We took the boat out today, and it turns out that Kent and I properly rigged the thing, so that's cool. Always nice to set everything and not get a major clstrfck.
Best part of the day was having a COOK. I woke up to the smell of BACON. The food was great all day.
Oh and I got a massage on Saturday, which was really awesome.
I finally finished editing my interview with Andrew M. only to find out that my main editor is leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and won't be able to start helping me again until the middle of the month. Waiting 3 more weeks sounds pretty terrible, but I don't know what else to do. I asked her to send me the files, but I doubt she'll have time, and I don't know if I'd know what to do with them anyway. I can't believe the 2nd issue won't be out until June. Oh well.
Tomorrow one of our crew returns, so it won't just be the two of us doing everything. Then we get another kid in 3 weeks, and another in one month.
It'd be silly, I know.
This morning sucked, but the afternoon was great. It was SO COLD this morning. I had no idea I would be so cold and wet here. I don't know what I thought about the Great Lakes... but April is COLD. Snowy, rainy, and freezing every day except for 2 days which strangely were about 70 degrees. My fingers froze aloft and all I could think were terrible things like "Why am I doing this?" "I should quit and go get a job at the Dairy Lodge ice cream hut down the street" "I'm never working on another tall ship" "I'd rather be cooking on Lady Washington" "If I let go, will death be quick, or will I just gut myself on one of those stanchions?"
My fingers were so painfully cold that I CRIED as I hovered over the stove to warm them. I felt so stupid today and yesterday. Yesterday I cried while doing a freaking EYESPLICE!!! (yeah, it's THAT time of the month)
Then it got warmer, and I did all the running rigging for the headsails - something I can do just fine by myself, so my confidence was restored a little.
I made an appt for a massage tomorrow. Can't really afford it, but I'm doing it anyway. I went to a big store called Meijer tonight and picked up a yoga dvd, a mic for my laptop, butter pecan haagen dazs, jaipur vegetables tasty bites, and some lavender seeds. Some girls find shopping therapeutic and actually buy things. For the most part, I just find a big store, walk around for hours, and spend no more than $30. Usually I buy nothing. I just look around. The coolest thing about Meijer is that they're open 24 hours and have an "international section" that is divided up into asian, eastern european, british, northern european, kosher and french. For all except asian there's about 2 small shelves each. It was probably one of the more unusual things I will see here in the midwest - a major chain selling imported food with even (horror of horrors!) foreign language only packaging.
The relief cook (until Yuri's friend arrives) is named Wendy and has worked aboard Dennis Sullivan a few times. Today she breaks out with "Ok, latest Krunch story..." which is always good for a few Holy Shit!s and You're Kidding!s. Ah Krunch.
My fingers were so painfully cold that I CRIED as I hovered over the stove to warm them. I felt so stupid today and yesterday. Yesterday I cried while doing a freaking EYESPLICE!!! (yeah, it's THAT time of the month)
Then it got warmer, and I did all the running rigging for the headsails - something I can do just fine by myself, so my confidence was restored a little.
I made an appt for a massage tomorrow. Can't really afford it, but I'm doing it anyway. I went to a big store called Meijer tonight and picked up a yoga dvd, a mic for my laptop, butter pecan haagen dazs, jaipur vegetables tasty bites, and some lavender seeds. Some girls find shopping therapeutic and actually buy things. For the most part, I just find a big store, walk around for hours, and spend no more than $30. Usually I buy nothing. I just look around. The coolest thing about Meijer is that they're open 24 hours and have an "international section" that is divided up into asian, eastern european, british, northern european, kosher and french. For all except asian there's about 2 small shelves each. It was probably one of the more unusual things I will see here in the midwest - a major chain selling imported food with even (horror of horrors!) foreign language only packaging.
The relief cook (until Yuri's friend arrives) is named Wendy and has worked aboard Dennis Sullivan a few times. Today she breaks out with "Ok, latest Krunch story..." which is always good for a few Holy Shit!s and You're Kidding!s. Ah Krunch.
i'm not hunky dory today
or am i just out of shape? my entire body is sore. my back hurts so bad. if i lay down i can barely get up. i was going to look into chiropractors and massage therapy but now i'm looking into physical therapy and a neurologist. i don't know. it'd probably cost a fortune. yoga is an option too. i've been helping to lift topmasts, gaffs, anchors, holding up bobchains, moving rigging from loft to shop to truck to boat, painting for days on end, and by myself today i carried out a staysail onto the bowsprit and seized the entire thing on and semi-furled it... Jarad said i'm not too old, just out of shape. he's probably right. let me just say that these boats who do almost ALL the year's maintenance with 3 people in the course of one month are really going the hard way. i hope this operation is at least very profitable for the captain and the other owner. the other owner, named "dr. bill" says it is, and the cap took his family to the bahamas this year, drives a new car and i don't know what he does from november through march, so it's possibly quite profitable. and just so you don't think i'm full of only complaints, i will say that it's a good learning experience to put almost an entire rig together, including a new bowsprit, all at once. this captain used to work on those maine windjammers and while aesthetics are important, efficiency is key. polyurethane looks almost as good as varnish and is more durable. spill the pitch everywhere and just scrape it off later rather than trying to pour a perfect bead. the nonprofit sailtraining model teaches quality over quantity. not always so on the for profit side. but at least on this boat there's very little integrity lost.
most interesting news this week:
yuri's "ladyfriend" is coincidentally going to be our new cook. surprising, eh? i go out to the middle of nowhere to catch up on (remember) traditional boat stuffs and here i am working with a Lady alum, whom I've sailed down the west coast with once, and now my ex-boyfriend's friend/girlfriend is leaving a yacht job in the british virgin islands (where he lives) to come crew on this lesser known, hidden away sail training vessel. i checked out her myspace and she looks like fun, so that's cool.
the first mate saw my new pillow and asked if that was my picture (???) later we watched "the prestige" where bowie plays nikola tesla and i said "there's me!"
most interesting news this week:
yuri's "ladyfriend" is coincidentally going to be our new cook. surprising, eh? i go out to the middle of nowhere to catch up on (remember) traditional boat stuffs and here i am working with a Lady alum, whom I've sailed down the west coast with once, and now my ex-boyfriend's friend/girlfriend is leaving a yacht job in the british virgin islands (where he lives) to come crew on this lesser known, hidden away sail training vessel. i checked out her myspace and she looks like fun, so that's cool.
the first mate saw my new pillow and asked if that was my picture (???) later we watched "the prestige" where bowie plays nikola tesla and i said "there's me!"
My Hoopties
I spent about 3 hours today scraping slush and old wood off mast hoops. I filled an entire Little Caesars to-go cup with yummy globs of 1 year old dirty gray vaseline. Yeah I know you're jealous.
Besides that I worked turnbuckles from aloft on the fore and in the headrig cuz we had a crane deliver the shiny new bowsprit today. Shackled bobchains, forestays, etc. After a lunch of pizza & pepsi (I ate 7 pieces total!)we wrangled the main boom into place from deck. It was sunny today, and we motored through a thin layer of ice over to it's regular dock, which is closer and just a happier place in general. We all got sunburns. Plus we finally spent a day really working with the captain, and he's pretty pleasant to be around. Has a good sense of humor and all that.
Looks like I might get a used bike this weekend. Hope so.
Besides that I worked turnbuckles from aloft on the fore and in the headrig cuz we had a crane deliver the shiny new bowsprit today. Shackled bobchains, forestays, etc. After a lunch of pizza & pepsi (I ate 7 pieces total!)we wrangled the main boom into place from deck. It was sunny today, and we motored through a thin layer of ice over to it's regular dock, which is closer and just a happier place in general. We all got sunburns. Plus we finally spent a day really working with the captain, and he's pretty pleasant to be around. Has a good sense of humor and all that.
Looks like I might get a used bike this weekend. Hope so.
Don't Stop Me Now
Today's work:
sand and paint small rowboat
carry/cart topmasts & gaffs down driveway, across highway, down dock and leave them there.
clean/organize paint shop
bring all blocks and running rigging down from loft
I've been kinda lonely and bummed out at times, because the mate is a bit of a micromanager, and both my crew have kind of condescending tones when they speak - a general one-upmanship going on in even their conversations with each other. I can sound/be pretty condescending/self righteous myself, but I don't like it, and I don't really enjoy conversing in that competitive way because it's just annoying. Because really, when it comes right down to it, none of us are experts on anything. I mean, I just like chatting, and I'll bring up some random topic. Instead of lighthearted commiseration or chatter, I get two serious people trying to educate me about something. Morale isn't exactly stellar, what with the lack of so many things (a cook, sunshine, sailing). And this mate isn't really the type to even notice that, plus his girlfriend is here... they don't always gel which makes the mood even more somber. I thought about something I posted on the TSS message board, about how I come to these boats for camaraderie and fun. Even though it would have been better to say I come to learn seamanship, what I actually said is probably more accurate. The hard work is fine by me, but if I'm not here for the money, I want goofy people around while I do it. Maybe I'm done with sail training boats after this season. If the mood is going to be so boring/serious I might as well be making a shitload of money on a research vessel. Nanette wants me to move to her new place in Mexico next fall. So that may end up being the plan, or maybe getting a sail training admin position shoreside.
I will say kudos to the deckhand who saw me in a bad mood, and thought of something to cheer me up. She asked me to join her for beer and darts on Friday. I high-fived her for that. I'd really love to be the kind of TRULY helpful/good-willing person that no matter what negative/annoying situation they see, tried to think of a way they could rise above their own annoyances and figure out how to make everything better.
This video cheered me up:
sand and paint small rowboat
carry/cart topmasts & gaffs down driveway, across highway, down dock and leave them there.
clean/organize paint shop
bring all blocks and running rigging down from loft
I've been kinda lonely and bummed out at times, because the mate is a bit of a micromanager, and both my crew have kind of condescending tones when they speak - a general one-upmanship going on in even their conversations with each other. I can sound/be pretty condescending/self righteous myself, but I don't like it, and I don't really enjoy conversing in that competitive way because it's just annoying. Because really, when it comes right down to it, none of us are experts on anything. I mean, I just like chatting, and I'll bring up some random topic. Instead of lighthearted commiseration or chatter, I get two serious people trying to educate me about something. Morale isn't exactly stellar, what with the lack of so many things (a cook, sunshine, sailing). And this mate isn't really the type to even notice that, plus his girlfriend is here... they don't always gel which makes the mood even more somber. I thought about something I posted on the TSS message board, about how I come to these boats for camaraderie and fun. Even though it would have been better to say I come to learn seamanship, what I actually said is probably more accurate. The hard work is fine by me, but if I'm not here for the money, I want goofy people around while I do it. Maybe I'm done with sail training boats after this season. If the mood is going to be so boring/serious I might as well be making a shitload of money on a research vessel. Nanette wants me to move to her new place in Mexico next fall. So that may end up being the plan, or maybe getting a sail training admin position shoreside.
I will say kudos to the deckhand who saw me in a bad mood, and thought of something to cheer me up. She asked me to join her for beer and darts on Friday. I high-fived her for that. I'd really love to be the kind of TRULY helpful/good-willing person that no matter what negative/annoying situation they see, tried to think of a way they could rise above their own annoyances and figure out how to make everything better.
This video cheered me up:
Born Again into Dairy
Dairy products freak me out. Too many books/documentaries about the horrors of dairy production.
Shetlers may change my relationship with dairy...
Todays crew accomplishments: lifting and securing both anchors, more polyurethane in the main salon, launching small boat and setting up it's falls off the stern davits (which of course involves disassembling blocks and rerigging about 6 times each after 3 or 4 people stand around staring at the mess every half hour), I finished my 2nd piece of leatherwork, scraped up some gunky dolphinite... yeah that's about it.
After work I went to pick up that milk I'd heard so much about, plus made a stop at the grocery store. Then I came back and planted myself in front of the computer. I've watched all the videos at VBS.TV so I'm back to my usual rounds - my blog, Jarad's and his sisters blogs, myspace, gmail. Somehow all this takes hours. I was linking through some stuff and ended up on the bme site to see the giant bme ad banner portraying Eric B.'s pic that I plan on using for my 2nd Jack Tar issue. That doesn't mean it's copyrighted, does it? I don't know. He said I could use it...
Time for bed.
Shetlers may change my relationship with dairy...
Todays crew accomplishments: lifting and securing both anchors, more polyurethane in the main salon, launching small boat and setting up it's falls off the stern davits (which of course involves disassembling blocks and rerigging about 6 times each after 3 or 4 people stand around staring at the mess every half hour), I finished my 2nd piece of leatherwork, scraped up some gunky dolphinite... yeah that's about it.
After work I went to pick up that milk I'd heard so much about, plus made a stop at the grocery store. Then I came back and planted myself in front of the computer. I've watched all the videos at VBS.TV so I'm back to my usual rounds - my blog, Jarad's and his sisters blogs, myspace, gmail. Somehow all this takes hours. I was linking through some stuff and ended up on the bme site to see the giant bme ad banner portraying Eric B.'s pic that I plan on using for my 2nd Jack Tar issue. That doesn't mean it's copyrighted, does it? I don't know. He said I could use it...
Time for bed.
The Fifth Rider is Fear
Went out last night to a book release party held in a small warehouse behind an art gallery. The beer and food and company were all good. The art in the gallery was really unique and provocative, and the couple who owned it were also really pleasant to be around. The guy who wrote the book had back issues of his 'zine available, so I grabbed a bunch of those, because I really enjoy his zine. It focuses on both local and global social and cultural community-oriented topics. His is the only publication of its sort in Northern Michigan. I heard he wants to move to Portland, Oregon. In my opinion, that would be a shame. Judging from how everyone tells me that much of Michigan is not very progressive nor open-minded, his 'zine seems to be a bright spot in this place, culturally.
Tonight I dropped by some new friends' house for a dinner party and had some decent conversation over really decent food, watched the first 20 minutes of two different bad movies from the library: Millenium Actress, a crappy anime film, and "The Fifth Rider/Horseman is Fear," a Czech film done in 1964. If you know any people, like I do, who hate foreign films not only because they have to read, but also because they can't understand anything that's going on, you might be a little more empathetic if you imagined that all foreign films were like this one. It's either really out there or dumb, or way too deep for my puny American brain.
Tonight I dropped by some new friends' house for a dinner party and had some decent conversation over really decent food, watched the first 20 minutes of two different bad movies from the library: Millenium Actress, a crappy anime film, and "The Fifth Rider/Horseman is Fear," a Czech film done in 1964. If you know any people, like I do, who hate foreign films not only because they have to read, but also because they can't understand anything that's going on, you might be a little more empathetic if you imagined that all foreign films were like this one. It's either really out there or dumb, or way too deep for my puny American brain.
Things To Do: #1 Get out, be social
A long winter with my boyfriend in a tiny, warm apartment has made me chubby, pale and complacent. It's not any warmer here in Michigan but my cuddly beau isn't with me and I'm a bit starved for humorous human interaction. My two crewmates are dating each other. They spend their time cooking meals together, reading books about brightwork, going for long walks to the library or bookstore, etc. Besides the brightwork books, all this would appeal to me if Jarad were here. Instead, it's a big ol' yawn. Plus they haven't once invited me on their outings - which is probably fine by me anyway, but I still think that hiring couples is a lame idea. Especially on a crew smaller than six or so. These two are are the extreme end of being anti-pop culture and anti-anything silly. Together they set a mood of seriousness and not much chatter. Then there's me. Plus one of them is the mate, which as far as boat couples go, I think that's a bad idea as well. But so far that hasn't proved to be an issue. Thank god.
So my friend Polly has a friend up here who owns a business downtown, and that girl knows a guy who started a zine, then wrote a book. He's having a party and we're all going to that. Free beer and organic appetizers! The girl has dinner parties every Sunday, so I'm going to start going to those. Plus there's other parties around with that crowd, so I'll see how that plays out. I'm also looking forward to getting new crew around here, to kind of even out the scales, socially. If another anti-fun person shows up I'll just look forward to a summer of contracting outsiders for friends and reading a lot.
In other news, besides one of my speakers on this laptop flaking out, all four of my USB ports have decided to join the Lord. Next thing you know, my whole puter will go kablooey! I hope not... I suppose it would make my mom happy though. She apparently regrets giving me this laptop that she had sitting unopened on her apt floor for a year because the gift I gave her for Christmas was too cheap. Parents! Gotta love 'em! (yours, anyway. not mine. mine are a much harder sell.)
So my friend Polly has a friend up here who owns a business downtown, and that girl knows a guy who started a zine, then wrote a book. He's having a party and we're all going to that. Free beer and organic appetizers! The girl has dinner parties every Sunday, so I'm going to start going to those. Plus there's other parties around with that crowd, so I'll see how that plays out. I'm also looking forward to getting new crew around here, to kind of even out the scales, socially. If another anti-fun person shows up I'll just look forward to a summer of contracting outsiders for friends and reading a lot.
In other news, besides one of my speakers on this laptop flaking out, all four of my USB ports have decided to join the Lord. Next thing you know, my whole puter will go kablooey! I hope not... I suppose it would make my mom happy though. She apparently regrets giving me this laptop that she had sitting unopened on her apt floor for a year because the gift I gave her for Christmas was too cheap. Parents! Gotta love 'em! (yours, anyway. not mine. mine are a much harder sell.)
Hot Shop
That's what the other crew call the small heated workshop under the rigging loft. It's pretty warm, and fumes embrace you the minute you open the door. Vapors from pine tar, linseed oil, kerosene, turpentine, mineral spirits, paint thinner, penetrol, and oil, enamel and latex paints fill the hot air. Today we missed our "Drug Awareness" class which is almost laughable considering all the toxic gunk we work with. Tonight we went to a sort of schooner-town meeting hosted by the local Coast Guard station, who talked to us about what man overboard procedures are like from his end. They have a lot of cool shit! Besides the litter, the basket, the fancy pfd equipped with flares, knife, and scuba apparatus, the helicopter and all the Coastie satellite/strategizing technology, my favorite thing to see and learn was the Night Vision Goggles. I know, nothing new, right? Well what I didn't know was that when he's wearing them in the sky, he can see just the spark of a bic lighter from five miles away!!! How freakin cool is that? A mag light can be seen from TWENTY MILES away, with the NVG's. I'm going right over to the TSS myspace group to tell everyone the news.
Other than that the "meeting" was kind of a big ol' yawn. Helicopters are cool, but hey I'm badass and I've already done shit like ride in an open Huey, sit in the underside bubble of a KC 135, and ride in a C5 too. Plus I was just really exhausted from all the work this week. They really keep those orange copters in perfect condition though. They were beautiful up close. And since this town is known for it's cherry festival, there were even two perfect little painted cherries high on the tail. Very cute. One schooner guy was like the head of the meeting and he dedicated the event to Laura Gainey, though he mispronounced her last name throughout the evening, calling her Laura Gainley. We three were the only people under the age of 40. And I think besides our captain we may have been the only people under the age of 50, too. A bunch of volunteers from a boat named "Madeline" kept talking about how they don't have a system for getting ANYTHING heavy back on deck from the water, how their davits aren't logical since she's a double ender, blah blah blah. If I was that Coastie who was hosting the meeting, I'd be writing myself a note to take that boat out for a drill! They take a bunch of children out and basically have no clue about how to get anyone back on deck. Scary.
Below are some pics of what I did today. Tarred eyesplice servings on wire rigging, put another preserving coat on topmast hoops, bag up finished pins... also I did some leatherwork for clappers, came up with a genius idea for a leaky roof (think solar still design instead of a million buckets) and prepared the inflatable... plus painted a fireax, which can be seen on my myspace pic, in honor of FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!
Other than that the "meeting" was kind of a big ol' yawn. Helicopters are cool, but hey I'm badass and I've already done shit like ride in an open Huey, sit in the underside bubble of a KC 135, and ride in a C5 too. Plus I was just really exhausted from all the work this week. They really keep those orange copters in perfect condition though. They were beautiful up close. And since this town is known for it's cherry festival, there were even two perfect little painted cherries high on the tail. Very cute. One schooner guy was like the head of the meeting and he dedicated the event to Laura Gainey, though he mispronounced her last name throughout the evening, calling her Laura Gainley. We three were the only people under the age of 40. And I think besides our captain we may have been the only people under the age of 50, too. A bunch of volunteers from a boat named "Madeline" kept talking about how they don't have a system for getting ANYTHING heavy back on deck from the water, how their davits aren't logical since she's a double ender, blah blah blah. If I was that Coastie who was hosting the meeting, I'd be writing myself a note to take that boat out for a drill! They take a bunch of children out and basically have no clue about how to get anyone back on deck. Scary.
Below are some pics of what I did today. Tarred eyesplice servings on wire rigging, put another preserving coat on topmast hoops, bag up finished pins... also I did some leatherwork for clappers, came up with a genius idea for a leaky roof (think solar still design instead of a million buckets) and prepared the inflatable... plus painted a fireax, which can be seen on my myspace pic, in honor of FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!
i'm eatin pbj
But whitey's on the moon.
Sad as it is to admit it, I did more physically strenuous activity on Monday than I'd done in about 9 months. I climbed an 80 foot mainmast with an orbital power sander constrictor-knotted to a lanyard, and proceeded to rough up the crosstrees and all the white painted parts for FOUR HOURS. It was the one sunny day this week that was above freezing (slightly). Besides the shrouds there are no other stays up, which makes the spreaders really fun to crawl out on, and the mast a little wobbly. Then comes day two, when it actually WAS freezing... crawling up with a bucket full of paint (what? no lids! and rags an' brushes, etc.. Oh look the spreaders and cross trees are covered with ice. Nice. Fun fun fun. As Jarad once put it, there are two situations where I cannot function happily at all - when I have to pee and when I'm really cold. After three hours I couldn't feel my fingers much and inwardly said fuck this and climbed down. To my dismay the mate was about to send the deckhand up to finish my job, but then he went up and did it himself which was OK by me! We are exactly three crew plus the captain, who is always off working on the new bowsprit or the engine or doing office stuff. So it doesn't feel very wrong when the mate has to share some of the minion's duties. I will say, though, that all three of us, the cap, and the office people are very hardworking folks. The captain owns this boat, and his office goddess has worked for him for 9 years, so they have it down pat. Yes I'm peeved about not having a cook, but apparently we're getting one straight outta the BVI in a few weeks. A yacht cook no less. I can deal with that.
Today we turned the main salon into stonersville by closing all the ventilation and then painting the inside, while keeping warm with a giant propane heater. Nerve damage? Pshaw. Brain cells? Who needs 'em? I'm a sailor! But I guess I'm a pansy because I got nauseated and headachey so I opened the skylight and was told to close it. Some smaller windows were then opened and I tried to paint near them and probably looked like some kinda dungeon prisoner poking my head out to breathe. Yep that was my day.
Another blizzard has arrived. Back to the Anne Frank loft.
Sad as it is to admit it, I did more physically strenuous activity on Monday than I'd done in about 9 months. I climbed an 80 foot mainmast with an orbital power sander constrictor-knotted to a lanyard, and proceeded to rough up the crosstrees and all the white painted parts for FOUR HOURS. It was the one sunny day this week that was above freezing (slightly). Besides the shrouds there are no other stays up, which makes the spreaders really fun to crawl out on, and the mast a little wobbly. Then comes day two, when it actually WAS freezing... crawling up with a bucket full of paint (what? no lids! and rags an' brushes, etc.. Oh look the spreaders and cross trees are covered with ice. Nice. Fun fun fun. As Jarad once put it, there are two situations where I cannot function happily at all - when I have to pee and when I'm really cold. After three hours I couldn't feel my fingers much and inwardly said fuck this and climbed down. To my dismay the mate was about to send the deckhand up to finish my job, but then he went up and did it himself which was OK by me! We are exactly three crew plus the captain, who is always off working on the new bowsprit or the engine or doing office stuff. So it doesn't feel very wrong when the mate has to share some of the minion's duties. I will say, though, that all three of us, the cap, and the office people are very hardworking folks. The captain owns this boat, and his office goddess has worked for him for 9 years, so they have it down pat. Yes I'm peeved about not having a cook, but apparently we're getting one straight outta the BVI in a few weeks. A yacht cook no less. I can deal with that.
Today we turned the main salon into stonersville by closing all the ventilation and then painting the inside, while keeping warm with a giant propane heater. Nerve damage? Pshaw. Brain cells? Who needs 'em? I'm a sailor! But I guess I'm a pansy because I got nauseated and headachey so I opened the skylight and was told to close it. Some smaller windows were then opened and I tried to paint near them and probably looked like some kinda dungeon prisoner poking my head out to breathe. Yep that was my day.
Another blizzard has arrived. Back to the Anne Frank loft.
My Vice
Earlier this year I picked up an interesting, witty and polished looking free magazine at a record store on Broadway in Seattle. It was called VICE. The focus of that issue was Appalachia, and one story was a look into the lives of two brothers in a mobile home set deep in the Ozarks. One brother collected Barbie dolls and had half his room piled with Barbies still in their original boxes. It was an oddball look into the kind of Americana that isn't exactly romanticized or even talked about much.
A few days ago I stumbled upon a video on YouTube that had been copied from another video streaming site. It was about two guys from VICE magazine going to Baghdad to do a story on one of the only heavy metal bands that existed there. I searched around and found that VICE has it's own video site: vbs.tv
The film quality is decent, and can be enlarged to fit the screen. The content is awesome. Totally entertaining, in my opinion. My favorites so far are "Thumbs Up" about a pair of 3rd gen Koreans hitchhiking from LA to the East Coast, the music interview with Colin Meloy and other band members about how they get stuff stolen from their vans all over the country, the interviews with Nick Cave, Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins and The Rapture, the travel pieces about Cherynobyl, and a town in Paraguay where Nazis like Mengele hid back in the 50's... there's a lot more there too. I like it a lot better than youtube because I'm less likely to allow myself to suffer through a dozen bad home videos of peoples french bulldogs when I'm bored.
Here's the first part of the Grinderman interview:
A few days ago I stumbled upon a video on YouTube that had been copied from another video streaming site. It was about two guys from VICE magazine going to Baghdad to do a story on one of the only heavy metal bands that existed there. I searched around and found that VICE has it's own video site: vbs.tv
The film quality is decent, and can be enlarged to fit the screen. The content is awesome. Totally entertaining, in my opinion. My favorites so far are "Thumbs Up" about a pair of 3rd gen Koreans hitchhiking from LA to the East Coast, the music interview with Colin Meloy and other band members about how they get stuff stolen from their vans all over the country, the interviews with Nick Cave, Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins and The Rapture, the travel pieces about Cherynobyl, and a town in Paraguay where Nazis like Mengele hid back in the 50's... there's a lot more there too. I like it a lot better than youtube because I'm less likely to allow myself to suffer through a dozen bad home videos of peoples french bulldogs when I'm bored.
Here's the first part of the Grinderman interview:
Take It Down
That's what you do when painted/varnished wood is all messed up. Take it down to bare wood. Or rather sand it down.
My first week in the Great Lakes.... before I go on can I say there is a FUCKING FOOT OF SNOW OUTSIDE AND WITH THE WIND CHILL IT IS 8... COUNT THAT EIGHT DEGREES. Yeah it was all cute when I got here then it started snowing 2 days ago. Anyway, I've been sanding, painting, and did a bit of leatherwork today. That's about it. Mostly painting and sanding. I'm a bit overzealous with an orbital power sander sometimes, which can be good, but is mostly bad. I burnt my first one out, and I "took it down" a little too much on the inside coaming of the main hold. Did a stellar job on the womens restroom at the main office though. It's always nice to be thinking "I could be getting $17 per hour for this back at the UW!" when I'm actually getting around $4/hr. I know it's not about the money. It's about the quality of life/job. And may I just remind you that it's EIGHT FUCKING DEGREES OUTSIDE? Plus as bad as it may sound, I didn't expect to miss my cushy relaxed life and boyfriend so damn much. Maybe I've gone soft. We do not have a cook, which is lame. Having a cook is one of the reasons I'm willing to work for peanuts. Looks like traditional boats are hurting for crew all over the place. We still need 2 more crew, and of course, a cook.
This season should be fun once the sun comes out and we start sailing, but right now I'm missing Jarad and sleeping in and eating brownies naked in front of a dvd player. The first mate is 10 years younger than I and is a pretty nice guy, but this type of workplace can insult my sense of maturity at times. I mean really... for safety reasons (?) I can't wear headphones while painting a shore head? C'mon. I'm 33 fucking years old for chrissakes. Internal Dialogue: well Kim then why are you doing this if you don't accept some silliness like that at times? Hmmm. I don't know. I'd been off boats for over a year... this is low pressure I guess... and when I took the job I was confused about what I wanted. But I wanted some real direction. The only thing I'm not confused about is wanting to keep true to my commitments. So I made the decision, and I stuck to it. I have yet to see if it's going to have been the best decision for me or my relationship. Lately, esp with this cold weather, I'm thinking I need a sail training boat admin job where I can also work on my zine and have a dog and a decent relationship. Long distance SUCKS. Yeah I've heard rumors that it can work for some, and I don't believe them. I HATE feeling needy.
Nanette has said I should think more positively in general. I think she's right. I'm going to work on that.
