was listening to a podcast of the Petros and Money show.  One of their guests was MMA athlete Ronda Rousy.  She put Petros in an arm-bar and it was all funny.  Out of curiosity I googled Ronda.  Imagine that.

Turns out the girl is a former Olympic judo medalist, so she's got that going for her, which is nice.  On her website I watched several of Ronda's Judo and MMA videos.  It was inspiring.  No, not in a pervo way.  Just that the recollections of judo training, and the fitness and pride that accompanied it, came flooding back.  Watching these MMA folks training and competing was as inspiring as watching some of my favorite Rocky scenes.

Know what was an even bigger surprise?  At the family Christmas gathering yesterday, I was talking to the old man, and MMA came up (Dad's a former boxer and I'm a former judo competitor).  We have shared an admiration of Fedor Emelianenko the past few years, but Fedor has reached the end of his career.  Dad said to me, "You know who my favorite MMA fighter is now?  Ronda Rousy!"  A block off the old chip.

So thanks Ronda.  I actually rolled out of bed this morning and got going on a bit of a workout.  It's a start.  The motivation is here.  Now it's a matter of sustaining that motivation.

Dear Mr. President

That was truly an inspiring speech.  I am tremendously grateful that we had you to address us rather than Mitt Romney.  You truly care.

I agree, changes need to be made.  Before we go crazy over gun-control battles let's think about our society in the past 50 years. 

Fifty years ago you wouldn't have been president.  Fifty years ago, you wouldn't even have had full rights as an American citizen.  Did we have guns back then?  Yes.  Did gun control laws change our society then?  No.  What did?  Nonviolent action.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to get rid of assault rifles and make it even tougher to get hand guns.

But that won't change our society.  What has changed so much in the past 50 years?  The violent video games.  The murder-obsessive T.V. shows.  The violent music.  The divorce rate, and subsequently, the amount of time kids spend playing video games, watching T.V., and listening to their MP3 players.  This is where the violence needs to end first.  Then see what can be done about the guns.

Guns without evil intent equals no murders.  Evil intent without guns equals less murders.

On a Britghter Note

Had to get that last one off my chest.  When you pretty much dedicate your working life to helping kids something like that strikes the deepest of nerves. 

Basketball season ended with a big party yesterday.  What a fantastic group of girls we coached this year.  We might have not won the most games, but no one had more fun.

 More than two weeks off now.  Time to recharge the batteries.

The Lowest

Dear Lanza,

I've never been one to believe in Hell, but you made me rethink this position.

Just tragic.

America

I wrote this today on the Seattle Times blog, after reading another article about more conservative whining:

I drive a pick-up truck. I own many guns.
I'm not a liberal, and I did NOT vote for Mitt or Rob.

Why?
Because as we've been witnessing lately, the whole conservative movement is just one big scam to con the uneducated into making the rich even richer. I would love to pay the same percentage of tax Romney does. The system is set up so rich conservatives don't have to pay their fair share. Now that they think they might have to, the Cons are going ballistic.

The groups that have been the biggest flag waivers now are the first to turn on America. "Waaah! We didn't get our way so now we want to quit!"

Pro life? Not when you're so excited about sending our young men and even our women to get killed in the Middle East. Bush and his conservative buddies made sure they didn't have go to Vietnam and die with our loved ones who were forced to go. You want war but you don't want to have to pay for it with your own blood or even your own money.

You all drone on about freedom and liberty. Then why are you so hell bent on denying freedom to people who don't put their money into your particular church?
Who cares if two gays want to get married? Why is it O.K. to drink alcohol, especially from government stores, smoke cigarettes, but not smoke pot? Because you aren't turning a profit from it!

You and the conservatives had your eight years of running our country into the toilet. Those of us that really love America got tired of it. Now we're trying to dig our way out, and you're all upset because those of us who work for a living are tired of seeing the conservatives sending all of our manufacturing jobs to China, so you can turn a greater profit. We're sick of making you jerks rich! We're sick of being "Trickled Down" on!

America. Love it or leave it!

Elk!

O.K. too much political drivel lately.  Last weekend's trip to Idaho was an adventure in many ways.  Do not, under any circumstances, fly Delta Airlines.  If they can find a way to screw up your vacation they will.  But that's another story.

Finally did make it to Idaho hunting camp.  Missed most of the action.  My nephew Brad shot his first elk, and Dad shot his biggest before I arrived.  Uncle mike downed a buck before hand, too, but Brad manged to wait until Saturday to get his.

The weather was just about any combination you could think of, but it was all part of a grand fall weekend in the Rockies.  Saw elk and deer every day, but no good shot presented itself to my .300 short mag.  That's just fine.  There's no way my shooting an elk or deer would have brought me near as much joy as Brad's, Dad's, or Uncle Mike's successes.

Voted Today...

Filled out the mail-in ballot today.

Couldn't vote for Obama.  He's a nice guy, but we'll never get the budget balanced with him as president.  He's proven that he has no problem selling out the environment to get votes.

Vote for Romney?  No way in hell!  That pompous rich bastard could care less about us, he's already stated it out loud.  His only regret over that event was that he got caught.  Take from the poor and give to the rich!

So who? 

Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico.  Says he would balance the budget and end the war in Afghanistan.  Now.  Not way after his term would be over.  Libertarian?  Why not?  Beats the other two.

Wanted to write in a candidate for governor.  Inslee is just another political blow-hard.  But McKenna?  That guy would screw us state employees over royally.  Just like he did with the lawyers who have had to work for the weasel in the state attorney general's office.  But would he take a benefits and pay cut?  Are you kidding? 

So I had to vote for Inslee, dammit.

Voted AGAINST Dunn for attorney general.  Dunn might just be more qualified than Ferguson, but only a real slimeball would run the nasty adds Dunn's been running.  Haven't seen the same sleazy tactics from Ferguson.  So he gets the vote.

Charter schools?  What a scam.

Legalize Marijuana?  Why is it illegal to begin with?  Worse than alcohol?  Look at the drunk driving deaths.  Worse than cigarettes?  Look at the lung cancer stats.  Let's outlaw everything else that is bad for you.  Candy?  Pop?  Cars?  T.V.? 

Gay marriage?  I honestly could care less.  Let them live in peace, too.

Voted against all of the measures where the politicians taxed us without our permission.  Sneaky crooks.

John Wooden, the anti Barak O'Romney

I can't watch another debate.  Can't even watch T.V. anymore without the lying, sleazy ads of the two candidates for governor bombarding us.  Romney and Obama both sicken me after tonight's debate.  Is there nothing those two won't say or do to win this election? 

Came across this video of John Wooden recently.  What a breath of fresh air.  You listen to each quality Wooden discusses and both of the Presidential hopefuls were complete opposites tonight.
 

Here's to you Coach, your legacy lives on, in spite of the best efforts of our elected officials!

Election Time. oh boy.

Who to vote for?

They're all full of crap.  Politicians.  The T.V. ads are enough to make anyone hurl.  For years I figured it didn't really matter who was president, the country would just keep rolling along.  W and Iraq changed that.

What would it have been like if the candidate with the most votes in 2000 had actually been awarded the job?  The Republicans would have probably blamed 911 on the Democrats, enough idiots would have believed them, and Bush2 would have been elected anyway, in 2004.

Now, the first stimulus package was started during the Bush2 administration.  If he had been president the last four years would there have still been the two more packages?  What would they have looked like?  More bailouts and tax breaks for the wealthy?  Those Republicans sure were pissed off when much of that money actually made its way back to those of us who pay our taxes.

Sounds like I support the Dems, but I don't.  The only Democrat  I have ever voted for was John Kerry.  I didn't believe he would have made a great president, but I saw our economy headed where it was going, and I would have voted for anyone who had the best chance to beat Bush2.

I didn't vote at all during the Reagan or Bush1 years, because I believed it didn't matter who I voted for.  I liked Billy Bob, but I didn't trust him.  Wrote in Jesse Ventura instead.  I did like Obama, but I didn't think he had the stones to get us out of Iraq, so I wrote in Ralph Nader, who actually had a plan to get us out and balance the budget.  Did I think Nader had a shot?  Of course not, but I slept better knowing I had voted for the candidate who would do the best job.

Now what?  Obama isn't even pretending to attempt to balance the budget.  Romney would screw us all royally to pay back his rich campaign contributors like the Bushes and Regan did.  Nader is too old now.  Jesse has fled to Mexico with his conspiracy theories.  Ron Paul amuses me to no end, but there's no way he would ever get away with implementing the changes he wants.  I think Chuck Turner would do a better job than all of them, but I wouldn't wish that job on Chuck.

So who would have what it takes to get us out of Afghanistan and balance the budget?  Let me know and I'll vote for him.  Or her.

The Curse

If you ever find yourself in any kind of line behind me, do yourself a favor and get in any other line you can - immediately.  Because whatever line I'm in...it's the wrong effing line!  Guaranteed. 

Crossing the border today?  Slowest stinking line both ways, thank you very much.  On the way back across to the good ol' U S of A not only was I in the slowest line, but I made a bold move to get to a new line, and wouldn't you know it, that instantly became the line from hell.  I think the booth bastard gave out four red cards in the six cars ahead of me.  The other lines were moving along just fine, especially the one I had left earlier.  Might as well have just swam back from Point Roberts, at least there wouldn't have been a damn line.  Cursed, I tell you!

Forget Idaho

Miss Idaho?  Hell no!

Had one of the best weekends fishing, ever.  Eagles, bears, silvers, dollies, and I had the whole stretch of river to myself.  Not one other fisherman, not one piece of trash or chunk of line.  Blue skies, white glaciers, green trees, and crystal clear waters.

No where else I would have rather been.  Forgot the camera - oh well, I remembered the switch rod and the flies.  Caught fish on the swing and even a couple skating last night. 

Pictures are from a couple of years ago.

I Miss Yellowstone

I don't miss living in Idaho much any more.  Tomorrow I'm heading up into the North Cascades to do some fishing and hiking.  It should be another gorgeous fall day.  When I get up there amongst the big trees, the glacier-clad peaks, and the emerald green water, I know I won't want to be anywhere else - that place has that kind of effect.

Tonight, however, I've been thinking of Yellowstone and how this is about the same weekend I used to go up into the Park for the annual Fall weekend.  I would always camp along the Henry's Fork Friday night, and Saturday morning I'd fish the Coffee Pot section for the nice rainbows that would follow around the spawning kokanee.

Later in the morning, I'd pack up camp and drive into West Yellowstone.  The mandatory stop in West was always Ernie's.  This little place always made the best sandwiches and cookies anywhere.  Next, it was into The Park to fish the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek.  Saturday night was usually a campfire under the stars listening to the elk bugle all night somewhere in Yellowstone.

Sunday was always the big drive down into the Tetons, either for a short hike or onward for a little fishing time on the South Fork of the Snake River.  This was always followed by the long drive home across southern Idaho and a late night home arrival.

I'll take Washington over Idaho ten months of the year, but it's tough to beat the Rocky Mountains in September and October.  I'll have to start playing the lottery.

No more fall in Yellowstone, but I can't complain about this stretch of river I'll be on tomorrow.