Home!

First things first...

Would-be heroes were warned by the California Supreme Court on Thursday that they could be liable for damages if they inadvertently injure a person while attempting a rescue.

In all honesty i am slowly caring less and less about who is sitting in the oval office, we are condemning our society through each one of our own individual actions. I can't imagine why our country, as oil hungry as ours, would not understand the actions of a government that looks to protect the availability of that resource even if it meant a war. I could care less what everyone is saying, it is our actions that have got us where we are. Anyone that blames the people on Wall St. for our current economic situation is a piece of shit in my book. I don't know anyone that would not have done what they did, the only difference is they had more money to do it with.

Maybe it's time we swallow our pride, quit bailing people out and do something about it. Granted I have no expertize in this area but it just seems like all we are doing is perpetuating meritocracy. It just seem that if we look at our actions for what they are, not through the self glorification that is the American way, that we can actually do something about were we have gotten ourselves.




Anyway back to the link, yeah if we can be sued for putting our life on the line for a stranger (of friend) than why would we? We're doing a great job at being "Americans" America.




Back to home, it's good to be home! I've caught up with almost all of the friends and family, its really great to see everyone. I was prepared for what I learned last year and it has made this break a thousand times more enjoyable. I still don't know the future of this blog. Over the summer it transformed into a travel blog and really I have no way of topping that adventure. I think that is why there were minimal posts over the past 4 months. Who knows, with the talk of Grad School after graduation there might be a different type of adventure to write about.

And I have no idea why College Grads dont stick around New York.....

Ok, so a sin tax on non diet soda seems a little harsh but cutting education and health care?

New York's Shooting Itself in the Foot



Seems like a solid plan

:-)

Strangers May Cheer you up

update

Well its been a long semester but the end of the tunnel is two weeks out and then its back to the good old 518 for an entire month. Changes this semester:

• Possibility for a 5 year high GPA mark... 3.4 worst case 3.7 if all goes well (yeah thats a 2.4 difference from last semester.
• I've actually been reading books I enjoy in my free time ( Check out Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales).
• I've bought a SKS "assault rifle".
• I am no longer an officer in the fraternity (I didn't go to the bathroom this year during elections to make sure it stayed that way).
• I've become proficient at Photoshop and am working on Premiere.
• Have a World of Warcraft Account.
• I added a minor in Emergency Management.

My quest for an international internship went down the tubes with the economy. I contacted the lady i had originally interviewed with in Turner 2 years ago and it turns out that she is now the VP for safety in the national organization. She said the international business unit and the New York Business unit are starting to slow and suggested that I get on board with Tompkins in DC as soon as I can.

I am looking forward going home in 2 weeks, I will be home from December 13th until January 11th.

"Keep your eye on the target."

~Professor Hanson~
(after bumping into him at the ammo counter of the local gun shop)

For some reason life has been pulling rank over the blog so I would say I would update more often but it is probably just a lie. School is going well, I pulled a 91 average across my first round of exams. I bought another toy, a chinese Norinco SKS. What can I say, life is good.






"People can be divided into three classes
The few who make things happen
The many who watch things happen
And the overwhelming majority who have no idea what has happen."
~Unknown~

An Update

Sorry it took so long to get this posted up. The past few weeks have been a little crazy. Because my trip report was so long, I had to post it up as 4 Posts. As you read down they should be in order. I'll get the pics up and go through and correct the spelling and grammar errors soon.

Today was a particularly rough day, just the stress of everything in addition to a lost cell phone and a close friend opening my eyes to an issue that I hope can be worked out. Regardless, I recently came across a quote that has been getting me through.


"We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right."
~Gary Ryan Blair

The Trip

I guess I'll pick up where I left off.

The first day my travels took me from Wasilla, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Other than a little rain and and a mid day temp in the upper 40's - low 50's. I saw one moose and one back bear. The dielectric grease I put on my front spark plug cap solved all of my problems when it came to my troubles with the from cylinder cutting out when it rains. One thing that I did not account for in my travel times was construction. I spent approximately 2 hours making no progress. I made it to Whitehorse by about 11 PM. I was already able to notice my daylight diminishing.

Day two I headed out from Whitehorse with the intention of spending the night in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. As i was riding I decided to make a change of route and I took British Columbia Rt 37 "The Cassiar." It was mostly a 2 lane road with minimal guardrails/lines on the road. It cut through some of the most amazing mountains I have ever seen. It was truly the middle of nowhere but it was still amazing. It struck me as rather weird that I had not seen any Ski Resorts and that is when I realized that all of the skiing in the area was via helicopter. Around sunset I came to a section of road that the brush on the sides had been cleared. In the course of 20 miles I saw at least 11 bears. This was rather disheartning considering i was only 20 minutes from where I was about to set up my tent for the night. Luckly the campground I stayed at was run by the providence so they had bear boxes and food caches. When I arrived I just cought the ranger station before it closed. I ended up throwing my tent up under a pavilion because of an impending thunder storm. The winds were picking up so I had to strap my tent to the pillars of the pavilion.

When I woke up there was no wind at all and the ground was dry so that was a plesant supprise. Day three I finished my ride down the cassiar and jumped on BC rt 16 and started my journy towards Jasper and Banff. Once I was off the Cassiar, signs of life were a lot more abundant. Overall the day we rather uneventful. It was the end of the day that was a little more action than I had Anticipated. As the sun was setting I was still about 2-3 hours outside Jasper national park. The roads were wet but I didn't hit any direct rain. This became interesting when I cam to a freshly paved stretch of road that lasted about 20 miles. The wet roads without lines were a less than pleasurable experience but it only got better. As I entered into Jasper it actually started to rain and apparently the route I was on has heavy tractor trailer traffic at night. I couldn't see exactly what was going on because of the road spray and the lack of lines on the road but i do know that there were several instances that I could see a rock wall to my left and nothing to my right. I have no idea how far down it was but needless to say I was excited to get to my campground that evening.

On the fourth day I awoke to blue skies and Amazing mountains. It was probibly in the mid 40s and it took a wile for everything to warm up because the sun had to peek over the mountains. I can not begin to describe the views in Jasper and Banff. As I continued my ride I zig zaged back across British Columbia and headed toward Vancouver. I made it to the US border just at sunset and crossed in some small town in Washington. Seattle was probibly one of the prettyest cities I've seen at night. My campgound was about 30 minutes from Portland, Oregon. Because I didn't get in until around 2:00 AM I ended up just throwing my tent up and paying in the morning.

The Trip

The next morning I stopped in Portland to get new tires on the bike. Once again the saying "If there is a "MLK" Blvd you're probibly in the ghetto" came to mind.... and yup. The bike shop was a little sketch but the old guys had my tires and the price was ok so it all worked out. I was back on the road by approximately 11:30. It took a while to get through Oregon and the heat was starting to get to me, As I entered Northern California I got my first taste of triple Digit Temperatures. Near Reading I noticed a big change in the temperature every few miles. It was the rocks on the side of the road. If there was gravel on the side of the road on the south side of a mountain it was radiating the head even after the sun was starting to set. You could defiantly feel the difference between the north and south sides. Once the sun set my fun was only just starting to begin. I could not find my two campgrounds so I just headed south. I was mentally breaking down and made the decision that I was going to head towards San Francisco so i could see the Golden Gate Bridge. I eventually just broke down and realized that I was beat down and I needed a good nights sleep to regroup my thoughts and go from there.

In the morning I realized that the golden gate bridge was going to add 3+4 hours of travel that I didn't have the time for so I proceded down California. It was well over 100 degrees, I was not ready for that heat by any means. It was so bad that I had to ride with my shield down on my helmit and had to stop for water every 45 minutes or so. I just happened to catch Los Angeles in rush hour. Normally this would have been miserable but riding a motorcycle does have its fringe benifits. I have never split lanes before but I have to admit, it was a rush. I was sitting still in the HOV land and notice 2 or 3 bikes driving between the cars every 5 minutes or so. After about 30 minutes of watching this I got a little dareing. I waited until a loud bike went past and followed suit. He would go by and you could see the cars freak out and get over as far as they could. It was nice b/c I was loaded up and was only sneeking through by inches.

Orrigionally I had planned on driving down to Tijuana but after talking to several fellow 2 wheeled adventurers they warned me that if i ride my bike in i'll be luckey if I walk out. But keeping in the adventorus spirit they told me to go to Mexicali. Apparently there is less of the shady business. With that in mind I cut down to a small border town of El Thats where I spend the night.

Normally I am pretty good about taking my parents advice but on this instance I took an unnessary risk and luckly got away with it. My father works for a private contractor doing distructive testing of gun barrel failures. Apparently there is some termoil with some top mexican officials and all government emplyees that are going to the Yuma Proving Ground were advised not to travel over the border. After breaking myself physically, mentally and financially for this trip I was feeling invincible.

First thing in the morning I headed for the boarder.Centro, CA. Thats where I spend the night.

the trip

Normally I am pretty good about taking my parents advice but on this instance I took an unnessary risk and luckly got away with it. My father works for a private contractor doing distructive testing of gun barrel failures. Apparently there is some termoil with some top mexican officials and all government emplyees that are going to the Yuma Proving Ground were advised not to travel over the border. After breaking myself physically, mentally and financially for this trip I was feeling invincible.

First thing in the morning I headed for the boarder. I’m not quite sure what the allure of the southwest is but I could not stand the smell. The only way to describe it is aloe, poverty, heat, and sand. I was only about 5 miles from the border so I was there in no time. Getting in was the easy part. I pulled up to the border and they flagged me over to the side. After being told something in Spanish I busted out my extensive knowledge of the Spanish language “no habla espanol” (yeah its that bad). I explained that I had ridden from Alaska and just wanted to go far enough to say that I’ve been to Mexico. The guard sitting on his lawn chair looked at me like I was nuts and waved me on. I drove for about 2 minutes and realized that I had no idea what I was doing and I couldn’t read the street signs. I found the line to get back into the country. There was a line for passenger cars and another line for Sentry System/motorcycle. I had no idea what the sentry system was so I just go in line with the passenger cars, and I sat there. I sat so long that my bike started to overheat. I guess is customary for bikes to go to the front of the line. The lady behind me informed me that I should just ride the curb. Normally I would have but the curb is also where the telephone poles are and there was no way I could make it through. Eventually there was a pull off lane that I could jump back into the motorcycle lane and cut to the front. When it was my turn at the gate the guard gave me a glare and took my passport. After getting grilled about why I was in mexico just long enough to turn around he wrote something down on a slip of paper and told me to pull up to one of the bays. When I got there I was to give my passport to an official. They asked the same questions. They started to dig into my gear and I think they got discouraged by how tightly my gear was packed. They only unzipped the side of one saddlebag and my tank bag. After that the boarder guard went to talk to, who I presume was his superior. When he came back he said I was free to go and gave me my passport and the slip of paper and told me to give the slip to the exit guard. Before I put my gear on I took a quick look at the paper. It said, “Just came in to turn around and leave”, “Hands Shaking”, and “Excessive luggage”. All I could do was laugh, of course my hand were shaking, I had all my gear on and was dehydrated sitting with an internal combustion engine between my legs.

The Trip

It was good to be back in the country, even if I was only gone for 45 minutes. My luck started to turn, I just happened to run into a cold front in Arizona. I never thought I would be that cold in Arizona but between the rain and the temp dropping at night it was one extreme to the other. It turns out that my fathers cousin works for the chain of hotels that owns the Marriott. She happened to be in New York visiting my grandparents. She got me here employee discount but I had to push the extra 200 miles. It turned out it was totally worth it. I stayed at a residence in, IT WAS HUGE. I had 1 1/2 bathrooms, a kitchen, fireplace, living room, dining room, 2 walk in closets, and a second bedroom UPSTAIRS. I wish that I could have stayed longer but after a few hours of sleep I was back on the road.
The last day of my trip went well. I never got into the rain but there were several sections that the road was wet. The cool weather was also like a breath of fresh air.

Over all I covered 5,500 Miles in 8 days. I camped 4 nights and spend 3 nights in cheep hotels. The bike averaged in the low 50’s as far as miles per gallon. I paid as much as $6.50 a gallon for gas and as little as $3.50.

Looking back I can only think of one statement to describe the situation. A mountain climber was asked why he took such senseless risks and he responded that you never really know who you are until you push yourself to your breaking point. Through this trip I was able to see how I would handle 16-hour days on the bike, and camping on the dirt at night. It was an amazing trip, one that I’ll never forget

Well I mannaged to miss

Well I mannaged to miss judge some distances by about 250 miles (or aprox 4 hours) but im still on track and im only 30 min from OR

I just crossed the border,

I just crossed the border, im back in the lower 48, so far the ride has been AMAZING! Next stops portland, sacramento, san diego

The Little Susitna River

So I mistook Jon's willingness for adventure with his ability to kayak, it turns out that he had never actually been in a kayak before. We put in at 11 PM and were on shore with almost all of our gear by Midnight. The water was breathtaking, in more ways than one. The only stuff lost to the river were my Alaska nalgene, 4 tall boys, 4 Coors light cans and our pride. We only made it about two tenths of a mile before we were forced to set up camp and dry out by the camp fire for the night. The nest morning we got back on the river and we had made it about the same distance before Jon was back in the drink. Once we got all of the water out of his boat we tried again and he made it maybe 20 feet and was in the river again. I realized that he wasn't having a stability problem, it was just that he couldn't keep off the trees. We ended up using some rope to tie his boat to mine and I was able to keep him out of the trees enough that he didn't flip again. We went another 17 miles and cough up to the group of 4 canoes that we were going to finish the trip with. Luckily for us they had already lost one canoe and were drying out their gear. The rest of the trip went rather uneventful and we had a great time. By the end of the weekend we had traveled just over 60 miles. My camera had got some condensation early in the trip so there were just a few pictures taken.


Everything is pretty much wrapped up here at work so Saturday I leave for my trip back to Oklahoma.

yup

My paycheck today confirmed that I'll have sufficient funds to make it to Mexico, so that adventure will start next weekend. As for my last weekend in Alaska, I am kayaking 50 miles of the Little Susitna River. There will be pictures.

The Longest Year of My Life

I want to thank ever one for the birthday wishes. I've concluded that this year was the longest year of my life; having turned 21 in Washington, D.C. and 22 in Alaska this year was 4 hours longer.

Last weekend I road the bike up to the Arctic circle for the 4th of July. It is 178 mile north of Fairbanks, Alaska along some of the most amazing roads I have ever ridden. Words can't do justice to the vast beauty of this area. The Dalton Highway (aka the Haul Road) was used during the construction of the Alaska Pipeline and is the only ground access to the oil fields in the Arctic. Because of this there is an abundance of large equipment on the road. There was a sign at the start that said the bigger you are the more right of way you had. The road itself is a little over 400 miles of gravel. I really have no way to describe the vast beauty of the area, it was extremely humbling traveling it alone on a motorcycle, there is really no way to describe it. Here are some pictures from the trip.

The Alaska Pipeline on the left and the Dalton on the Right

Fire Weed

Arctic Circle

The Sunrise at 2:15 AM

My Map and Bear Mace

My Camp Site 60 Miles South of the Arctic Circle

The Alaska Pipeline

ehh

A California Man Put in Jail For Saving His Own Home




I know its of a topic that might not interest much but yeah it stirred mixed feeling for me.

My Return Trip

For an extra 1200 miles I added Tijuana to my return trip

My Ride To Alaska

Test: this blog is from

Test: this blog is from my phone, I should be able to do some quick updates from the road now.

An expensive but refreshing few weeks.

So yeah, as you may have noticed I has slightly re-worked my page. I don't know if I am completely happy with it yet but it is coming along. I guess I'll go over the past few weeks in chronological order.

Two weeks ago I broke my phone, yes the chocolate has a cracked screen so I was unable to pull the old numbers off. I have finally upgraded to a Motorola Q, so far it seems to be treating me well but we'll see if the windows mobile OS is in any way compatible with the Macbook I've got coming.

Last week my parents flew up from New York. While it was a little frustrating because I am so used to making split second decisions for my self the decision making process of a family of four on vacation is a little slower. Once I realized it was best to just let them figure it out the week off became extremely relaxing. We went and saw Mt. McKinley (Denali), at a little over 20,000 feet it is the highest point in North America. Then we drove down to Seward and went on a glacier cruse. That was really neat, I was amazed on the amount of wild life that we saw. Everything from Humpback Whales to Puffins. We also saw the Portage Glacier, Whitier, Girdwood and several other stops along the way. On Friday we rented 4wheeler and I took them down to point McKenzie. Mom and Dad covered 90 miles that day were tired out. My brother and I attempted to make a break for the Knik Glacier but apparently you can not ride ATVs and Dirt bikes in the city of palmer. We got pulled over about 3 blocks in and the officer was really nice and let us off with just a verbal warning. Sunday my parent left. I probably will not see them again for 6 months.... gotta run i'll be back later





ok, back. My laptop is on the fritz so I finally caved in and bought a Mac, it should be in by early next week. I'm pretty excited about that, it will be nice to finally have something that I can work with. My current laptop is almost 5 years old and has served me well. Yesterday I got my physical therapist to sign me off Light duty so now I can run calls.

Cold War Mike Hercules Missile Silo

For those who wonder why its called "The Last Frontier"

The Brown Bomber from atop a missle bunker.

Why You Never Leave Your Vehical

Yesterday was full of adventure, after my ride Jon, Patrice, Derek, Patrick and myself took the Brown Bomber (1985 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Purchased for $300) to the Bay Site abandonded army base about 15 miles from Wasilla. I realized that I never actually got any pictures of the bunkers because every time we stopped there was someone standing around shooting automatic weapons.

My Quest For The Knik Glacier

Playing In The Dirt

A Moose Trail

Wildlife Checking Me Out

I never actually made it all the way to the glacier but the summer is still young.

Been a few days

It's been a few days since my last post so I figure I'll try and get everyone up to speed. Everything has been going smooth, the lack of work is still frustrating but I'm doing what I can to make sure that it gets seen that I'm not just slacking. I'm still trying to figure out if i could actually live here after school. There are two employment prospects that have caught my eye since I've been here. The first is working Safety up on the North Slope. One of the guys here on department runs with safety for the refineries up near Prudhoe Bay and brings home +- $140 K. The work is two weeks on two weeks off. It would be doing safety, so its something that is actually interesting (to me). The second is the prospect of working for the forestry department and being a smoke jumper. Not to sound arrogant but I've seen some of the people in the department and having a 4 year degree in fire protection it looks like good odds that with some hard work there might be some opportunity for advancement. Working winters in the arctic circle and summers as a smoke jumper could be an extremely physically demanding life style but with the income and some savings right from the start retirement seems feasible.

Frustrations

-Meeting expectations that are not known.
-Drama that is 4000 miles away.
-Being broke.
-20 Hours of Daylight and not having enough energy.
-Not being able to tell people to go away because they are coworkers.
-Having to stand around as everyone else gets to ride fire trucks.
-My computer being in the fritz.
-Not having an office to get work done in.
-Having to entertain my parents for 10 days (you'd think this would be easy considering I only see them 2 weeks a year)

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend we did some camping out on a lake here in town. We paddled out to an island and killed some beers and had a camp fire. Saturday morning it rained but we were so glad just to be out of the fire house that we really didn't care.

Sunday night a bunch of us drove down to Resurrection Bay and the town of Seward. It was really cool. It's amazing how fast a 5 hour drive goes when the scenery is so amazing.








Me curled up on a wooden sea lion.


The island we went camping on.


The view from the office.



Everything is going really well here. It is extremely frustrating at points because the borough is dragging their feet on a lot of the resources that we are asking for in order to get started on our projects. We've been here fore 3 weeks and still can not log into the computers. The ball is starting to roll a little faster but I still feel like shit sitting around the fire house with the EMT's and Firefighters that are making less than half of what we are and they are doing 4x the work. I am back in physical therapy and the Dr. here seems to think that I will be able to get off light duty by the end of June. That is another extremely frustrating part of this job, I can't stand having to sit and watch the firetrucks pull out without me on them. Now that I am starting to get to know the Medics and Chiefs better I have been bumming a ride off them but still its not the same.

Im going to try and get better at posting again. Its been a little rough because by time I work a 8 hour day and do 4 hours of training and run a few calls its already after midnight. I'll see what I can do.

Suggestions Welcome

So we're starting a list of things to do in Alaska that couldn't be done in the lower 48:

Hitch Hike to Anchorage
Go To Arctic Circle
Be Drunk At Midnight in daylight


open to suggestions

Jack.Norray@okstate.edu

Run into the ground

Its amazing how our day seems to never get started but once it does it goes for 15+ hours. Today consisted of Air Pack Training, over views of the trucks, meeting with borough director and then 5 hours of rescue training. This is the first free time I've had since 9 this morning, its past 11 here.


I did see the coolest thing today, we were cutting apart cars and a moose walked by. I also learned to go nowhere around this place without a camera.

The Man, The Legend

Well it didn't take a week for me to make a name for myself. I am now known to the Forest service as 'The Guy Who Took the Gate'.

Monday during my first call there was a wild land fire climbing a ridge line towards a row of houses. Patrice and I were riding with the chief so we circled up to see what we could do to protect the houses. There was this one house that the fire was headed towards but there was a chain link fence with automatic openers on the fence. I jumped out of the chiefs car went to see if i could get it open, I could get through but i couldn't get it open so the chief said to just push.

Well i just leaned into it and with the amazing power of leverage I managed to bend both of the gates back far enough to get the trucks through. When I did this I did quite a number on the support posts and really effed up the fence.

Luckily the trucks have camcorders on the dash and It has me checking to see if i can get it open and the chief telling me to take the gate.

Apparently during overhaul the home owners got home and were PISSED OFF. The forest service really got their ass chewed out and we had already left the scene.

Today Patrice, Jake and I went down to the forest service HQ and I walked in and 3 people came up to me and once introduced asked if i was the one that took the gate.


And with that A Legend Is Born.

Several Thoughts

-the only thing that keeps people where they are in the world is the thought they can't do something

-Alaska is owned by the US but is not part of the US but strangely enough consists of people from other places in the US

-If you laugh at the jokes someone make at you, you can take a hard ass Los Angeles Firefighter from NH and get him off your back in under a week.

-When it doesn't get dark until midnight it makes going to bed that much harder

-Texas is a long way away from Alaska so you have to flush twice.

-If you bring dogs and or babies into a fire house big bad Firefighters turn in to teddy bears.

-It is possible to go places after Berne, I don't care what so many BKW grads say.

-There are still not enough hours in the day.

Everything is going really well here. We are starting to get settled in and starting to get to know everyone. It is amazing how even in a place with so much sunlight and no real work schedule how there can still be too few hours in the day to get things done.

Some Pics

Entering Alaska



Near Beaver Creek, Yukon



British Columbia



Mile Marker 0



Yellow Stone, Wyoming



Wyoming

Wasilla, Alaska, Central Mat-Su Fire Department Station 61

I finally made it to my destination. After 4000 miles and 6 days on the road with one day of mechanical in Edmonton I arrived last night. The last 50 miles of Canada were brutal on both me and the bike. The frost heaves were about 20 feet long and about 2-3 feet high. The only way to describe it is like riding a jet ski on pavement.

Once I finally arrived in Wasilla, about the second stop light I came to I just happened to see Medic 1s squad car. We exchanged glances and an the next stop light I pulled up next to him and he rolled down the window.

"You the new intern?"
"Yup"
"Ok, follow me"

I had my own private escort to the fire house. I got all my stuff inside and hung out for a little wile before heading to bed. It felt good to get a good nights sleep and not have to wake up a 7am and get on the bike in below freezing weather.

Wildlife Report:
Moose:3
Bears:4
Elk:0
Caribou: 10+
Buffalo: 10+
Eagles: 2
Coyotes: 2


Everyone here is really nice, I don't think I came across as too crazy for making the ride on a motorcycle but I defiantly got some empathy for being tired and scruffy.

I went to wal-mart and got the basic stuff, sheets, shampoo, razer, a new nalgene,the old one got left in Oklahoma ;-( . I am having trouble getting my pictures off my camera but i'm working on it.

Whitehorse, Yukon Terr.

So today I traveled another 600 miles (100K) from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, to Whitehorse, Yukon. It was quite possibly the best day of riding i've ever had. The Cassiar Mountain Range was AMAZING. I only got rained on for about an hour but it is chilling to to bone to ride for hours on end, wet, with an 80 mph wind chill. It def takes alot of you. I still cant believe that I have ridden over 3200 Miles and still have another 800 to go before I arrive in Wasilla. The first day was the worst as far as the riding being painful. I have gotten to the point where even when shivering from the cold I don't get stiff and tense up.

I have some amazing pictures that I'll post up once I get my laptop.

I am spending another night in a Hostel, This one is more like a home so it is quite different than the one in Edmonton. It still seems that we are all in search of work but this house is alot smaller and the total years spent in prison by its occupents is ALOT less if any at all.

Im going to check the weather, i dont know if i am going to drive straight through to Wasilla tomorrow or stop in Tok, Alaska.


Anyway, im still alive and kicking.

This will probibly be my only post From canada and its from my palm so my spellingis going to be even worse.

upon arival i realized i was not going to make it with the bike, the rear sprocket was shot (pics will be posted on my flickr account).

So i spent last night looking up bike shops here in edmonton, I came up with 6. So this morning i set out with no idea what i was going to do. The first bike shop had the parts but would not be able to get me in untill the 23ed. The second shop had the parts but could not get me in until thursday. I was not able to find the other shops so i tryed my last shop on the list. I knew they would not have the parts but i asked if i had the parts would they install them. they said they would so i ran back to one of the shops and got the kit. I droped the bike off and got lunch. before i was back the bike was almost done. I was finished by noon. $300 later the bike was running better than when i left. I am good to go for tomorrow morning.

The hostel has been an interesting experience. I was expecting all travlers but its about half travelers and half people that are looking for work. It is amazing how willing people are willing to spark up a joint or talk about doing cocane. They explained to me how the court system here is not about punishment, rather rehabilitation. It was interesting to see the life style they live. granted i have seen only a very skewed sample of the population, the culture here is def different. I would describe it as a very liberal culture that actually makes money. It seems like the value of their dollar has gone up but every thing is still priced high. It is also interesting to hear all of the bush bashing. I even talked to a guy about his dreams of buying a monkey, a cactus, and picking oranges in florida.

All and all i am looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow is going to be a crazy day... About 13-15 hours of riding But from what i hear the adventure is just begining.

A sort of less stressful day.

I figured I'd post up one last time before I headed north for the summer. I'll be shipping out my computer tomorrow afternoon so my only posts will be from my Palm if i happen to come across a Hot Spot and some free time.

My Final trip schedule is

Saturday: Stillwater, OK - Denver, CO
Sunday: Denver, CO - Butte, MT
Monday : Butte, MT - Edmonton, Alberta
Tuesday: Edmonton, Alberta - Fort Nelson, British Columbia
Wednesday: Fort Nelson, British Columbia - Whitehorse, Yukon Terr.
Thursday: Whitehorse, Yukon Terr. - Wasilla, Alaska

I did a trial load of the bike on Wednesday




I've done some slimming down and no longer have the back pack on top of the pile.


The Contents of my Trip:
GPS
Map
2 Cell Phones
Palm Pilot
MP3 Player
Camera
Book (Blink By Malcolm Gladwell)
Small First Aid Kit
Passport
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Roll
Knee Brace
2 Pairs of Jeans
2 Pairs of water proof riding pants
Tee Shirt
Under Armor
Fresh Socks/Underwear
Tools
2 MREs (thank you Adam(these two MREs have gone to Alaska 3 Times Already))
Gloves
2 2 1/2 gallon gas cans


There will be alot of pics when I get up there so get ready! See ya from the Great White North!

Tired

I need to get the hell out of dodge.

Wait, there is more to college than books?

My Frustrations

I realize that when someone worries about you its only because they care, touching, I know. But recently it has been a cause of much frustration on my part. I guess I just have a really hard time with people worrying about things that are outside of their control. I mean really, I have lived 1500 miles from home for 3 years now. I have survived a summer in Washington D.C.. I have gotten knee surgery and dealt with the health insurance being out of the coverage area (actually twice now). I would like to think that I am a pretty self sufficient individual.

I know this trip coming up is really long but honestly I don't see the need for others to worry as much as they are. What is going to happen to me on this trip that couldn't have happened when I road from NY to here? or from here to DC? Is the worrying in anyway being productive? no Is the worrying about any event that can be controlled by someone else? no

I guess I just don't see this trip as out of the normal, maybe its just me being young and naive but it just bothers me that my trip is making people worry to the point that they are taking it out on people other than myself that really have nothing to do with it.

O well, its just the name of the game I guess.

15 Days

I have found a website that has probably already saved my life multiple times.

Adventure Rider

Its a forum filled to the brim with people that have made trips on bikes that make my 4000 mile international journey seem like the recess between lunch and history class. They are all more than willing to give advice to a green horn that is willing to make a journey such as mine

One example is the availability of Way points on the GPS. Yes I said GPS, after years of growing up folding maps I have caved in and bought a GPS and i figured out a way to mount in on the bike.

The question came up, "if i can only go 150miles on a tank of gas and its up to 200 miles between gas stations, how am I going to make this work?"

In addition to two extra gas tanks (over doubling my range) and with all of the gas stations on the Alcan (Alaska-Canadian) Highway mapped on the GPS I think i might be able to make it.

I made a trial run to Tulsa today to see if I was going to be able to physically handle the trip. I was still a little stiff after an hour but it was the normal stiff and I didn't notice anything different in my left knee.

What, its still Tuesday?

Mad tired but still alive. 18 Days (not that i'm counting)

Just when the stress started to wind down

The ferry from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK is full, thank you ACL surgery.

Time for plan B....


ROUTE SUMMARY
1. Stillwater, OK
2. Denver, CO
3. Butte, MT
4. Edmonton, AB
5. Fort Nelson, BC
6. Whitehorse, YT
7. Wasilla, AK
STEPS: 83 EST. DRIVE TIME: 68 hours, 40 minutes EST. DISTANCE: 3995 miles

Quote of the Day

"You guys are like rats, following each other off a cliff."

Thank You Professor Brock, it has been a few hours now since you've reminded us we're undergrads (shit).

The Longest, Most Stressed 26 Days in my near future

M/V Columbia

I sent in the application for my reservations for the ferry ride from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK. It looks like I'll be on the M/V Columbia for almost 4 days.

I've been back up riding again for almost a week now and everything is feeling really good. I had some Gremlins at first, McKenzie was a little mad at me for not riding her for 4 weeks but she soon forgave me.

Crazy tests and assignments due this week so we'll see if I survive.

The Mostest Bad Ass Shack EVER!

PI KAPPA PHI - DELTA DELTA DELTA
Habitat for Humanity
Shack-A-Thon '08

only one heart attack away

The other day Yankee, our chapter adviser Doug and myself were having a little talk about where the fraternity is as and where we want to take it and brotherhood came up. Being the master of stories, Doug was telling us about how, years after college, he had a heart attack while living in Denver and the next day one of his brothers was at his side. It was that instant when i realized what fraternity is all about. Yankee and I turned to each other and like clock work we said,

"When you have your heart attack I'll be there the next day."

Not that we know our life style is killing us but at least we wont have to go at it alone.




In other news, I've been granted permission to walk around campus with out my knee brace.

Woot Woot!

As I get ready for the sun to go down on my last night of spring break I figured a post was in order.

After actually sticking to my PT schedule this week I ventured outside.


I WAS ABLE TO GET MY LEFT LEG UP ONTO THE PEG OF MY BIKE!!!!! I had to work the motions for getting my foot under the shifter but still a huge accomplishment. I still cannot ride for a few weeks but at least now i know that its only gonna get better.

Track: Ooh Wee
Album: Here Comes The Fuzz
Artist: Mark Ronson

Check it out. RUCKUS.

I've been on hold for 36 minutes now

I've been on hold with US Border something or other trying to find out when the crossing into Alaska from the Yukon Territory opens up and to see if I need to spend the night or can push through make the final leg in one day.

There were 11 Calls ahead of me, it got down to 6 but now its back up to 9? how exactly does that work? Its almost to the point where I have to give up and go to physical therapy.

I found a blog from a lady that made the trip from Cali to Fairbanks on the same bike as I have

Her Photo Gallery


I'm starting to get excited!

1 Month and 14 Days

This is the game plan for days one through 4 of my adventure coming up.

Adventures and Thoughts

Adventures:

Josh and I went up to his grandparents for a weekend of doing nothing constructive and shooting guns. I went through almost 3000 rounds in 3 days. Surprisingly it went by really fast, we had a great time. His grand parents live about 20 minutes from Kansas in a town called Buffalo, Oklahoma. It was a lot of country for me but I survived, we had a good time shooting just about anything we wanted.

Last night we headed back and got to Stillwater around 11:45. I didn't realize that everyone had gotten paid Saturday night so the regulars (employees) were not around. Dave and I decided that drinking was in order so he proceeded to school me at several games of pool. Then from across the bar I spot a familiar face, who else but curtis. He goes for the bear hug/tackle and obviously forgot that I just had knee surgery yet some how he managed to be the one that ended up on the ground. I don't know who he was with but he didn't know either so everything was a little interesting. I could tell he was trying for this one girl but he was a little too drunk for his own good. Eventually the girls he was with came over and joined in on our game of pool. Not wanting to be the cock block I dropped back into wingman formation and went with the other friend. After a little wing man action and talking to the bouncers to try and keep Curtis from being bounced, IHOP was brought up. Dave was the only one with a car and there were now 9 people involved. I don't know how they got 7 people in that truck but curtis and I road in the back until we got to my house. I had physical therapy this morning so I couldn't have a long night. Curtis crashed on my couch and I have no idea how dave made out.

This morning my front door was open and Curtis's boots were still by the couch were I left him. Upon further survey of the room he had switched to the futon. He didn't remember leaving the bar.

After dropping him off I proceeded to Physical Therapy. I was slightly concerned because I didn't do as much stretching as I should have. Apparently my weekends adventures were enough, i was able to bend my knee 120 degrees, thats 22 degrees of improvement in just 4 days.


Thoughts:

I have never felt more like a city boy in my entire life than I have this weekend. Now I'm no stranger to playing on a farm but there was so much farm that I would have gone nuts if i was there for more than 3 days. This place was so country that it had me wondering why anyone would raise kids in this enviroment. At the same time I was striking similar to my thoughts of seeing the enviroment that some kids were growing up in the Ghettos of Washington DC over the summer. I don't know if its the thought of tradition that would make you think it would be a good idea to raise kids in an environment like that but if you look and see that you have worked you're whole life just to scrape along and all the kids are doing is alcohol and drugs than wouldn't that make you consider maybe a change? It just seems like that life style perpetuates itself, I'm just having a really hard time excepting the fact that things like that happen.

My other conclusion from this weekend is that I realize that I don't enjoy being around drunk guys while in the presence of the girls that they are drunkenly pursuing. As a guy you're going to fall into one of the following 3 categories, A) The pissed off drunk guy that is too drunk to realize that he has no chance B) The cock block, hated by all and usually no better guy than the first guy but is a little more sober and is smooth enough to get the girl or C) the wing man, the awkward job that requires staying sober to prevent beer goggles and can see both the pissed off drunk guy and the cock block. Don't get me wrong, girls can be a blast when drinking and there are situations where everyone can have fun but it just seems like the previously mention situation is more common. I don't enjoy any of the three rolls, looks like the bar scene just isn't all its cracked up to be.

Fall

I finally made my way over to Cordell to get advised, my fall classes.

Elementary Stat
Intro to Micro Computer Programing
Organizational Communication
Aim & Scope of Emergency Mgmt
Organizing for Action



Wasn't I a Fire Protection Major at one point?

Post Surgery Appt.

It turned out the part of the surgery I feared the most wasn't so bad. I don't know why I was so scared of getting stitches out, I had this notion that it would feel like pulling thread through paper. It turns out that I couldn't feel it at all, so 13 stitches later I'm good to go.

As far as the overall progress is going, I can walk without crutches and already have a really good range of motion. I start physical therapy tomorrow, its going to be a long road but the weather has been amazing so I'm stoked to get the ball rolling and get back to being able to spend time out side. The weather has been good and I got to spend some time in the hammock.

Tomorrow marks the start of my 4th spring break. After traveling a minimum of 1200 miles per break over the past 3 years, this year is going to be a little less hard core. Josh and I are going up to his grandparents cabin for some good old Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Its only going to be a 3 day adventure but between 16 hrs of classes, working 2 jobs and having surgery, spring break is much awaited.

As for the other several days, it'll be a typical spring break.


And In Other News:

-Govt. Spitzer is once again making New York Proud. The best quote from the entire scandal came from Lettermans top 10 Sptizer excuses.
8. "Have you ever been to Albany?"

-OSU SGA (if you follow my posts, you already know how i feel about that organization) was doing a poll about the students feeling about allowing students with Concealed Weapons Permit to bring guns on campus. This was initiated by a bill state legislature revoking universities privilege to revoke students rights to have weapons on campus.

Now I try to respect the fact that students are entitled to their own opinion but at the same time I hear so many nay sayers that really have no idea what they are talking about. I just wish that informed decisions were a bigger part of our culture. These same people don't feel any more threatened when they walk 50 yards and cross University Ave. and if they don't think that there are already guns in the dorms and in the cars in the parking lot they need to open their eyes. No to mention that people that actually get their CWP are not the type of people that would be an issue.

I've got some pics of my actual Surgery that I'll get posted up once i get them scanned.

Weird

So yesterday a friend and I went to Peta Pit because i was feeling a little too lazy to cook something. The guy that took my order was a wild land firefighter from Utah named Jack. weird.

I think i know why im not enjoying this

Its not so much that the pain from the surgery is really that bad, what bothers me is the fact that you can't sleep because of it. A good nights sleep would make a lot of this a little easier. Today is going to be my first day back in class, the only thing more frustrating than not being able to sleep is having to ask people for rides everywhere. Its not that people are not willing to give them, i just hate asking.


It's 8:30 on a Monday morning and the street sweeper just went by, who does that anyway?

All the best shit happens at IHOP

So tonight was a 5 person birthday/007 James Bond Party.

My Outfit...

White Suit Jacket
Slate Silk Shirt
Black Tie
Crutches
Cargo Shorts
Knee Brace
Dress Shoes
Old Man Checkered Dress Socks
(Edit: Pics Coming Soon)

Maybe 5% of this party was not a Vocal Performance Major. So basically there was a lot of high pitched noises and gay guys. Minus the high pitched noises it was a blast. Everyone was well dressed and having a good time.

The highlight was the after party at IHOP.

There was maybe 8 of us there, we were drunk but not out of control. Our waitress comes up and when its my turn to order...

"I'll have Colorado omelet , and by any chance is your name Amy?"

Well I hit that nail on the head, she was a girl that was flirting with me pretty hard core at the weed last week. Apparently things look a lot better in low lit situations.

Regardless, I make a comment about the Colorado omelet being full of meat and everyone laughs, especially when the guy next to me orders a steak omelet. This night was full of these little comments and no lie it was hilarious. The best part, I made a comment about loving all the meat "in a completely heterosexual way" and a bus boy makes a comment to the effect of...

"And thats a lie"

After the laughing subsides the comment was made...

"Way to be called out, being the only straight guy at the table"


We'll see if this is actually as funny as i think it is when I sober up but for right now it made my night.

Hardware

Well after getting delayed and having an emergency surgery I finally got my chance. Over all everything went well. My medial and lateral meniscus weren't as bad as they thought so they just beveled the tears so they won't get caught on anything and tare further. They also took a piece of my hamstring and made it into a new ACL. Its so weird to have some pins and a screw in my knee. I have to stay off it for my knee for 3 days and will be on crutches for a week or two, at least by spring break i'll be able to hobble my ass out the the hammock. (pics coming soon)

I'll have plenty of time for posts over the next few weeks. I just wanna thank everyone that has been helping or offered to help.

End of an Era

I am no longer employed by Oklahoma State University or the Tumbleweed Dance Hall. Tuesday morning i go under the knife for some after market modifications. From what i understand they will be taking a piece of my hamstring and making an ACL out of it. While they're in there they're either going to scrape down my medial and lateral meniscus' or make an attempt fix them if possible.

And good news, my internship in Alaska was on the line but it was discussed amongst the department directors and they agreed that they still wanted me to come up. I was slightly concerned for a few days but they said they will work with any limitations that I have.

The operation is Tuesday morning so i'll keep you updated.

Quote of the weekend

"If I was doing a scavenger hunt, that guy would totally be worth like 100 points"*

Referring to the guy that was passed out on the toilet, unresponsive, with a paper towel covered in blood at Shortcakes diner at 4:30 last night.



*I normally wouldn't quote myself but on this occasion I'll make an exception.

#2 

The Night That Never Ends

So years ago I over shot a landing at Gore Mt. With a sore knee I carried on with life, my knee has popped out from time to time. Well last friday was my final straw, it popped out again while i was walking.

I finally went in to get it checked out today, granted there was no MRI done yet but some if not all of my ACL is torn and probably some damage to the medial meniscus too.

New Mission: Get it fixed, survive rehab and be able to bend my knee far enough to ride the motorcycle to alaska


(about the title, Artist: The Cat Empire, Album: Two Shoes, Song: The Night That Never Ends, defiantly check it out!)

People Make Me Wonder

Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat

Quest for the weekend

I've got some some new questions to ponder:

When can one person take away the human rights of another?


..spurred by the purchase of some handcuffs for work... and the handcuffing of a drunk person that we later found out is said to be HIV positive...


I've got 2 exams in the next 10 hrs and I haven't gone to bed yet so im out.

Quote of the Evening

"You know you're getting old when you watch the primaries instead of porn."

~Charlie Ochs~


... i guess we're just getting old

My Adventures Continues

I Got The Internship In Alaska!

Go ahead officer, search the car.

I got called into work tonight for a little prep for the big weekend. 5 Hours later I really hadn't accomplished anything but i was being paid, no harm no foul.

on the way home i notice a cop behind me, and yeah i was doing 55 in a 45, and the lights go on.

"I pulled you over for doing 65 in a 45"
(anyone that has been in the station wagon knows that you know when you're doing 65 you know how fast you're going.)

i normally don't have a problem but i've never been pulled over in someone else's car, i was a little on edge for myself.
"where are you coming from?"
"the Weed"
"Have you been drinking?
" No sir, i work there"
" you sure?"
"Yeah"
"Please step out of the car"
"ok"
(second squad car shows up)

"You have any weapons on you?"
"No"
"Who's Car is this?"
"My Roommates"
"You have anything illegal in the car?"
"No"
"Does your roommate?"
"Ugh, well, um no, i mean, yeah he had better not, i mean no, go ahead and search it."

"Because your a little more on edge than our normal customer I'm going to pat you down and search the car."
"ok"


"because we took a little more of your time than normal i am going to let you go, just slow down."
"thank you gentlemen"

No ticket, no warning... but it gets better. Tonight was Kevin's 21st and i was actually headed to willies.

I stop at home and exchange stories, and walk to the bar

i get to 9th and washington (i live at 10th and jefferson) and who comes rolling up? but the second squad car that pulled me over, I just wave.

One beer turned into 6 beers and 3 shots, the third shot was take exactly one hour after i got pulled over..... needless to say i haven't spell checked this blog but for what its worth those shots are kicking in.

Good Night All.

Cowboy Mentality

My on the job training tonight consisted of:
be a Gentleman first and a hard ass second.
-if he giving you shit, only use the force needed to get him to the ground
-if he breaks a bottle or pulls a knife, fuck him up

Its 4:15 and i have class in 6 hours so im just going to hit some of the highlights
-When the lights go on and music stops its not good
-Biggest fight in 6 months.
-I saw a cop run into a crowd w/ a taser sparking (looked like cattle being herded)
-Shotgun loaded with riot control bean bags
-Sirens
-Some handcuffs
-I had a guy pinned on the ground and remember looking up and seeing the cop with an asp ready to put a hurting to the guy if needed
-a drunk guy passed out cold on stage, we found him during clean up
-that same guy decided that he wanted to fight
-i got to hold that guy down while two guys tryed to cuff him and the cop tazered him

I'll post a complete story tomorrow once i wake up from a massive nap

How would you kill 20 minutes?

So I had 20 minutes after class today before the bus came to the student union headed due south toward my house. With no pressing issues at hand i wandered into probably the weakest book store ever housed in an accredited university. Trying to figure out how to make this fun I spotted the cashier behind the counter, late 30s/early 40s christian looking woman. Instantly i knew what had to be done.

After some casual browsing I come across a Karma Sutra book. While thumbing through I took a few mental notes but put the book back. It wasn't going to hit the spot i was looking for. Around the corner I stumbled across where the 3 book Philosophy section ends and the 300 book Religion section starts. There before my very eyes was the book i was looking for. god is not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything. Being in the bible belt, I had no idea that there was no University PTA that would ban a book like this. Paydirt!

I walk up to the counter and was greeted with a smile, she took the book from me and ran it over the bar code scanner, she obviously did not see the title until it came up on the computer... her face made it the best $21.30 my parents have ever paid for.

Conversation

Mom: Did you get a new job?
Me: Yeah, I'm bouncing at a club in town.
Mom: What was wrong with selling your blood?(in a guilt tripping/nervous/disappointed tone)

is it sad when your mom thinks that selling your blood is one of your least hazardous sources of income?

:-)

My Quest For Perpetual Randomness

Well, in the true random path that is my life I am now a bouncer at one of the two clubs in stillwater, The Tumble Weed. For those that don't know of the Tumble Weed, it is an enviroment that is hard to put into words. Its really two different clubs, one side, Tremors, is the most ghetto ass gangster place in Stillwater and in the same building is one of the few redneck dance halls I've ever been in. This is going to be interesting.

Concept of the day

"To use the analogy, the "Leadership is the answer to everything" perspective is the modern equivalent of the "God is the answer to everything" perspective that held back our scientific understanding of the physical wold in the Dark Ages. In the 1500s, people ascribed all events they didn't understand to God. Why did the crops fail? God did it. Why did we have an earth quake? God did it. What holds the planets in place. God."


I found this quote in Jim Collins book Good to Great. It makes me wonder if the people in todays society are going to step up to the plate and fix the problems they blame on our leadership or if were just destine for meritocracy.

My fear....
"If you lick on the lollipop of mediocrity, then you are going to suck forever" Josh Machicek

Today with sentence fragments

- wake up to study - bought two books to read-pissed off a random professor, apparently he didn't like what I was saying about politics - went to class - two quizzes - phone interview with Alaska - food -

rather mundane but im still alive

Interesting Realizations

So I started class yesterday I got to reflecting on the past few weeks. As much needed as that break was it was slightly weird. I realized that I have changed a lot since the last time I spent more than a few days in New York, granted that was more than a year ago. I got caught up in the realization that I no longer see things the same way as my friends and family. Dealing with this was a little more challenging than I anticipated. As a result I ignored a few people that I probably shouldn't have.

Two quotes came to mind a lot over break, "Home is where you lay your head" and a line from an old Catch 22 Lyric "I don't care, I can fade away to anywhere." The meaning of home has changed for me, it used to be good old Berne, NY but that has kinda evolved into just the place where I grew up. It still holds a lot of value and is what shaped me into who I am today, its just interesting to look at it from a different perspective. The second quote reminds me of the different places that I've lived and things I've experienced. Going from Berne with influences of both Rural New York but not out of touch with Albany, to Oklahoma which is a college town in the bible belt. Then the experience of DC living on the corner of two roads that only have a number and a letter as their designations. I would like to think that I adapted quite well to all of my surroundings but at the same time I bring away a little from each experience and compare where ever I am to the other places.

In the end I see people that are intolerant of others through their own ignorance, people that are stuck in their ways, people that let their environment define who they are. At the same time I wonder about the concept and origin of this 'Ignorance'. I see it as ignorance but looking at it through their eyes its just mirroring their environment and the actions that are positively rewarded in that culture or even just for that individual. It is rough to look at this in a manner that is not strictly pointing blame for how people turned out. How exactly do you go about changing a mindset of a culture or society? You would think that going somewhere that the action or thought process is acceptable would be an way to solve the problem but really it only makes you're environment more comfortable, what happens on the society that your removed yourself from?

Another thought that has been bothering me lately is the real world in general. I'm talking about the real world that is mentioned in our freshmen orientation classes, the one that waits after graduation. For a wile I've had a grasp about how the real world works, its not the sun shine that they make it out to be. Its not all bad just its a little more competitive and cutthroat than we were lead to believe. Regardless, it the name of the game and the only way to get through is to adapt and overcome. My mental wandering has shifted more towards the people that are out in the world making the society work. I look at the previously mentioned people that are stuck in their ways, working 40 years in a factory doing mindless work to feed their families. Now this may just be my arrogant know it all college student side of me but its seems that they are doing tasks that really take nothing more than some simple training in that particular task to complete. I guess what i struggle with is why they don't pursue anything further. I realize thats easy for me to say as a student that is only tied down but the amount of luggage i can pack onto my motorcycle but it still makes me wonder.

Anyway, amongst the deep thought of winter break I ignored several people that i shouldn't have and apologize for that. I really have no ideal if any of these thought make any logical sense but for a kid that goes to college to play with fire these realizations are quite puzzling and it will be interesting to see where I can take these concepts.

When did this happen?

When did the Canadian Dollar pass the US dollar? Why did no one warn me?

I always used to think of the US as the cool apartment where the party always was with the Canadians up stairs complaining and Mexico in the basement doing drugs.

Not so much anymore.

Now New York reeks of canucks and I feel like I've been living a lie for I don't know how long.