Tonight, Sunday, December 17, 2006, was the (by the way, I like commas) George's Cycles Christmas Party At Happy Fish-A Sushi Joint (Can I Stop Capitolizing Now? ok.). Yeeah, so, that was good times. The sushi was made extra small, but it tasted, er, extra tasty. Fern and I indulged in a couple roles worth each. We arrived just a little late (there is no attempt to put this in logical order, by the way), and had some difficulty finding a seat amongst the 30-40 Georges employess crammed into the small restaurant. We did manage to pull up a couple of chairs next to ol' Dean Montgomery (our 70 year old ex-customer/janitor) and his wife, as well as John Hawk, the huntin' manager of the Meridian store. We all know each other well, so all was fine as we engaged in friendly banter and waited for the sushi to show up. Fern took advantage of the less than exciting time by working on a Christmas knitting project for lil' ol' me. Loads of sushi came in huge platters and we all descended upon it like vultures. After sushi we played a cash give-away game Sandy came up with. Each George's employee stuck his or her hand in a bag and withdrew an envelope that contained a bill of some sort. We could choose to either keep the envelope we grabbed or trade it for one of the others that we didn't grab. It was a silly game, but one that netted me $100. I only got $1 on the first round, but hit the jackpot on the second. There was only one $100 bill in the batch of 60 or so envelopes. Thanks to Fern's hot hands and good luck (she grabbed it from the bag and decided to keep it), my Christmas is much merrier. Besides these fun times, I enjoyed chatting and joking with the likes of Caleb, Patrich, Brian, Jason, Sandy, and others. I also enjoyed watching a lil bit of the classic cycling movies they were showing on the flat screen-Quicksilver and Rad.

Yesterday, Saturday, December 16, 2006, Fern and I went snowboarding together for the 3rd time this year. As a reminder, I'll note that the first time we went this year, it took a few runs before I got my groove back from last year and started feeling ok. I never felt great on the cat track. The snow was fine. The second time, a week ago, the snow sucked, and both of us had a pretty bad time falling over and over again. Yesterday, I wasn't sure about the snow at first, but quickly came to realize that it was great. I was able to progress more than I've ever progressed in a single day before. By the last run of the day, I was cruising down moutain at a descent rate of speed with a big smile on my face. Fern and I both had a lot of fun in the four or so hours we were up there, despite Fern falling and hurting her tushi 2-3 times. We even did some exploring, going off "trail" three times along the same path through semi challenging terrain and deep snow.

After going our seperate ways, cleaning up, and resting a bit, we met up downtown and did a little Christmas shopping. Then we returned to the Flying M and procurred some refreshments and did creative things. Next, we scurried off to the dollar theatre and watched the computer animated flick "Flushed Away". The movie was not devoid of entertainment value, but it was one of the worst movies of the sort I've ever seen-not of the quality of "Open Season" or "Monster House" at least.

Friday, (correct me if I'm wrong) I met Fern at her place, then had dinner at Red Robin...what else...hmm, I'm not sure...

n e way, night

Fun was had last night at the VAC. Fern and I arrived to partake around 8ish, sometime after the establishment's prior event had ended and the crowd had thinned out. The key word that drew us to the Collective that night was "fondu". Other reasons for showing up included extremely quality art of the alternative and "hip" variety and VAC in particular. B is one of those special people who can juggle the busiest of schedules while retaining particularly jovial and attentive social relations with everyone she comes in contact with.

Shortly after walking in the door and procurring two glasses (plastics) of generic but drinkable merlot, Fern and I were accosted by B. I mean, we engaged in very friendly conversation. During that time, it was revealed that I am "up to" "having fun" and "art". Its always a little tough talking about what one is "up to" when one is focused on seizing the day, connecting neurons, and reaching new emotional heights. Also, its somewhat challenging to slip one's long term goals of stripping religion of its monopoly on morality and contributing to the science of happiness into any conversation, let alone a Thursday night art party conversation. Alas, I managed to hold my tongue and help steer the conversation towards the subject of absurdly expensive jeans that are worth every penny because they hug in just the right ways. I couldn't help notice that once B learned that I was wearing $150 Levis, she bent over and placed her face not far from my arse, I guess in order to find some measure of my jean's fit and quality. Once or twice her hand seemed to come dangerously close to that area, supposedly in an effort to determine the texture of the $150 Levis. I think you can conclude from her behavior last night that B is a fan of expensive jeans, is a fun-loving sort of person, and can enjoy quality adult beverages.

With a second glass of wine in hand paid for by B, we made a smooth transition from one threesome to another. For some time, Fern and I mostly listened to a fellow by the name of Gary who is an aquaintence of mine through my job at Georges Cycles. Gary is a pal of my boss Mike, and a pal to the Boise cycling community in general. Thanks to a decade of racing in New York, Gary had the experience and passion to throw together a professional race team from some local and foreign riders as well as organize a few races over the last five years. Apparantly, that part of his life is mostly behind him, as he's excelling in some other interests. He is now the president of his class at ZaZaZoom beauty school in Nampa, Idaho. For what seemed like over a half an hour, Fern and I listened as Gary explained what led up to his past and current successes (life) and the reasons for choosing the paths he followed (passion). Though Gary could really talk, our conversation was all the more entertaining thanks to our shared passion for cycling, our shared knowledge of the subject, and Gary's face. I tell you, his face was so interesting to look at. He's got these intense blue eyes and black hair that's curly and gelled. The prominence of each feature (nose, chin, lips, mouth, etc) really captures every disntinctive characteristic of his Roman/Greek ancestors. As impressive as all this was, his eyebrows were definately the star of the show. They were jet-black and sharp, rising up on the outside, Spok-like, but quickly dissappearing above his upper eyelid in the same manner women's do when they pluck their eyebrows. For a long time I tried to determine whether or not Gary's were indeed plucked. Of course, there's nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, while I did not personally want to shag him, a part of me admired Gary's look, if only for its definite beauty and distinctiveness.

The rest of our stay at the VAC consisted of idol chit-chat and joking with some of B's friends (lady-with-long-hair and spunky girl from plays). I also spent some time looking closely at the excellent artwork displayed. Fern and I had some quality moments guzzling our wine in a more private manner.

Earlier in the night, before our VAC fun, we walked down to Bodo for some First Thursday shop hopping. We were awed by a large tree at the center of Bodo that had all its large branches completely wrapped in white Christmas lights. At Shoes, I tried on a couple pair of normal fitting AG Jeans. At the eyeglass shop next door, I found a pair of glasses I really liked. Our search for free goodies (an important part of First Thursdays) brought us to a new shoe place on 8th street. As soon as Fern turned to me and told me not to make fun of the ugly shoes they had, she ran to the corner of the store that displayed the ugliest, funky shoes and asked to try them on. The shoes were called MBT (something-"barefoot technology") and their distinguishing feature was the convex, rounded shape of their outsoles. To put it bluntly, they looked like retard shoes. So, Fern had to try them on, and then she had to act as though she was somewhat serious about the shoes. Therefore, she spent some time listening to the salesperson passionately tell the story of barefoot technology, and tell her all the benefits they offered the wearer (like walking on a pilates ball). I too was genuinly curious about the shoes. It turned out that they were quite comfortable and fun to walk on. I was totally willing to pay, say, $20 for a pair, but it turns out the shoes cost $240. $240 for some retard shoes! Pshaw!

Ok-It's my second day off in my three-day weekend. I took Thursday off because I've got a couple more vacation days to burn before the end of the year. Today I'll try to finish a drawing that I made a lot of progress on yesterday. Yes, it involves nudity. Tomorrow, Fern and I are going snowboarding; that is, if all the snow doesn't melt or pack down today.

More later. I meant to make a list of things I've done in life that made real contributions to my happiness, and discuss those things.

I really inspire myself sometimes! A couple of days ago, I was lamenting the change in season, feeling shut out of one of my favorite places-the outdoors-and wondering what in the world a boy like me could do to entertain himself. So I referred back to my blog entrees from a year ago in search of ideas for fun and exciting activities. What I found and what I read were a "Titillating Essay" and a blog in which I shared my astonishment over what individuals and society are capable of. Neither entry described what it was I was up to that late November, 2005. Rather, both were mini-essays based upon some thinking on the "science of happiness", the impetus for thoughts, and the astonishment of human behavior-all really interesting topics, I felt. Reading those blog entrees reminded me that writing can be very fun and very rewarding. I felt better because I re-realized that there's something else I enjoy doing that doesn't require sunlight and 60 degree+ temps. Yeah, its definately more of a challenge keeping oneself entertained in the winter, but there's plenty I look forward to doing these days-and writing more is certainly high on the list.

So what have I been up to these days? What's been on my mind?
For the record, after the Austin trip, I was somewhat sick and rather miserable for a couple of weeks. This coincided with a bout of mild depression, which wasn't unusual considering my ill health and the time of year. Oddly enough, I tweaked a muscle in my neck just as my sore throat and fatigue started to abate. For another week, I existed in a state of relative physical discomfort. All in all, things could have been better in November.

Since Austin, I've let a lot of good times pass by without writing about them here. I feel really bad about that. Like a week ago, Fern and I met up with Elizabeth, Edvin, and Laura at the Balcony for some chatting and dancing. For the few songs that were worth dancing to, I felt very much in the groove, so to speak. It was fun. Saturday, Fern and I went snowboarding for the first time this winter. We stayed at Bogus for around four hours; during which time I sucked and was in a bad mood, but quickly found (yes) a groove and thoroughly enjoyed myself until the end. I also discovered the joy of synchronized snowboarding that afternoon.

Fern and I have declared November and December (possibly January on) extra thrifty months for us so that we might succeed in paying down large chunks of credit card balances and begin saving for our next vacation (Europe/Spain anyone?). I'm due to pay off one credit card mid month-yeehaw! As such, we have taken in several dollar movies in the last month or so.

I'd love to keep writing, but I've got a few loads of laundry to get to, and sleep has been a priority lately (I dunno, that time of year)... Speaking of priorities, I've concluded that now is the time to sort through my priorities again and refocus my efforts to act-to accomplish a thing or two. Quickly then:

Priority numero uno hasn't changed for a long time. It is-
1) Enjoy myself-do what makes me happy. What little wisdom I've garnered from previous generations by and large can be summed up in this simple creed: Enjoy life, because it doesn't last forever, and as far as we know we only have one. You know, carpe diem. The only "success" that matters is the kind that brings greater happiness, love, contentment, pleasure, and enjoyment to me and those I care about. That's why I can be rather indecisive about what I devote my time to. How much happier would I be if I became a great artist, performer, or philosopher? I don't doubt I could excel in these areas if I chose to spend all of my time honing the necessary skills, and I don't doubt that I could be much happier doing so; however, being certain of the outcome in all cases is nearly impossible. And I can have a bad attitude when I think of our culture's tendency to rely on outward success for momentary highs and self esteem. This tendency is more likely to be the cause of constant dissapointment or low self-esteem, if the habit is allowed to flourish. At anyrate, I intend on being proactive in these areas, but only if my enjoyment is not seriously compromised.

Priority #2 is my health--kinda need to get out of bed in the morning and not worry about impending doom in order to enjoy myself.

Priority #3 are my intellectual hobbies: Trying to strip religion of its monopoly on morality-to get to the heart of ideological division and conflict--to be a peace maker of sorts--so sort out what it means to be human--to advance the science of happiness...

Priority #4: write music--I need to tap into my own emotion and put out, instead of always receiving from outside sources. I want to grow emotionally, and I think writing music is probably a great way to do so. And I'd love to contribute something to the popular music world that's not formulaic in any way--that combines the emotion/sincerity of pop/indie music, with the structure and complexity of classical music(oh wait, isn't that a fomula!).

Priority #5: produce visual art--at the moment, I'm most interested in making erotic images that are extraordinarily tasteful and beautiful. It's a major challenge I know, but one I look forward to tackling. I'd love to see the day when paintings in offices or homes frequently featured images of penises, vaginas, and explicit sex. Seriously! The human body is beautiful. The sooner that is recognized and drilled into our heads, the sooner our society will get over so many of its sexual set-backs and perversions.