What's In My Bag? Where's My Bag?

Over the last year I have been increasingly more interested in outdoor survival and backpacking. I'm no guru, but I always try to research before I buy anything.

Recently my interest in this hobby has lead me to decide to create a Bug Out Bag. These are also sometimes called 72 hour bags and they are designed to be a cache of essential survival supplies that are ready to go at a moment's notice. I've been watching several Youtube videos where others show off their B.O.B.s and what they put in them.

So far I have begun to gather a few articles of clothing, some water purification tablets, emergency fishing kit, first aid kit, several ways to start a fire, and a good knife. I still need to pack food, flashlight, a poncho, and several other items. However, my largest deficiency is the bag itself! I have decided to get an Alice pack, which is what the Army used during Vietnam. However, the straps that they come with wouldn't fit me. To get around this, I am planning to sew on some polypropylene webbing straps myself. I'll also need side release buckles, but I can buy them from the same store. With a little sewing I can make the bag fit my rather rotund physique.

I'll try to update this blog once I have the bag with straps sewn on.

Brilliant Web Designer... Who Me?

Hey kids, long time no see.

Much has happened since I last posted here. ( Which, by the way, stopped because Blogger wouldn't let me login for years. Seriously. ) I now own my own home, my own business, and I'm working hard to stay ahead of the curve.

So I now get paid to design websites, perform SEO ( that's Search Engine Optimization ), and other fun web guru stuff. Please check out my web design business and let me know if there is anything i can do to help you or your business market itself online.

Just Wanted To Say

We miss you Jonathan.

Pirate Madness

The lawyer for The Pirate Bay has set up a blog in English to explain and talk about what happened. I'm highly interested in this case, not because I'm a regular user on the Pirate Bay ( I'm not ), but because of the possibility that this raid was orchestrated at the behest of the United States. If that turns out to be true, I can promise that there will be a lot of pissed off Sweeds. I would be too.


( Video Feed from the Raid )

Update 6/3/2006 - Here's a great blog where this guy translates the Swedish news coverage of these events. It's apparently been the lead story on all Swedish news networks for the last three days.

God Loves, Man Kills

For some inexplicable reason, I was reminded of that title the other night as I watched traffic ebb and flow across the Tennessee River. My proximity to a quaint little park affords me the luxury of peaceful late night strolls along the river bank. All manner of planes, trains, and automobiles were joined by dozens of boats hoping to catch a glimpse of the Memorial Day fireworks display at Point Mallard. Indeed, the echoing booms were impressive, but my eye was on the lurid ballet of vehicles.

On one level, I could marvel at man's concrete utopia of ambition and accomplishment. There was a beauty to the logical lines of halide headlamps streaming hither and yon. However, beyond the logical concrete was the chaos of nature and all it's wonders. Hundreds of trees, lapping waves, shifting clouds, and a chirping chorus of arthropods conspired to create a utopia far more magnificent than that of man's, but you had to be able to see beyond man's bright lights to appreciate it.

I may not be able to fully understand the love that went into this world's creation, and sometimes it is difficult to see through to the heart of nature's chaotic masterpiece. But if only for a moment, I'd like to think that my gaze pierced through to the very core of it all, where all the years behind me and all the years ahead of me stretched out in an unwavering line. I have never been more sure of who I am and what my purpose is.

And for this life, I shall be eternally grateful.


( And oh yeah, Guitar Hero rocks! )

I'm LOST

I am now an official fan of Lost. It's brilliantly written, performed, and directed. It is definitely earning a spot in my top three, along with Deadwood and Babylon 5. Unfortunately, as much as I love Firefly, this is just too good.

Lost has a great ensemble cast, and each episode sheds some new light on a character through flashbacks while still advancing the current timeline. Before watching any of the show, I knew about the flashbacks and was afraid that it would jar me too much out of the main story, or that it would focus too much on the past and not enough on what's happening now. Fortunately those fears have been put to rest. In fact, the flashbacks are well timed to teach us just enough new information about a character so that our perception of their reality shifts at key moments, adding a lot of tension and drama above what we might have received through more conventional storytelling devices.

There are a lot of subtle cues and hints scattered around the show that wind up being significant later on. Lost is also using more than just the TV show as a medium. Fake commercials, mixed in with the real commercials, reference phony companies that have real websites, which can give you clues to what's going on in the show. There have also been book and music tie-ins as well.

Naturally, everyone who watches Lost winds up with a favorite character or two. John Lock is far and away my favorite, played to perfection by Terry O'Quinn. Geeky friends may recognize Dominic Monaghan ( Merry from The Lord of the Rings ) and Mira Furlan ( Delenn from Babylon 5 ), two actors that were well cast in their Lost roles.

Anyway, enough rambling. I started with the pilot last night, and I'm about to watch episode 14. If I work hard at sitting on my ass, I can watch both seasons in time to watch the second season finale on Wednesday night. Bottom line is that anyone who's ever enjoyed a movie or TV show I've suggested in the past really needs to check this thing out. It is well worth getting lost in. ( Cheesy pun intended. )

Movie Trivia

I've seen a lot of movies in my day. A LOT. I've spent at least one night a week of my adult life watching TV and movies. So it goes without saying that I remember a lot of quotes, character names, and plots. Can someone get rich off of such knowledge? No, probably not. Well, Harry Knowles probably isn't broke, but he's the exception.

Well, I may not be able to reap many rewards from my knowledge, but I can at least score free movie tickets and a steak dinner off of it. My local radio station, WZYP, holds a Dinner and a Movie contest on week nights where they play a quote from a movie and the 10th caller who knows it gets a little prize pack. I've tried calling in before for movies like the Shinning, but it was the Running Man that won it for me today. Too bad it wasn't something a little more recondite, where I really could have flexed my imdb.com muscle.

Of course, you never sound as cool as you think you do. I apparently have adopted some moiety of the southern accent, which will now haunt me in my dreams. Also, it seems the volume on my phone is lower than I expected. *cough*

Of course, they won't actually mail you the goodies. No, you have to visit their office during regular business hours, 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. You know, when most people are supposed to be working. Oh yeah, and the office is in Athens, about 20 minutes from me, so I can't just pop out on my lunch break.

Oh well, I can't complain too much. At least I now know how I'm going to go see X-Men III.