Bush vs Gore

George Bush vs Al Gore

Quick apology to Republicans, but I had to start with this one, the one that actually means something. Here goes, one guy sent many American kids to their death to kill enemies in an effort to protect us from enemies (it's hard to even type that it makes so little sense), and one guy, after winning the popular vote in a democratic election only to lose because of a few incompetent Florida judges, has jetted the globe explaining why and how to save our planet for future generations.

"I don't care what you say, I care what you do."

Izuno Update - A new 4 to 14 list travel encounter from Thailand. Also, the in the Projects section, I've added a few new pictures. Hopefully, soon I will be able to show what they look like framed.

New Format

I'm thinking about changing the format up for the blog. About the only reason I have this anyways is to improve my travel site search engine ranking. Plus, it's semi-time consuming coming up with a good argumentative topic anymore. I've given up on humanity, and don't want to be a grumpy old man yet (I'm 26 btw). Combine all that and I'm going to give the new format a shot. Hopefully I can update more often, and not bore you.

Part I (Good vs Evil)
In each post there will be a Person, Place, or something that has pissed me off, and I will list a positive counterpart. A sort of dark side vs Jedi thing, along with a short explanation. (I can't get over Patricia Heaton still, so I may start with her....fucking bitch).

Part II(Izuno Update)
Next in the post will be an Izuno Update. Izunotravel.com gets more of my attention than this blog, and many times since the site is so large it's hard for people to see what's new without wasting their time.

Part III(Attempted Reason*)
And *occasionally I'm going to list a topic that will be just a starting ground for debate. And any comments will be answered. This will allow me to keep the name of the blog. Get it?....ya.....we got it.

Grad School - A delay to figure it out.

Recently, I've met a few grad school students. Of all the things they have in common, the most interesting is that none of them know what they want. Some even admit it, that grad school is just a two year delay to figure out what they want to do. It's as if they looked at a list of jobs on a sheet of paper and think to themselves, they need to pick one.

Don't get me wrong, everyone of them is probably more intelligent than I, but at least I know what I want to do. And once you know what you truly want, life is so much easier. Decisions you make are more accurate, and you are generally happier. But it seems like grad students can't figure that out yet. It's amazing how similar they are. No offense to grad students here....I appreciate the fact they are educated...I love education. But maybe in the future they will take some classes to help them with the big problem instead of technical ones.

More updates have been made on izunotravel.com

Western Dreaming

Somebody once told me, that all Western Men are dreamers. And the more I think about it and observe it, the more I find that statement to be somewhat true (I wouldn't say all). Why is it that so many US men have such big dreams. Not that this is a bad thing, in fact most dreams are usually to help people, or start something big that will in turn help people on a large scale. Sooooooo...why is this? There are a million foundations and causes to support, most likely your favorite celebrity or multi-millionaire has their name on one already. But donating a few bucks to these places isn't good enough for some people. And don't even think about giving a few hours of your time. We have this desire to start our own thing. Maybe someone isn't doing it the right way, but most likely it's just the desire for recognition. A desire to be called a humanitarian, or win the Nobel Peace Prize, possibly knowing that when you die, your name will live on.

Me personally....I'm a dreamer, no denying....but I'd like to think I don't want the fame. It would be nice to see an organization that helps put out the fires rather than just trying to contain them, and I do hate the "Oprah" foundations. But I'm sure I can find something that fits those guidelines. I'm just not sure if this world is worth fighting over sometimes...it's so depressing one moment, then I turn around and see something great the next.

Little Things I Enjoy and their Counterpart

This is basically a list of what works and how judgement morphed it into something fake.

• Flat little wooden ice cream scoop vs Fancy silverware
• Public Television vs Daytime Talk Shows
• Cherries with seeds and stems vs canned and de-pited cherries
• Butter vs I can't believe it's not butter
• Muts vs $500 pure-breeds for sale
• Glass coca-cola bottles vs plastic litre bottles
• Handwritten greeting cards vs greeting cards that play music
• I was going to add more...but you get my point.
  

UFC vs Boxing

Is it safe to say the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bigger than Boxing yet? I'm trying to remember the last time I watched a good boxing match. I think it was along the time when Oscar De La Hoya was on top then leading into everyone believing Roy Jones Jr. was invincible (which I think he was). But now, I see no Don King, I see no heavyweights, where is the future? I did see a semi-pop reality boxing show with Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray, but that's all in the past.

I have a hunch the UFC is bigger than ever, and hats off to them. Hand to hand fighting has been through it's rough times and the UFC isn't the first organization to try to sell mixed martial arts fighting. But now, I could name off a handful of fighters without even calling myself a fan...I doubt I can do that with boxers. Another plus for the UFC is that it appears to be more controlled out of the ring. I was sick of seeing boxers start the fight at the weigh in...it got old. But UFC fighters seem to be able to wait for the octagon. I think once they lose the pay-per-view and verbal "get it on" to start the fights...I might start watching.

Back to the Grind

I've returned from my 5 week stint through Europe, and am feeling about everything one can feel at the same time.

Desire (to get caught up with work), Happiness (to see friends/family again), Sadness (to leave friends/beautiful locals), Greed (to rebuild the bank account), Jealousy (of friends who are working in Positano and have real jobs), and also a thing I like to call "Aweness."

Aweness hits me at various times for about 4 days after I return from a trip. Actually it's more like a "light slap" rather than a "hit." Aweness is picking up my car keys and thinking "wow....I'm lucky I have a car and also...wow...I lived 5 weeks happily, never thinking about needing a car." Aweness was seeing the natural plants I've lived around forever and thinking "wow...I've seen more variety of plants the last 5 weeks than I have my entire life." "wow...I always enjoyed eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast...but I miss croissants, baguettes, and crepes already."

All this "Aweness" is painful and educational. The more I seem to learn, the more I see how much I have yet to learn.

But enough about that....GREECE PICTURES!


Mykonos Beach...not too many swimmers due to water being frickin freezing.



HI MATT AND TRACE! - This wasn't graffiti...it was chalk that will come off of the santorini black lava. BTW...I was going to email it, but never had internet connection.



Toy sailboat being held by Ms. Peggy


Grilled fish...and you can kind of see the grilled octopus above it.


Theatre of Epidauros - famous for it's terrific accoustics. The guide said Celine Dion performed here and nobody seemed to give a shit.


Me and Peggy in 1st Olympic Stadium.


Athens Guard. I've never been so afraid of someone in a skirt and tights.



Corinth Canal.