I’ve hugged a coworker
And drank on the job.
And can relate to people who go on shooting sprees at work.
I’ve even taken supplies from work.
There. I’ve said it. Now I will never be hired by anyone again. Oh wait–no one will hire me anyway. Except for DeAnn at the Great Outdoor Store (where incidentally I have done all of the above except for taken supplies, unless you count the rubber bands that hold the Patagonia Capilene into the sushi rolls. I’ve walked out the door with one in my hair on many occasions). After taking...
You Look Pissed, Ben.
And believe me, you’ve got every right to be. That’s a line from “The Running Man“, a super great 80’s movie with Richard Dawson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Lately I’ve felt like Ben Wallace. I’ve felt like I’ve been fighting an uphill battle against American society. Unfortunately for me, there’s no Damon Killian that I can confront…no face to put to the idiocy that we’ve come to accept as part of our daily lives.
My recent frustrations began as I tried to...
Balance
Both Nancy and I felt slightly uncomfortable flying into Sioux Falls last week. It was irrational for us to feel anything but happiness at being able to see our parents, siblings, friends, and of course Conrad Messner (our beloved dog). If you’d pressed us I don’t think we could have put into words why we felt as we did.
10 days later we find ourselves living in a world that we don’t feel entirely comfortable in. We’re living apart. I’m with my parents and as a result of her cat allergies Nancy’s...
Forbidden Fruit
I’m ruined.
It’s over for me.
I realized this as I was answering questions on a computerized personality test at the temp agency yesterday.
Have you ever hugged a co-worker?
Do you understand why people go on shooting sprees?
Have you ever told a “white lie”?
Have you ever had a drink while on the clock?
If I were to tell the truth, I would have answered Yes to all of these questions and then would not have been eligible to go back to the temp agency today to take more tests that I was bound to fail. I would...
Sailing Forums
I believe that every guy (and I mean guys, not girls) has a curiosity about sailing. We just want to understand how it works. About 5 years ago I was that guy. At first I was satisfied with reading about it. I read several books…Joshua Slocum’s “Sailing Around the World”. Tania Aebi’s “Maiden Voyage” Peter Nichol’s “A Voyage for Madmen”. And of course anything by Bernard Moitessier. That wasn’t enough so I moved on to actual sailing lessons, then ultimately...
Time
I took my watch off 7 months ago and it took me about 5 hours to lose that naked feeling on my wrist. Since then, time has been having its way with me. If it were not for the Chuck Norris tear-a-day calendar that sister Beth gave us, I would not even know what day it is. There were actually several times where I missed tearing off the day and missed a Tuesday or Sunday completely. Losing hours or even days had become routine. I embarrassed to admit that I lived for an entire day when I was not sure what year it was. This was...
Back in the U.S.S.A.
Our tourists visas were up in a few hours. We were on the verge of becoming illegal aliens. Yes, that’s right. Caucasians can be illegal immigrants, too. (in case you missed my earlier blog on this subject, probably millions of Americans are illegally staying in Mexico right now) Faced with the real possibility of being thrown in an Arizona prison, we hopped a bus in Guaymas headed for Las Vegas.
Six months ago I was standing in a Mexican government office in Ensenada faced with getting our tourist visas, boat importation...
Land of Broken Dreams
We’re finally there. San Carlos. The Land of Broken Dreams. The Place Where Dreams Go to Die. And it’s almost exactly like I’d envisioned it, only worse.
Against the advice of other sailors and our Lonely Planet guide, we spent the last week in Guaymas. (LP had nothing good to say about Guaymas whatsoever) And I will say, it was a particularly dirty, stinky city. But 3 former Mexican presidents were born there and we didn’t see a single gringo the whole week. Guaymas had a Soriana, a Sams Club,...
