New York

I've once again neglected to document a trip. I'm going to rectify this now. I have to promise myself in the future to post immediately to avoid forgetting details.

In January of 2011 I flew to Long Island (Nassau County) to spend a week with my girlfriend Betsy. Having not flown since about 2001 I was a little confused as to how airports work these days. Security isn't as bad as they make it out to be and it's actually less of a pain to check in now than it used to be since the internet has steamlined the process. The flight up from ATL took about 2 hours. As were were flying in over the water to LaGuardia airport I was met with an awesome view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. It was very strange, I haven't been to New York in well over a decade yet the landmarks are so familiar to me. They were easy to pick due to NYC being one of America's most prominent cities; it is the backdrop for the majority of our movies and television shows and is so full of history that every American should be at least a little familiar with it.

The thing I first noticed was the diversity. So many languages could be heard at once it was astounding. Many people complain about that sort of thing but to me it is interesting. Betsy's friend Maria picked us up from the airport and I got a taste of New York traffic; it's insane. We settled in for the night at her house and rested up.

Long Island is a friendly place for the most part. Most of it is suburban and very densely populated. It's impossible to tell where one city or town ends and the next begins. In fact they have a strange government structure there that has divisions such as city, town, village and hamlet. I don't even want to attempt to figure out how that works with NYC, being divided into five burroughs, each of which is it's own county but are all one city. I don't think I could ever remember all the details.

The first day we went to the city we hopped the train and switched to the subway at Penn Station. We took the Staten Island Ferry, which is free to ride, across the water. From the ferry you can get a great view of the Statue of Liberty as well as the Financial District of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

After we returned to the port we walked north to see Federal Hall and the NYSE. By this point the sun had set and people were heading home. NYC's streets are full of lights and activity. There are delicious smells much of the time; every so often there is a foul one.

We walked to the WTC site but really couldn't see much due to the construction. There is a temporary museum set up until the permanent 9/11 memorial is finished. I'll get some pictures in the daytime on the next visit. We also went to China Town to eat at Wo Hop and had desert in Little Italy.

We took the subway to Rockafeller Center and got to see the Christmas tree before it came down. The skating rink is really pretty and the seasonal decorations add a neat touch of beauty to the area. There is a Lego store there with lots of large sculptures. Around the corner is St Patrick's Cathedral; across from that you can see the statue of Atlas, holding up the world.

We walked through Times Square on the way back to Penn Station. Times Square is full of lights and stores, a monument to consumerism, but it's all very pretty. Mounted police were present. There is no shortage of stuff to see and do in this part if you like to shop. After arriving at Penn Station we headed back to Long Island.

On our second day in the city we checked out the Museum of Natural History. The museum has exhibits showing fossils and recreations of extinct animals as well as animals alive today. The exhibits often displayed an explanation of evolutionary lineage. Other floors have exhibits on astronomy, ancient cultures with artifacts and geological studies. It takes a whole day to fully explore this place and I'm not sure I really saw everything.

We walked through Central Park from the museum and headed to the southeast corner. Central Park is a welcome contrast to the city. It's well maintained and full of very old trees. There's several ponds and pagodas to sit in. We saw the park amphitheater. The lakes were frozen over so thick you could walk out onto them.

Overall NYC is a really neat place that could take a lifetime to explore. I'm definitely psyched to go back and see more of the city and take in it's culture.

Long Way Round

It's been quite a while since I posted. I'll kick off the comeback with a partial review. Long Way Round is a documentary of a motorcycle adventure undertaken by actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. McGregor you know well from high profile Hollywood movies. Boorman is less known outside of the UK. Both actors decided they wanted to take their passion for motorcycles and adventure to the next level and travel from the UK to NYC via bike. They will of course be taking the long way around the globe.

The route they plotted takes them from London through Europe and into Ukraine. The route from there will go from Russia to Kazakhstan, China, then Siberian Russia. When they hit the sea they will take a ship to Alaska, push through Canada into the continental US then head through the northern states to NYC.

The first two episodes detail the preparation for the journey. Ewan and Charley set up a headquarters, contact film crew and gather equipment for both filming and riding. They test drive dual sport motorcycles from BMW and KTM. Ewan favored the BMW but decided to ride the KTM due to Charley's excitement over them. While waiting for the bikes KTM sent a representative out to talk about the trip. Upon his return KTM informed Ewan and Charley that they would not be providing bikes as they didn't believe they could finish their trip. Angry and disappointed Charley resolves to use the BMW and prove KTM wrong.

They start out their journey after hitting several snags and make various stops through Europe. They talk to people, get harassed by police and check out local sites. Most of what they see and do is pretty entertaining. It's not just hours and hours of two guys riding motorcycles. They take in culture along the way and meet some interesting people. One man in particular that stands out is a Ukrainian man who invites them to his home to stay the night. The guy is a nut; he comes downstairs carrying a guitar in one hand and a Kalashnikov in the other. He then starts to sing like an old school mariachi. It's completely insane; you can really sense how awkward Ewan and Charley feel.

The best part is episode 4 where they press on into Kazakhstan. You may recall the portrayal of this country from another Britain, Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as Borat. It wasn't exactly favorable. In his defense he was making fun of first worlder's ignorance of trans Asian countries but it still left many people with a backwards view of Kazakh. In reality it is a developing nation with a rich landscape. Ewan and Charley make an excellent assessment of it's culture and land to really open the eye's of the viewers as to what this country really is.

I have three episodes left. So far I've enjoyed the series and look forward to it's sequel Long Way Down which features a trip from Scotland to South Africa. I'll have the second part of the review up as soon as Netflix sends the disc.

Enlighten Up

Enlighten Up, a documentary from Kate Churchill, came up on my list of recommendations on Netflix. The synopsis-

"Filmmaker Kate Churchill is determined to prove that yoga can transform anyone. Nick Rosen is skeptical but agrees to be her guinea pig. Kate immerses Nick in yoga, and follows him around the world as he examines the good, the bad and the ugly of yoga. The two encounter celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks and world-renowned gurus. Tensions run high as Nick’s transformational progress lags and Kate’s plan crumbles. What unfolds and what they discover is not what they expected."

What the discover really wasn't much. We didn't get any answers one way or the other; however there were some interesting insights revealed by some of the people involved. Nick is our protagonist, the man we can relate to. He's a skeptic who is willing to give Yoga a try. After stumbling from one western yoga school to the next we end up with the same impression, Yoga is a franchise that makes money and no one can tell you what the hell it is for.

Nick and Kate do some traveling and it's not until we get to India that we start getting some answers. Nick gets a chance to speak to a Yogi who sets it out for him: Yoga isn't about any one thing. It's a way to attain some sort of spiritual enlightenment, but enlightenment of what? Hinduism? A Maya type entity? Nothing? The Yogi says yes to all these things. He says it's not so much the vehicle (yoga) to the goal but rather the why. He uses the example of cooking. If you cook for yourself, cook for a friend, cook for a lover or cook for someone you hate you are still cooking. It's the reason why you are cooking that matters; to eat, to be nice to a friend, to make your lover happy or to earn a living. This is true with Yoga as well. Use it for what you want; to gain health, enlightenment, control of your body, happiness in life. If Yoga doesn't work for you then don't do it. This holy man blew my mind, he didn't give a shit if you believed in his method or in Krishna. He simply wanted to teach what he could if you wanted to know. I wish more religious people were like this.

Anyways, back to what Yoga is for. What you commonly see in the west is Asana Yoga which is the pretzel like crazy poses. These poses are good for building strength and health. It seems to work for many people and I'm even thinking about using it myself to help strengthen my back and limber up some. Actually what I'm looking at is Pilates. This regimen uses poses and stretches taken from physical rehab and yoga that are proven effective scientifically. It was developed originally for soldiers in WWI healing from injury.

One neat quote from the movie though. "The sum of a man's habits is the total of his nature." How true is that? I had to look up the rest of the passage from the source online.
"It has come about as a result of his GIVING himself over to the bent
of his MIND.
Unwillingly he has BECOME the creature of his own MIND, wonted to
RESTLESSNESS."

Wow. Gonna have to reflect on that a bit.

Return to Blogging.

It's been quite a while since I last blogged. A few things that have happened in the past few months:

Got in better shape.
Hurt my back.
Fell back out of shape FAST.
Also met a girl named Betsy. She's a softball coach and lives in New York. We hit it off really well and have been talking long distance for a few months. We have lots of common personality traits. I really like her and that's not something that happens much.
Lastly I've been hammering out Paramedic school. It's going fine so far. The material isn't hard to digest and it makes sense to me.

Recently I pulled some clinical rotations in the operating room. The purpose of these is to practice and perfect the skill of intubation. After performing the technique a few times the anesthesiologist started to quiz me on some of the procedures involved. After answering his questions he asked me why I wasn't planning to go to school for something more than paramedic. After much lecturing he convinced me. I'm looking into a BS in nursing and possible CRNA school beyond that. It certainly offers more of a challenge and better pay in the future.

Well that's that for now.

Ant Hill

The first book I read on my Kindle was Ant Hill by E O Wilson. Wilson is a rather well known biologist and naturalist who was born in Birmingham and grew up in Washington DC, spending some time in Mobile, AL. He was a controversial scientist in the 70's but has since been shown to be quite on the mark in his findings in sociobiology. He has a vast amount of work published along with his own books written to help illustrate his ideas and research. Ant Hill was the first work of fiction he penned as well as the first book of his that I have read.

Ant Hill is about a young boy named Raphael (known as Raph) who spends his childhood exploring a natural wood and wetland area know as the Nokobee forest. This fictional forest is placed in the area somewhat near the Conecuh forest and the Mobile Delta. Raph grows up with a father whom can be described as a working class man who has his faults but does what he needs to raise his son. His mother was born into a family of privilege but married a man who was not- it is noted that she regrets the decision and only stays with him for Raph's sake. Raph develops the curiosity of a scientist and naturalist with the help of a FSU professor and mentor all by exploring the Nokobee forest and learning about everything within it. When Raph is older he is given the opportunity to go to FSU by his uncle on his mother's side; an attempt to bring him into the privileged life and restore his mother's status in southern society of Mobile. Raph really has no interest in his uncle's plans but accepts. Raph wants to study science and biology. The compromise is that he will later attend law school. Raph agrees and the story tells of his motivations to succeed later. Nokobee is threatened by development and Raph wants to use the law to stop it. Much is written about his culture shock at Cambridge and the experiences of a young man coming into his own.

Where the book diverges is in the narrative of the Nokobee ants. Raph's senior thesis is written about the ants that inhabit the forest and takes up about the middle third of the book. It is actually an anthropomorphic account of the social structure of ant colonies and their struggle against each colony to survive. It's a great method of illustrating the ideas behind sociobiology and the motivations behind the organisms described.

Much of the book is an examination into the different types of people you encounter that are either proponents or opposed to naturalism. Raph is mixed up into a world of people who are naturalists because it's a rebellious trend, naturalists who share his passion, developers who think commerce is more important than conservation and even religious fanatics who believe that land is meant to be used up by man in a manifest destiny sort of fashion. They in fact believe that to protect it is to prolong the time before the second coming. If it sounds absurd that's because it is but unfortunately I've met fanatics in real life that believe that very same thing. It's more than apparent that E O Wilson is writing about his own struggle to find acceptance for his ideas in Alabama and I sympathize. He's a man who seems to appreciate the Alabama that was and resent it at the same time. He sees the old southern culture as both interesting and absurd. I think his view is more of an appreciation of cultural heritage but a recognition that no one outside of your social circle really cares. He sums up very accurately the difference between the good people he affectionately calls rednecks and the minority of alienated whites better know as "white trash." If you live in Alabama you immediately think of people you have encountered that certainly fit the description.

Ant Hill is a good read for those that are interested in conservation and naturalism in the South. A good story with some science thrown in and even a little action towards the end leads to a very enjoyable novel. Give Ant Hill a try and let me know what you think.

My Mind Rebels at Stagnation

It's been a slow year for me so far. I haven't done much of anything exciting. No adventures. No diving. Only one camping trip. Haven't even been riding the bicycle.

A big letdown is getting out of shape and the monumental task ahead of me to get out the door is intimidating. It's not that I don't want to; it's that it hurts. For some strange reason my back spasms have hit me full force. For over a month now I have struggled just to do mundane tasks. I eat Bayer like candy to get through work. I finally broke down and scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor tomorrow. I'm hoping that with his help I can start strengthening my core muscles and start stretching out into new activities from there.

One nice thing I've been doing in my idle time is reading. I purchased an Amazon Kindle and absolutely love it. It's going to make an excellent companion on any future trips as it is light weight and stores so many books. It also runs for almost a week on one charge. I'll be touching on a couple of books that I've read in later posts.

At the end of the month I'll be starting Paramedic school at Wallace in Dothan. Fortunately I will be going on A shift, my normal work schedule. I won't miss any time on my off days and I'll be getting paid to go. I can't get a better deal. Studying will be consuming alot of my time so the next year will be a little slim on trips. Paramedic isn't something I intend to half ass like many others have done; lives are in your hands and it's irresponsible to not know your job inside and out.

February Sipsey Trip

My friend Jennifer and I made a trip up to Sipsey Feb 3 for a couple of frigid nights. Icicles hung from the canyon walls and made for quite a sight. We camped atop Fall Creek Falls and hiked to the Big Tree. The Big Tree is the oldest tree in Alabama and is quite impressive. It's in the bottom of the E Bee Branch Falls canyon. We only ran into one couple the whole trip, otherwise we never saw a soul. It was a great trip! I'm happy that the weather is warming up, everything is starting to bloom and the green is returning to the trees. I'm looking forward to a Spring full of Geocaching, hiking and cycling! I'm hoping to get a dive trip in and plenty of fishing as well.

Sipsey Wilderness Trip- Bee Branch Falls

Your favorite adventurer in front of Fall Creek Falls

Decided to take another trip up to Sipsey Wilderness last weekend. Most of the leaves were down off the trees this late in fall. It made it a little easier to see some of the rock formations and waterfalls. Jason accompanied me on this trip.

Bee Branch Falls

We hiked from the Borden Creek Trailhead down 200, through fat man squeeze cave down to the stream crossing (very chilly) across to 209 along the Sipsey River Fork. We saw Fall Creek Falls and some other canyon falls before we reached our camp for the night. We set up a fire and ate our supper before turning in. We brought a tent just in case, but the weather was nice enough that we didn't have to bother with it. After a chilly first night we woke up with the sun and fixed breakfast. After squaring away our gear we hiked up to 204. 204 is a really exciting climb up some sandstone cliff rocks to a path that follows the ridge line of the canyon. It leads to Bee Branch Falls. These waterfalls flow into a deep canyon and are a real sight to see. We set up here for lunch and took off back down the second 204 trail to 209. We hoofed it on down to the Thompson Creek trail where we saw Ship Rock, a massive rock that looks like the bow of a ship. We made our camp for the second night again under the stars and woke up bright and early for our little exodus trip.
Jason crosses a creek

We were both extremely bushed and sore from all the climbing and rough trail and decided to take Thompson Creek up to the horse and wagon trails. 208 and 224 are not really that much easier and are up hill for a good portion of the hike. Tired and sore we trekked ever onward coming across the occasional scout troop. As we ran out of water (no more water sources on this trail) we griped and moaned about how far we have been going until we saw the most wonderful sight in the world- the Borden Creek Bridge. We were there! All our suffering was over.
Canyon and waterfall along Thompson Creek


It's strange though. The last trek of any hike is always the hardest. The last stretch makes you very weary and all you can think of is air conditioning and Dr. Pepper and comfy seats and oh my God I want this heavy pack off my shoulders. Thing is, once you get in the truck and start taking off all you can think about is when your next trip is going to be. A little pain can make us tougher, makes us appreciate the rewards for hard work. Until next time, enjoy a few of these pics from our trip.

Sipsey Wilderness Nov 13-15

Life Explained

Thought I'd reprint this story that's been floating around the internet for everybody.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Easy Gardening.

Found a neat article today. Pretty ingenious idea, a lady recycled some old rain gutters to help keep her garden out of reach of pests and keep the soil nice. I would venture to say it's easier on the knees as well! I've been wanting to start a vegetable garden but space has been a factor- I think I've found my solution! Check out the jump for more info!