We just returned from the annual Oly UU pirate's ball and group wedding. Once inside we were tempted to upgrade from $25 for the family to get in to $50 to get in PLUS photo, and 40 doubloons to spend on assorted pirate souvenirs and activities... it reminded me of the old carny scams... well, me lassie had a few glasses of grog and was loaded to the gunwales and I had a few slices of cake and Orion cut his thumb trying to wrestle a sidearm away from a scurvy dog.

[edit -  one of the best activities they had to offer was a visit with the Doomsayer for one mere doubloon. Trish went in and started laughing right away.  I asked, "What did she tell you?"

"Something like the elephant will fall and the Republicans will cry," Trish replied.  I went into the 'tent' and paid my doubloon.  I instinctively put out my hand, palm up.  She took it and drew on it with a ball point pen, lengthening my head line.  She immediately launched into her divination, and I had to lean closer to hear over the DJ.

"(inaudible)... Look to the left and the right 'cuz that bus isn't going to stop!" 

As I have mentioned before I am in the process of purchasing a 4.78 acre peice of property in Alaska.  I am hoping to be able to go up there within two years and spend an entire year up there. 

I thought I would throw out my prepartations and plans so far for general comment.  Note, I will be mentioning guns and hunting.  These are not topics for debate carrying guns and killing animals are pretty much a fact of life in the Alaskan Bush.  Beyond that, I would appreciate input on my food planning or anything else you may feel worth chiming in on.  

The land I am purchasing is near Iksgiza Lake which is about 75 miles from Fairbanks and is reachable only by air.

I have based my basic supply list off these historical gold rush era lists. 1898 list from the Northern Pacific Railroad

1898 report from the Governor of Alaska 

I have made some allowances for personal taste and modern supplies.  For instance I will be carrying Spam instead of bacon, and very little coffee but more tea.  I am actually fond of beans and rice, as well as cornbread and sourdough breadstuffs.  I make my own sourdough now as it is...

I am searching for a good source of affordable canned butter. I'll also be adding some maple syrup, as well as some rum, brandy and whiskey to the list.  Various luxury foodstuffs like chocolate and whatnot will also be carried.  

For clothing I will be bringing an appropriate parka, perhaps a USGI extreme cold weather parka, artic shoes, socks, etc...

I'm really glad to have this conversation as this topic is very important to me.

In my opinion, Representative Democracy is not ideal because I feel that it creates a ruling class that is out of touch with the needs of average people and doesn't serve them the way it is touted to.

I am a huge fan of other forms of democracy however. Consensus Democracy, Direct Democracy, and Participatory Democracy are three that I think would work better than our present system.

In order to give you a clear sense of where I'm coming from, I think I need to real break down my political views for you. That way we don't get hung up on "panic button" words like "anarchist".

One thing I dislike about modern society is our propensity to label one another. Labels can be divisive and destructive, in my opinion, if we rely too much on them to serve as definitions of one another's character. Labels can be used to bring people together as well, or show solidarity with an idea or a cause, so they're not all bad, but we just need to handle them with care and keep in mind that we are not, as individuals, ever completely defined by one word or another. Each of us are unique, and one word does us no justice.

PFLAG-Olympia

The Not-So-Straight Truth About Our Schools!

What's really going on in our schools for GLBTQ kids?

A candid conversation about the school environment for GLBTQ youth, with local School District Representatives talking with us about diversity.

This meeting starts at 2:00 P.M. with introductions, announcements and social time, and the program will begin at 3:00 P.M.

PFLAG Olympia meets at First United Methodist Church 1224 Legion Way SE at Boundary Street in Olympia. Use the church's main entrance facing 5th Avenue. It is handicap-accessible.

More info

What would you say was the #1 issue talked about at the caucuses?

Update:

From the results we're seeing so far and from other sources, I think it's safe to say that Barack Obama is going to win the State of Washington in landslide fashion. Personally, this comes as not much of a surprise, as Obama has been out fund raising Clinton in the state by a pretty large margin.

I'm interested in how big a role local issues played in people's choices today. What things in Olympia will benefit from your candidate's presidency?

38 people showed up for my precinct quadrupling the turn out form last time of 9. Both my wife and I spoke on behalf for Obama. But sadly were unable to sway any of the Hillary supports who stood firm.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain became the likely Republican nominee after Mitt Romney decided to suspend his campaign Thursday. Now, the Democrats are debating who would do better against the Arizona Republican.

Democrats are debating who would do better against Sen. John McCain, the GOP front-runner.

Two polls this month have asked registered voters nationwide how they would vote if the choice were between McCain and Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton.

A CNN poll, conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation February 1-3, shows Clinton three points ahead of McCain, 50 percent to 47 percent. That's within the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points, meaning that the race is statistically tied..

Ever since I saw The Secret and the nice (but goofy) lady said, "If something bothers you, don't talk about it, don't join groups about it..."

I thought, uh-oh, don't blog about it either?

Well, yeah. It doesn't help to whine and complain about my pet peeves.

So here's the spin. I enjoyed wearing this T-shirt from the boy store Dad shopped at. The store doesn't exist anymore. The shirt has stains and a little hole chewed in it by a bird. I'm letting it go. I'm making room for a T-shirt that has more relevance and a professional appearance. It's the feng shui of attire.

I'm also reminded of quotes from Sammy Davis Jr.'s Autobiography "Yes, I can". His Grandmother gives him some advice to not settle:

"... the first day you come home and tell me you been hungry then that's the end of show business. And don't let nobody sew up nothing for you or put patches on you. You understand what I'm talkin' about? If there's a litle hole in your stocking, then you tear it and make such a big hole that nobody can sew it up for you. You don't need to wear nothing mended."