Flynn O'Connor

Sex and Repression in Savage Society

2006-08-05T03:09:56Z

For my classical ethnographic review I chose Bronislaw Malinowski's Sex and Repression in Savage Society. The book is Malinowski's critique of psycho-analysis, in particular Freud's Oedipus Complex, and is one of the first participant observation studies done in Anthropology. He deals with two problems: the differences in what constitutes the family among different cultures of savages and how does the constitution of family influence myth, legends, fairy tales, and forms of social organization among these same savages.

Malinowski spent time on the Trobriard Islands during World War One, observing how the peoples custom and learning their language. He compares and contrasts their matrilineal society with the patrilineal societies of Europe at the time to flush out their differences in child raising, sexual practices, and forms of sexual taboo as they relate to both males and females but the larger families and clans. He then uses the analysis of their concepts of sex and family to explain its effect on the formation of their cultural practices and forms of repression.

Psycho-analysis plays a major role in the theoretical component of his book. While Freud and other psychologists were arguing that the Oedipus Complex was a fundamental phenomenon in the development of the family within human culture. Malinowski tries to correct a mistake in the assumption that this takes place across all culture but instead is "dependant on the structure and upon the culture of a society". Clearly this book is not meant for laymans but is unique and interesting critique on a major school of thought within in Western European academia. It was also one of the earliest anthropological works that was not considered "arm-chair" anthropology, Malinowski was actually in the field interacting with his subjects.

I found the way the Malinowski presented himself in the book to be somewhat distant, he makes reference only when he is discussing another academics theory or point of view. There is very little mention of his actual experiences with the tribes on the Trobriard Islands but is instead described in a vague third person perspective. You assume he experienced what he is talking about but because he does not place himself within spatial environments within his writing it left me wondering not only what his feelings were about this savages but also how he felt about his own society. When comparing and contrasting societies in the first section he described a great deal of the different aspects of upper class, middle class and peasant society in Europe but never really mentions where his experiences were within European culture. Although after reading Behar I guess that's not surprising, removing the ethnographer from the shadows is only now becoming acceptable.

Even though I wish I could have known more about Malinowski's personal experiences I found his comparison of sexual experiences and social repression in the two societies to be very interesting. One thing about the comparison that is only now important is that its not only looking at a way of life in tribe of savages that is probably long since changed with the eventual cultural encroachment felt around the world but his description of the European society would be a good study of how the culture once was but is now changed.

Religous diversity on a micro level

2006-08-04T07:03:50Z

Originally when I planned on writing this assignment I wanted to look at how my aunts and uncles percieve the same event in very different ways. But after talking to my Uncle and my mother about religon I began to realize there was a much more unique and interesting topic to look at within my family, religous and mystical beliefs. My father's side is very steeped in Irish Catholicism (of the Quebec variety) and while their beliefs are also quite interesting they did not have as much an impact on my own personal beliefs. Not only is this an exploration of the beliefs within my Mother's family but it reflects the development of my own beliefs from an early age and still has influence over what I do, the morals and ethics I choose to follow and where a great deal of my interests in Sociology come from.

The development of open metaphysical interpretation of the world around us that my was my grand mothers legacy developed from my great grandmother who was a theosophist or a person who believes in all religons in that they are legitimate attempts at understanding the divine. My great-grandmother also went to one of Aleister Crowley's lectures, although I don't know much about her I do believe she must have been an extraordinary woman.

Much like many of my own metaphysical beliefs came from my Mother, my Mother's Mother was a great influence on her children's beliefs. This is not to say their Father wasn't also involved, he was actually the more active in his religous beliefs exploring the Christian Science, united Church and Quakerism along with his wife. But their mother was the one who instilled an openess to metaphysics and esoteric beliefs that would influence all of their religous followings. On the most basic level of metaphysics there was a belief that there was a Universal Energy and that the deity or God was perceived on a personal not a communal level and would differ individual by individual.

As I discovered in my interview with my Uncle, his time in a Quaker boarding school left him with an appreciation of Quakerism that stuck with him for a good deal of his adult life. He associates with a lot of their spiritual beliefs but has not taken on their identity that goes with it. He did not become deeply involved in the esoteric schools of mysticism as his sisters did. Quakerism was and is the main religous influene in his life.

As for my aunt, she also took her mother's theosophist outlook but delved quite deep into one particular eastern, Sufism. Sufism in its traditional form derives its teachings from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, my Aunt does not adhere to the Islamic variation of Sufism but instead is part of a variation Sufism that could be most closely associated with Universal Sufism even though my aunt would not refer to it as such. The interesting thing about this form of Sufism is that it does not exist within the traditional framework of Islam and is quite consistent to the theosophist background my Aunt has. She believes in the divine and her prayers all consist of speaking to the divine in various ways of thanks for the things and events in our lives. There is a deep spiritual meaning she derives from this movement which I as a layman have not had the privilege to understand but I do know that for many years she was a teacher and mentor for many interested in the beliefs in the Calgary area. All of which started from her hearing a radio ad for sufi dancing on the radio.

As for my mother, the major influence in my own spiritual growth, she has explored many different religous and metaphysical groups to find spiritual meaning in life. When she was younger, my mother was involved with Rosicrucians, a esoteric movement similar to the Free Masons. Her mothers influence I believe gave her a open mind to different eastern metaphysical influences but still maintained a link to western christianity. When I was growing up she was part of a different church called the unity church which she described to me as being a "new thought church" in which the concept of God was not personified but represented in a form of energy that permeates all things, most of this is what I was taught at a young age in sunday school she placed me in while she worshipped at the church. She has since moved on to a much more eastern oriented belief system, partially related to Tantrism but much like her own Mother, she has never felt the need to openly expound on the virtues of her spiritual beliefs and instead allow me to discover my own independantly. Spirituality is all around us and there is no absolute truth in the ways of the spirit. That seems to be one of the main beliefs key to my mothers and her siblings.

It's amazing what you can find within you own family. I have found a unique belief system that influences an entire generation but never manifests the same way in any one person. My Uncle Bernie, while open to many different ways of seeing the world did not delve quite as far into the metaphysical realm as my Mother and her sister did. But even my Mother and her sister while each looking to the divine energy around us worship and respect it in very different ways, each respecting the others beliefs. The influence of early generations on them, especially the theosophist belief in the beauty of all forms of religon and spiritual beliefs has brought forth diverse family of spiritualists that I am proud to be a part of.

Interview With My Uncle

2006-08-03T08:50:09Z

So the Uncle on my Mother's side of the family has been a favorite family member of mine for a long time. He's a graphic designer who I believe to be incredibly talented and gave me a lot of knowledge about the craft when I was first starting to learn it and still to this day gives me lots of input when I ask for it. When he was young he looked a great deal like me, he sent me a mix cd one time with some photos of him as a young man and I was quite startled at how close we resembled each other. I've talked to him here and there about his past but never really gotten to know a lot about it. After spending some time with my Aunt in May and hearing about her past I decided to sit down with Uncle Bernie via instant messenger and ask about his childhood and get a feel for what his childhood was like. He and my mother are close to each others age and had a similar experience growing up so it's not only interesting to hear about how he grew up but also some of the differences in his experiences from how my mother grew up in the same place.

I was mainly curious about my Uncles youth, in particular I wanted to know about his formative years. The way he describes his youth he sees it in 3 distinct periods. When he was young, he lived in Chateauguay, Quebec. He often played by himself, something he still enjoys doing to this day. He told me of small memories, fragments of good days playing, rummaging through a broken glass pane in a cold-frame in the garden and finding a old toy. He promptly broke more glass hoping to find more toys.

He has 3 sisters and 1 brother but rarely played with any of them, or at least he holds no memories of it. They moved to Ottawa when he was about to enter Kindergarten, although the train yards interested him more than school. He was the youngest so he spent alot of time wandering alone. He was very astute and enjoyed watching people work (particularly road crews) and found the idle play of kids his age to be dull. His time in Kindergarten was just as dull. Very structured, with little room for adventure, play in the sandbox at this time, draw pictures at another time. Not a very creative environment for a future artist.

In 1966, when he just turned eleven his parents had to travel to Malaysia because Frank (his father) was part of economic development project there. Because the schools in Malaysia were not very good, oddly enough they were filled with Americans. So instead he was sent to a Quaker boarding school in Yorkshire. Bernie went through a culture shock landing in this new land and in a new school far from his parents although my mother was sent to the same boarding school so their relationship grew during this time.

The Quakers didn't have corporal punishment but instead when students misbehaved they had to go on cross-country runs or clean the school drains or garden. On the flip side they would hold Meetings where people would all sit and meditate together, if someone felt the urge to speak they stood up and said their peace. Bernie spent most of his time in these meetings trying not to look like he was snoring or repressing laughter due to the inanities of others. Bernie was still very much an astute observer and acquired a very open view of the world. By having the culture he had grown up with shaken and replaced by boarding school he came to understand that there are many ways to live in this world.

Several years later he moved back to Canada to finish high school in a small rural town. He unfortunately didn’t have much time to go into the third part of his childhood but it was ok because I think the second part in the boarding school was probably the more influential. The language he used to describe it was very positive even though it was very traumatic at that age. He would bring home an appreciation of Quakerism and ended up going to meetings in Canada. Although he doesn’t associate himself directly with Quakerism today he still appreciates the memories he had involved in meetings, recalling some of the memorable people he met who spoke words of wisdom. He even suggested I check out a meeting myself.

In the next part of my portfolio I am going to explore not only Quakerism but also the other religions that my aunts (my other uncle is an atheist) and my mother and explore how so many different religious beliefs can develop within one generation of a single family.

Ethnomethodology and a marathon

2006-07-31T04:32:45Z

At first I wasn't going to write this on the marathon. I've already used the experiences I had in Alaska for so much of this course it felt like I was milking a rock. But Marilyn suggested I do it and well you don't take the advice of someone whose teaching you lightly so I began to consider whether or not it could be done. After going through my head of all the lingo my girlfriend threw at me while she was going through the training process I laughed at my silly pre-conception that any social event I experience has a "limit" to the amount of analysis you can do with it. So once again I'm going back to Alaska, I swear for the very last time.

So my girlfriend was preparing the night before the big run. She had her outfit, a fuel belt filled with water bottles, goo(I'll explain that later), some snack bars, nip guards and other random stuff. We went to bed early (for me anyways) that night so she could get to the start on time. When 6am rolled around I got up to see her out and then went back to bed. At around 8:30am her brother and I left the hotel to rent some bikes and began our day long odyssey riding through Anchorage to meet her at various water stops. After actually volunteering for a water stop in San Jose several months ago I already knew what to expect at them but her brother was quite surprised to see that these stops were not just for water (which many runners carry with them while they run) but is actually a place for a brief respite from the marathon. The runners can refill their water bottles with water or electrolyte solution (this is important since the human body loses a lot of electrolytes in sweat during extended running) as well as "refuel" which refers to eating something with a large amount of carbohydrates or sugars, almost every water stop offered pretzels and twizzlers. I found it interesting how the runners equated food not so much as a form of sustenance but as something to consume in order for their body to continue functioning properly during the race. I was quite familiar with the old term "hitting the wall" as being a point where exhaustion sets in and makes it difficult for a runner to carry on but was puzzled as to how the lingo had changed where hitting the wall is now referred to as "Bonk" such as, "she bonked out at mile 15 and we had to call in the sag wagon." The sag wagon was the vehicle that travelled the length of the course in order to pick up runners who drop out of the race whether from injury or illness. Where the term sag wagon came from no one knows, but it appears to be the lingo used to represent not only the vehicle but its purpose on the course so when the vehicle is radioed for by marathon volunteers they know immediately what it is for.

After two hours of cycling along the beginning of the track we finally found Kelly on about mile 15 looking a little flushed but still very much in the race. The first 10 miles had been on loose gravel along an army base tank trail so the running had been hard. She told me that she had changed her interval to something closer to 4/2 which refers to the number of minutes you run to the number of minutes you walk. Discussing the interval gives other runners an idea at the pace you are running at.

A major topic of conversation between Kelly and other members of Team in Training was of hydration. Hydration refers to the liquid intake of the runner during the course. It is an important element that all runners must consider in order to maintain adequate levels of stamina during the race, from what I was told poor hydration and a lack of fuel are two of the main reasons why runners bonk out on the course. TnT had a lot of coaches running along the course at different points in order to check on their runners and every-time they saw one of their runners the first thing they would ask is how the runners hydration was and whether or not they had enough fuel. They were there to help these runners get across the finish line and after seeing them in action I see it was important to be able to ask brief questions about the runners water and food intake in the shortest amount of time. The coaches know these people have not run many if any marathons before and need only brief one or two word answers to be able to confirm the runners are taking care of their bodies. The terms hydration and fuel also remind the runners that water and food is not just a suggested forms of consumption but are necessary forms of energy as I already mentioned. The coaches also made a point of encouraging all of their runners, often referring to them as "rock stars". I found it funny that they used the term rock star for describing sweaty, exhausted people but it seemed to pick their spirits up to be referred to as such.

By about mile 20 Kelly had entered what John Bingham had referred to in his speech the night before as the "Bite Me" zone. This was not a spatial place but a mental state in which the runner has gone so far and is so tired that thinking of anything other than making it to the finish line requires far more energy than they are willing to spend and anyone that forces them to expend that energy in idle small talk while running will be told to "bite me". At this point I had stop talking to Kelly on more than an encouraging level when I saw her since she clearly wasn't capable of small talk. You give your runner a pat on the pack and a glass of water then get the hell out of their way at this point and that's exactly what I did.

Now for whatever reason, the marathon course planner decided it would be a great idea to make the last mile uphill. Not just a gradual rise but a damn near 25-30 degree incline. Now after 25 miles of tank trails and highway sidewalks I would imagine the last thing any runner would want to see is a hill of that magnitude. But thankfully the TnT group knew the course and had incorporated a great deal of "Hill Work" into their training in which runners were taken on many runs prior to the marathon that incorporated varying degree of hills and inclines in order for all the runners to develop the necessary stamina and strength to traverse the end.

Kelly completed what she had set out to do six months before. She ran a complete marathon after five months of training. I was incredibly proud of her and glad to have been apart, albeit small, of her training. The world of runners is unique in it's individual drive fueled by group encouragement. There was a great of terms she learned during the training process

• "Bite Me" Zone - The period during a marathon where the runner is testy, prone to emotional outbursts and possible biting.
• Bonk - When your body runs out of energy during the race. "She bonked at mile 15"
• Goo - A particular brand of electrolyte gel, comes from the most popular brand of gel "Gu"
• Hydration - Water intake or consumption"you need to watch your hydration when its hot out"
• Penguin - a person who runs for the joy of running instead of for recognition and public awards.
• Fuel - Generic term for food. "make sure you have enough fuel to complete the 10 k"
• Interval - a specific amount of time running followed by a specific amount of time walking "today we're gonna do a 6/2 interval"
• Sag Wagon - a vehicle that is used to pick up runners who drop out of the race.
• Sweeping - people on foot or on vehicles come along the rear of the pack to ensure there are no runners on the trail near the end of a day.
• Water Stop - a rest station set up at intervals during the race along the course. Staffed by volunteers who hand out water, electrolyte drink and fuel. Also includes a bathroom and medical staff at some spots. Also called an aid station.
• Nature's Ice Bath - The pacific ocean
• Rock Star - an encouraging term for a runner who is doing well on a run
• Hill Work - a form of training that incorporates hills of various steepness and length in order to improve your strength, endurance and cardio
• Out and Back - a part of the course where instead of a linear distance from point a to point b you run out out to point a then run back the way you came. A 4 mile out and back would be 2 miles going in one way then turn around and run the same 2 miles back.
• Nip Guards - an anti-friction substance
• cardio - a form of exercise that raises your heart rate to an optimal level for a certain amount of time in order to increase your stamina and capacity for exercise.

Restaurant Review

2006-07-30T08:46:46Z

Why do people think dogs and food don't mix? Most often its because dogs will stare at a person with food with an intensity that is disconcerting. Many people claim they are unsanitary but Ive seen a lot more people who unsanitary than I have dogs. One thing that is a must for any restaurant I go to with my dad is that it must have a patio and it must allow dogs. This can be a rather difficult condition to meet so our choice of restaurants is rather limited. But I knew of this place had a nice size patio so there was hope. It is a restaurant up on Main and 26th ave. called The Reef. I had heard good things about it and have a fondness for Caribbean food.

Parking specifically for the Reef is non-existant which can be somewhat annoying but if you don't mind parking off Main you can usually find some nice free parking on the side streets. If you're really lucky you might actually find an empty spot in front of the restaurant but those remain vacant for all of 0.05 seconds.

We got to the Reef at about 4:30 P.M. on a Friday which was not the smartest time to go there being as Friday afternoon is bustling on Main. The patio was damn near full and honestly I was expecting this restaurant review to end up being a bust because there was no empty tables. I was pleasantly surprised otherwise. The Reef has communal tables outside, so while 3 people were sitting on one corner of the gigantic patio tables there was still plenty of room for us to siddle in with them. Luckily for us the people there were not dog haters and there was little problem of getting my dads border collie mutt called Benny to sit under the table to wait for the inevitable snacks we would bestow upon him.

It took us all of about 5 minutes to realize that if we were going to eat here we were going to have to get use to slow service. Im not sure if it was just busy than usual or if the staff are just into a casual, caribean, laid back atmosphere but the service definately wasn't prompt. We finally got our menus and look at the choices. There wasn't a huge selection of food but what they did have looked quite good. Plenty of interesting food you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere, and unique takes on food you find everywhere. The plantaition chips were quite good, made out of some type of yam and served with a spicey mayo, definately a good started to some of their big 'tings as they called them. Now the problem for me is that since this place was tropical there was a large degree of fish on the menu, and being the unrefined, non-foody I am I avoid it like the plague except on very special occasions (which this was not). So while there wasn't a huge selection of entrees for me I did end up settling on their caribbean curry with rice and chicken.

One of the reasons why I love Caribbean food is the spices. I love that sweet, gingerlike spice that permeates almost all aspects of their cuisine. I was praying that the Reef would stay true to this and I was not disappointed. The curry was light on the spice (it wont make you sweat) but it had that unique tang that I long for in all my caribbean food. They served it with a mango jam and some odd variation of yogurt in plates too shallow to deep in and too wide and oddly formed to pour that left me wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with it. My father got the quesadillas which judging by the eagerness of his eating were more than just edible. My friend got the ribs, which were sadly only a appetizer so they were not the largest ribs you will ever see. When I looked at them I thought they'd gave him marinated bones and kept the meat for themselves but my friend assured me they were some of the best ribs he'd ever had.

Going back to the service for a minute I just have to say that they were really cool about us having our dog there, the only time they said anything was when he wandered inside with me for a minute. There is even a water bowl by their street sign which signifies that they encourage their patrons to bring their four legged friends and this attitude has earned my fathers appreciation (he now goes there at least twice a month).

Now its important to remember, since it was the end of the work week on a Friday we didn't come there just for the food. We wanted a good drink. Now the thing about the Reef is you have to like Rum. Why? Because rum drinks are 80% of their liquor menu. The most popular being the mojito, which is a combination of rum, mint leaves, ice, and ginger ale. There are several variations of it depending on your tastes but they all taste the same to me. Its a damn fine drink on a summer afternoon but I won't be slamming many of them back in October I can tell you that. It's the kind of drink that you just don't want to drink when its cold because the mint and the flavours of the liquor take you somewhere warm (or maybe I was just drunk).

So while the service was slow, it was laid back, friendly and helpful in deciding what to order. The food was good, definately higher end but cheap. The liquor was good (if you like rum) but not somewhere I'd go if I wanted to get blotto for less. The atmosphere was nice, lots of hip, trendy late 20 early 30 somethings with the occasional hipster from the older generations giving the place a real open, welcoming vibe. If you're in the area I'd definately recommend it over some of the over pompous eateries nearby. Give it a shot

Projective Test

2006-07-30T00:23:17Z

For some reason lately I have been more and more interested in the theme of family in sociology. Maybe it's the fact that I've always thought of my family as being so unusual or perhaps it's that I am looking at what is considered to be a socially accepted "normal" family in order to better replicate that myself (why I would want to do that I still haven't a clue). So when I finally sat down to do a projective test I wanted to use something along those lines. At first I was curious as to what people think children find interesting and what adventures they pursue so I wanted to find a photo of two children looking over a fence or something like that because I wanted others to tell me what those kids were looking at based on their own childhood memories. Sadly, finding a picture like that turned out being much more difficult than I anticipated. So I looked for alternatives and found this.

I liked this image because the woman and the baby were walking into a door that was very non-discriminating leaving it very much open to interpretation. I was curious how people would interpret the scene, in particularly I was interested in what activity people thought the two of them were doing. I decided to talk to people from different ethnic backgrounds to try and see how different cultural experiences change what people might see in the picture. I tried to keep the questions simple, asking simply what the person thought was happening in the picture at the time.

I made a point of mentioning that this was for a project in sociology, I always found it amusing to see the looks on people I was asking. I tried not to ask anyone who was busy because I believed that I would get more out of the respondent if they weren't doing anything, but still most people would immediately look at me with a wary look of "Oh god he's going to try and sell me something." Which I thought was funny considering that all of them were in classes with me and knew that I was a student just like them. Perhaps companies now have students trying to pitch products directly to other students now and I'm just not aware of it. Or maybe I'm paranoid.

I was surprised at how boring many of the responses were but I think I can blame my choice in photos for that. Most people assumed of course that the woman was the child's mother. Of the 8 people I asked about the picture 6 of them said that they were either leaving or entering an apartment building. One guy thought that she was dropping him off at daycare and one woman looked at the photo so intently that she noticed the little citizen logo on the door and figured it was a jewellery and watch store. Looking at the photo now I wonder what the mother and child are looking at but most people seemed to see the child as being in movement going somewhere. In fact one person even said that the woman is either lifting the kid up the step or pulling him down.

For future prospective tests I think I would better refine the questions around the photo I was using. For this photo I think I should have followed up my initial question with a query as to why most people thought the child and mother were related. When I asked a friend about it after the initial group had been asked he evoked (that one's for you Marilyn) Occam's Razor, the most likely explanation in this case was that she was the child's parent. It left me with something to mull over that I still have difficulty expressing about my misgivings regarding children and the expected roles that adults play in their lives, in particular, Mothers.

Exotic event

2006-07-15T00:36:52Z

My girlfriend ran the Mayor's Midnight Marathon as part of a large charity group called Team in Training (TnT for short). People sign up and pledge to raise a minimum amount of money (Kelly had to raise $3,900 US) in exchange they are given free training, large weekend event runs to help get people into shape, fitness coaching and free airfare and hotel accommodation for the marathon they choose to take. It is a noble cause and I have had the pleasure of meeting many of the people involved in Kelly's group who helped her cross the finish line after 5 months of training. Before the Mayor's Midnight Marathon they had a special spaghetti dinner for all the TnT runners to help get them motivated and prepared for the big run they were going to be doing the next day. This would be a nice little affair if it wasn't for one small catch... of the 3000 people who were going to do the Mayor's Marathon 2000 were flown in by TnT.

The event was held at the Anchorage convention centre. We are all driven in on school buses (nostalgia ride!) and dropped off in front of the building to be greeted by a cacophony of cow bells and cheering. Inside all the coaches form a gauntlet that everyone entering must pass through, being cheered and encouraged with great enthusiasm and volume. Since I was not actually running I found the gauntlet to be somewhat intimidating due to the sheer intensity these coaches exude in cheering. Some of these people were no doubt part of high school pep squads in their day.

After passing through the gauntlet, we form single lines to grab our grub. Then all sit at round tables of about 10-12 people. It was very reminiscent of a wedding reception just on a larger scale. We ate and talked among ourselves while on large screens images of those who were suffering from Leukemia & Lymphoma (including some who had lost the fight) and were in some way involved with TnT members played on a loop. A tastefully grim reminder of what we were all doing in the land of the midnight sun.

After a suitable time to eat and talk amongst our table mates the main event began. The vice-president of the company gave a rousing speech about how TnT and the people who ran these marathons had raised millions of dollars this year to help Leukemia & Lymphoma research. Each chapter from across the U.S. had their total donations read allowed to commend them on their work. Individual runners were applauded for exceptional charity drives, (one man in new Jersey actually raised $170,00, how he did it remains a secret).

Runners were then encouraged to stand up to be acknowledged, with those who had run more marathons getting to stand up and receive the longest ovation. Then the honorary members of TnT were asked to stand up, these people were people close to the runners who themselves suffered with Leukemia or Lymphoma, of which Kelly's brother was one of them.

The night consisted of many occasions where people were acknowledged which I think was an important role of encouraging many of the new runners to feel pride in what they were about to do. But the people of TnT knew how to work a crowd and set up a good order of speakers to give different perspectives on what this marathon meant. A man who had survived Leukemia after losing his 5 month old son several years prior came out and gave an inspiring speech that put a face to the emotional and financial suffering that many patients go through. He ended his speech by bringing up his young son who was born after he had made it through treatment. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after his speech.

Thankfully, after that emotional speech they brought on a famous running magazine writer John Bingham to liven the place up a bit with some humour about what to do on the course, how to think about the course, and really to just encourage people not to treat it like a race and more like a personal challenge to be met and overcome. He was the final major speaker and ended the night well with all the runners feeling good and smiling but also still holding onto the memory of the story of survivor of Leukemia to keep them motivated.

For me it was a unique experience to see members of a culture of fitness getting ready to perform the ritual they mentally and physically prepare themselves for over months. Many of them like, like Kelly, have never run a marathon before and after witnessing the impact the dinner had on her I can see the value in these events in motivating and encouraging runners.

My visit to a cultural site

2006-07-12T00:05:25Z

I was recently in Anchorage, Alaska to support my girlfriend who was running the Mayor's Midnight Marathon. While there I decided to take advantage of this time to apply a bit of sociology in an analysis of a cultural site I may never visit again. I have been emerged in Aboriginal culture for many years due to the fact I work for The First Nations Drum and when I found out that there was a large Native cultural centre run by the various tribes in Alaska I decided this would be an apportune time to test my abilities to critically analyze the image of the native people presented by this centre in a tourist setting. It was even more interesting because I knew that it was the native people themselves that had control over the image they would present and by visiting I would get a better idea of how they incorporated themselves not only into Alaskan communities but also the greater identity of the United States.

So one morning my girlfriend Kelly and I caught the shuttle bus from our hotel to the centre which was a quick 10 minute drive. The driver was from one of the tribes, and I would later learn that the cultural centre was actually one of the major employment centre for many of the younger, more urban aboriginal people. The centre was built on Athabascan land, mainly because they were the tribe that had previously occupied the area around Anchorage.

Upon entering the main facility I was struck by the small size of it, probably a little smaller than the Museum of Anthropology in UBC.There was a stage set up with many vacant chairs in the main lobby for people to watch dancers and singers. There was at least 150 people at the Centre when I arrived but there must not have been more than 5 people that stopped to watch the dancing and singing.

We wanted to experience the site as it was intended and were lucky to have arrived 10 minutes before a free guided tour. Our tour guide was a pregnant mixed blood native girl, she pointed out that many of the younger generation were mixed blood with very few tribes having any full blooded members under the age of 50. I thought about asking her if she picked and choosed what parts of her cultures she focused on and whether you was worried about losing aspects of her people's identity as cultures merged but decided to not press my guide so early on in the trip.

The site was organized around a lake. With 5 sites representing the 5 tribes. Each site had an example of traditional housing of the tribe with a special guest speaker at each site to explain the particular unique aspects of each tribes culture, way of life and subsistence methods. While the EYAK, TLINGIT, HAIDA & TSIMSHIAN had an elderly member of their tribe greet us and describe aspects of her people's way of life, every other tribe spokesmen was a young, urban aboriginal. Each one of them would represent themselves as a member of the tribe they belonged to, usually with a very brief explanation of their family line. With so many of these younger aboriginal people being of mixed blood and wondered how important this really was to them, and why they chose one over the other.

The different houses were unique and often ingeniously designed to protect against harsh elements. Many of them did not have doors so much as they had crawl spaces into the dwelling, often the entrance was in the floor to prevent heat from escaping. Compared to the houses we are so use to now they seemed quaint but I was very impressed with the intuitive, intelligent design that reflected in so many of them. The stand out was the Athabascan, that was almost a direct copy of a frontier log cabin we see in so many period pieces. I was rather struck by this, as all the other tribes had a very unique style and design that was very clearly stamped as their own, so why then was the Athabascan so much like a European settler style house. I would learn that it was because of the Athabascan's contact with Russian sailors and traders who would teach them house building techniques. That the Athabascan's chose to represent their identity after it had been influenced by outside cultures was not lost on me but I decided it would be better to not make some arrogant comment about it, especially since our special speakers at the Athabascan site was a 10 year old girl.

One question I did ask my guide was about the apparent lack of any historical mention of fueds or wars between the tribes. My guide responded that yes there had been conflicts but that the tribes had learned to live in peace. No reason for why they learned this was given.

Since I am so embroiled in Aboriginal politics here in B.C. I find myself to be somewhat of a cynic. Many tribes will work together in this province but it usually requires long drawn out negotiations. The fact that the tribes in Alaska had chosen to represent themselves as peaceful and united in their way of life left me wondering if there was a dark side of their past that they did not want us to know about lest it change our view of them as a people.

It was an enjoyable trip, and I would recommend the centre as a spot for tourists if just for the fact that they aboriginal people offer small tidbits about US history relating to Alaska from a different perspective, giving the visitor something new to take home with them.

Ethics of buying virtual currency

2006-07-06T07:24:18Z

I have had difficulty trying to explain a phenomenom to some of my sociology teachers at SFU that I have noticed on the internet. Many of them can't grasp the concept of what is going on and it is very hard to explain to many of them because they simply are not involved in the large online communities and virtual worlds that becoming more and more popular. I am involved in one such community called Final Fantasy XI, not the largest online game by far but I enjoy because it brings a lot of north american, japanese and european players together.

So what is it we do? Well to put it simply it's a virtual role playing game, a cybe dungeons and dragons adventure in which I and 500,000 people share a persistant online world. We band together to fight large beasts or compete against each other for bragging rights. We form a virtual community and produce our own equipment and items in crafts based on real life trades such as blacksmithing and goldsmithing. Many of these games have player run economies with some players have the ability to make items or acquire them from monsters while others offer them virtual money in exchange for the items. This has gone on since the first online role playing game first appeared in the mid 90's, but there has been a growing industry within these games that is not a part of these virtual economies but has grown from a need amongst some of its members. Gamers are now buying virtual currency from people out of the game, and they are buying virtual currency with U.S. dollars.

So how do you explain to someone who doesn't play these games what this phenomenom really means? To most people it seems like a silly way to spend your hard earned money. You buy fake money so you can use it in a game. These games are made by game developers in order to make a profit. Just to enter the world you have to pay a fee and you sign a contract saying that you are in a realm under the control of the company that makes it. That is the first ethical problem with buying virtual currency for real money. It is breaking a legal contract with a game company that you are paying. But with so many players in these games its nearly impossible to be caught buying virtual currency, since the majority of the transaction happens outside of the game, only after you have paid for the amount of virtual currency you want will you see another player, who then gives you the money without a word.

What is the main issue involved here is how something that was considered transient and imaginary is generating real world social value. I can hold a million gold pieces on my character in this game and think "I have the equivalent to fifteen dollars U.S. on me" I can't use it to buy a coke but I can sell it to others so really it is just one step removed from real money. There is a market for these game currencies and it's bigger than you think. The main seller of virtual currencies across over 20 different games is IGE and it makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

But how? How can this company make so much money off of players in these game worlds? Unfortunately there has been absolutely no studies done on the motivations behind purchasing virtual currency, there have been studies of the markets and whether or not we should tax virtual income, but no social researcher has thought to ask the question of gamers, "Why is virtual currency worth millions of dollars to all of you each year?"

What makes this an even larger problem is that IGE and other companies are making very large profits off this market because of the inequities in the global economic system. In China, Russia, India, and anywhere else you can get computer savvy workers for pennies a day you will find virtual sweat shops where people play these games for 12 hours a day, earning up to $60,000 dollars worth of virtual currency and be paid 60 dollars a month for it.

This is a social problem buried so deep within the realm of cyberspace it's hard to decipher, let alone study. I believe there needs to be more attention paid to this problem as it not only affects those rich enough to afford high end computers and the monthly fee to play but also those in poorer countries who are being exploited in order to exploit the wants and desires of the rich by a few very internet savvy businessmen.

WeeGee

2006-06-30T04:24:47Z

WeeGee was once the most well known photographer of New York city crime scenes. His pictures documented the violent crimes and tragedies that occurred in his beloved city. After seeing his pictures in the SFU art gallery and hearing his story I am most interested in the many roles he played in New York. He was a crime scene photographer with an incredible nack for showing up at scene only minutes after the crime had been reported (an ability later revealed to be thanks to a police radio) and able to capture moments that hold a realness to them that seems absent in many crime scene photographs.

Images such as the above portrayed small but very active moments within New York. After seeing his work, I can't help but think that he played more than one role, he was not just a photographer. He captured moments of life, made the city seem more human and less concrete and steel. He was exceptional at catching moments of emotion at the scene of crimes because he wouldn't just capture the major event but the very reaction it caused in those it touched.

He was also used by the mob as an indirect messenger. I found it amusing that the mob would actually specify the dates he should remain in New York on weekends in order to document who died where and how. I think he embraced the city and by doing so it embraced him in return. He was given access to high class events with New York aristocrats and then snapped pictures of sleeping children on a fire escape.

It's hard at first to see how they could be connected but they were, it was all different aspects of the same city. From a qualitative perspective it's easy to see how a city can mean so much to so many at the same time but to everyone it means something just a little bit different. The visuals captured by WeeGee are a lesson in seeing the world from different perspectives and I believe it is a lesson that anyone learning how to interpret humanity needs to learn.

Analysis of Visual Data

2006-06-07T05:25:21Z

The movie Interstella 5555 is concept movie based on the works of the dance music duo Daft Punk. The japanese animation studio Toei Animation was hired to create a visual realization of the Daft Punk 2003 album "Discovery". Originally the first 4 songs were aired on TV as music videos but the full movie was only available on DVD in 2003 and never aired on TV or in theatres. The story was written by the two members of Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel and an unkown writer Cédri Hervet. Because there was no dialogue in this movie and the vast majority of the music and sound FX came from the Daft Punk album it is primarily aimed at fans of dance music who also enjoy animation.

The film tells the story of an alien music band that is kidnapped and brain washed by a supernaturally endowed human who kidnaps and enslaves alien musicians in order to gather accolades and riches for himself. Every song is like a chapter in the story going along with a section of the movie. The story told through the various chapters/songs also develops a narrative with some interesting allusions about the music industry and the nature of the muscian as an artist.

This is the band on their home world at the beginning of the movie. They look like humans crossed with Smurfs in order to portray an alien quality that can still be related to humanity. They are not like us and yet they resemble us (they also play pretty good French House music). During the beginning of the movie they seem alive and vibrant. They are playing music for people that enjoy it and they enjoy performing.

After they are kidnapped by the evil looking man in the centre the band is literally painted over and remade in order to be palatable for human consumers. They are now being controlled by implants in order to make them docile and easily manipulated. They have dull eyes that stare, seeing nothing. They put on a show because they are told to do so, no longer enjoying their ability to perform.

Eventually they are freed from the mind control by a hero from their home planet and continue the story along till they discover the purpose behind the supernatural villians motivation for kidnapping alien bands and bringing them to Earth.

This is an earlier victim of the villian who is transformed into what looks like Aretha Franklin or another early 60's soul singer.

What is interesting about this montage is that it takes musicians who look recognizable to North American audiences, if just vaguely. In all cases they look dull and uninspired. The montage depicts all of them self-destructing through various means that real life artists have done, ie: alcohol, drugs, and depression. While in the background the villian is holding aloft a gold record signifying their success as muscians.

I have only used one example but the movie depicts 3 or 4 others along with the Aretha Franklin look-a-like who all are depicted in a similar manner. All of the aliens are made into human beings, into fake people, in order to further the villian's goal. In all their cases they are left shattered and used, no longer true to their original selves and dereft of true musical expression. The allusions to real life musicians, I believe, is not unintentional. This story was written by the members of Daft Punk who are themselves musicians. This was an indirect reference to the nature of the music industry and its alienation of musical talent from the modern day world.

The use of a small montage within a larger narrative expressed the allusion in such a subtle way that any character trying to express the same sentiment through words would have come across completely different and perhaps quite a bit less effectively. Although the message was not a deep social commentary it was still effectively embedded in a entertaining feature film. As a sociologist I would recommend this movie to those interested in the sociology of music and dance as well as fans of house music and Daft Punk in particular and those interested in a good animation. The movie is 80 minutes long and excellent quality animation. The character design was done by Leiji Matsumoto who is a well known artist in anime and manga.

My story

2006-06-03T14:31:47Z

When I was still unable to comprehend the word around me my mother left Ottawa, the town I was born in and travelled across Canada. Why she did it, one could only say is because the wanderlust was within her. My father and her, while they cared deeply for each other had given up on living with each other before I was born. So it came to be for the first decade of my life I was my mother's charge.
When I was six and we were living in Victoria I found myself interested in sharks, I wish I could say it wasn't because of the movie Jaws but I'd be lying. I was still very young so my research into the world of sharks and other marine life was limited but I can honestly say that I developed very quickly as a reader because of the many science books I read at that age. For a long time I dreamt of becoming a marine biologist. My mother even drove me up Vancouver Island to visit the marine biology lab that was a pseudo satelite campus of either Uvic or UBC.
While my interests in marine biology developed at home, my scholastic developments were somewhat mediocre. Like any half-intelligent child I passed all the classes I took but found it difficult to socialize with children my own age. I had be raised for the most part by my mother and a kind man that she could never stand to marry and our little family unit was unique in its way. We cared about each other deeply and I was raised well but we were often travelling. We eventually stayed in Victoria where the first 3 years of my schooling were in a school called Rennaisance school. The school was not very structured, the young ones would learn by themselves but any students after grade 4 would often comingle, I infact took math classes with grade 4,5, and 6 students. The school was excellent for supporting most of the students and put on several musical theatre productions with the whole school. Our version of Wind in the Willows would be so well received that we entered one of the musical pieces from it in a province wide musical exhibition, I was the youngest of the singers. The school would eventually close down due to improperly filed forms. I was then forced to enter public school to complete Grade 3, in Renaisance the number of kids in my class could be counted on two hands, in public school I was one of hundreds.
I ended up completing grade 4 and 5 through homeschooling in the space of a year because I found it very difficult to connect with the children in public school, I felt like an outsider and was never accepted. There were very few children that I played with and even when I did play with them I would never consider any of them to be friends I would ever want to reconnect with now.
Before grade 6, I spent a summer with my father in Vancouver. I enjoyed the new found freedom I experienced with my father, who cared about me but would never be a true authority figure in my life. I told my mother I wanted to live with my father, which she grudgingly accepted, I would find out years later she was worried that going through puberty with her would have been difficult and that I needed a male influence. So I entered my third school. This time the school was a catholic shcool called St. Augustine's. Filled with mostly chinese and filipino children from rich families I was once again an outsider, I never felt comfortable in that school and was glad to be free of it by the end of grade 7.
By grade 8 I was beginning to look forward to joining a large school where I could disappear into a crowd. No longer an outsider, I was content to just be one of many. This was also the point when I began to realize that I did not have the academic dedication to become a marine biologist. Instead I became more and more fascinated with social situations, in particularly I began wondering where the origins of aspects of our culture came from.
I graduated from high school with below average marks due to the growing apathy I felt towards most academic studies. I felt no motivation to try and it showed. After several years of travel and study in technical programs I chose to get a BA, in what I didn't know. I started in Langara collge when I was 21, already I was about 2 years older than the average student and felt like I was redoing high school. The saving grace was that I found myself honestly interested in the courses I took.
I first looked to philosophy, as I had begun reading some of the great thinkers at my fathers request. I was hoping the class would give me a better understanding of some of these great minds and help me understand the underlying themes within the texts. Unfortunately there was little discussion but lots of note taking. I soon began to grow bored with philosophy as I found I could not muster the will to analyze these texts only to regurgitate it on a test. I wanted to discuss the texts, explore the deeper meanings. I took various classes in economics, english and sociology and found myself enjoying the sociology classes for their interest in analyzing aspects of the social world.
My interests have evolved over time and I have become less scientifically minded and more interpretive. I also know that one of my greatest weaknesses academically has always been the narrow focus of my interests. If I find a topic interesting I will persue it doggedly. If my interest wanes my focus falters and I can become apathetic and lazy. It is probably my greatest character flaw and one I have strived to overcome throughout my career. By completing my BA in sociology I will be proving something to myself, ever since I began studying sociology I did so not because I thought it would ensure me employment but that it would help me grow as a person due to the diligent intellectual training I received.

Quantitative Portfolio

2006-06-03T12:24:00Z

For now this is a place holder, I will be adding entries after this to document my experiences while in SA 356

All future entries will be linked to this entry.

My academic autobiography

Analysis of Visual Data

WeeGee

Ethical dilemma of internet gaming

Sociological analysis of guided tour

Exotic event

Witnessing violence

2005-07-22T02:20:52Z

Today I witnessed a incidence of violence I wish to never see again. I didn't see someone getting beaten or killed, god forbid I ever have to experience that again after I was swarmed by nine people several years ago. No, what I saw was a small little dog left alone to wander a major intersection on his own with his master nowhere in sight. As you can guess I watched that small dog get struck by a car. Thankfully the driver saw him crossing the road and when the dog stopped in the middle of the intersection I knew something bad would happen.

The dog stopped and the guy whose name is Ian drove very slowly through the intersection only to have the dog dart in front of him at the last moment. This dog was not the brightest creature in animal kingdom. Because Ian was going so slow the dog got his paw crushed under the wheel but thankfully nothing else. It shrieked in pain and sped off to the parking lot behind the bus stop I was waiting at. When Ian saw he had struck the dog he pulled over to where we were and checked its safety along with myself and two employees of the bank on the corner. His front leg was mangled and bleeding and he held it shivering above the ground. The blood was so very bright and no one wanted to get close enough to him to read his dog tag until I volunteered to do so. We tried calling the phone number on his tag but no one answered so Ian said he take him to the vet and a very intense but well meaning chinese guy offered to guide us to the spca.

The poor dog (whose name I never learned) was placed in a box which I held in my lap during the trip while Ian and I talked. I learned his name and what he had been doing before the accident (going to his job cleaning gutters). The wounded dog was very strong after the originally yelping he was quiet and calm in the box. He may have been in shock but Ian and I were both impressed. After we dropped the dog off Ian dropped me off at work. Weird way to start the day. I don't think I will forget the sight of seeing that dog kind of collapse under Ian's tire but I'm glad he survived and seemed to be in non-life threatening condition when we left him at the spca hospital.

Teh WINNAR

2005-07-06T08:16:46Z

Just had an incredible night playing poker. :D I'm going to try and study for awhile because I can't go to sleep I'm still buzzing. When I started today I had 29 dollars from the original 50 I deposited at the beginning of June. By the end of the night I was up to just under 100 dollars!!! WOOOOOOOO! It's days like this I think are what get people addicted to gambling, you win some money and you feel like a king even if its small time it still feels good. My friend Cam is a dealer and he says he feels the worst for guys who come into his casino for the first time and win big. Like they bring in 50 bucks and walk out with 300. Sure its nice for them but I guarantee you they're thinking to themselves "Man this is AWESOME!! I should just be a professional gambler!!" hehehe if only it was that easy...

I'm feeling good because all the studying I put into odds theory and general playing habits has made me a better player where I actually feel more confident when I go to a table. I use to get nervious about playing with other people because I always felt like a newb. Tonight isn't the first time I've felt like a better poker player but tonight I had the winnings to back it up.

This one I got yesterday

But these two were today.

Ironically both of them were pocket aces which usually I am loathe to play because I always get fucked by them. I'm starting to understand now that how you play certain hands can greatly increase your chance of winning with them.

OH! After I won that money I took a break and said goodnight to Kelly then got bored and decided to enter a 5 dollar single table tournament. I talked to some really nice people but they got eliminated early. I ended up winning that too and won 25 bucks for it. GO ME!

It is technically wednesday now and I have a bachelor party to go to. It actually sounds pretty nice because we are going to be playing hockey in the park and then have a poker tournament at a guys house. I think after that I may need to take it easy from poker. lol. We'll see if I win anything or not.

Ok back to trying to study Canadian society

Good bye World of Warcraft

2005-06-26T19:41:49Z

I've quit what may be my last MMORPG. I never had the time to play and it was costing me 50 bucks every 3 months that I could have been using for more important things like food and beer. But to be honest I am a little bit sad. One thing I always loved about these games was the great people I knew in them. I've played three different MMORPG's and in every one of them I've met some really quality people that made the experience more than just a game. Hell I met Kelly in the first one I played, which was totally awesome. I love her a lot and am always grateful we met through these games. But it wasn't just her, she was probably the most special because of the deep emotional connection we now have but there have been others. To name a few there have been in Lineage and Wow there is Thistle, Dazaran, Tueur, Kinslayer, and Chryses. In Final Fantasy there was Geshtal, Borvock, Morgaine, Clecan, and Aemie. All of them were great people who made the games I played more enjoyable. However, of all the friends I've made there are two who have been in EVERY game I played. Seph(ero) and Chumley, otherwise known as Joel and Andrew.

Andrew is the one on the left, I'm in the middle and Joel is on the right. I cannot express how much fun these guys made my gaming experience I'll always be grateful for that.

I say good bye to a magical world and I don't know when I'll return, if ever. It's not that I don't like playing, it's just that I never have the time to do the things I want in these games. So it's better if I just leave now.

Good bye... hopefully not forever.

Pokerage

2005-06-19T09:05:31Z

Today pokerroom had a big special event to celebrate their one billionth hand. The winner gets a trip to Las Vegas which is a pretty good deal considering the amount of players on today was up by what to by 1000%. So I figure from all the rakes they took that Vegas trip earned them somewhere close to a gajillion dollars from all the rakes. I was bored while studying so I deposited some real money today to play and make my contribution to pokerrooms coffers. I didn't expect to win but there was excitement in the air which made playing more exciting.

I had a couple of good hands. First one came maybe 30 minutes in.

The sad thing is that most of that covered what I had lost getting use to playing for real money again. Oh well it was a nice pot for a 25 cent table.

After that I folded an Ace and two of diamonds and the flop came down all diamonds. Still pissed about that one. At the time I was so mad I had to leave for a little while otherwise I would have played on tilt which would have been bad.

I came back a little while later and caught

but after that the night went downhill. I never lost big but I never was really up overall (at least not for long) I need to start playing poker in a buddhist state. With the lack of desire to win I'd probably play better... maybe there's a book in there.

Speaking of religon, nice guy at one of my tables posed this deep theological question which I saw fit to answer.

I've been playing poker all day, I need some sleep. Tommorrow is my dad's birthday AND father's day. Two for one :3

~night

Broadband Noise!

2005-06-18T02:03:00Z

Yesterday was fucking nutty. From taking a midterm on Burnaby mountain to speeding downtown in order to catch my friends up and coming band in one of the shittiest dives in the city. But I gotta say it was worth it. For only their second gig outside of house parties the boys played tight! We're talking virgin tight.

Tom and Shawn played really well off each other. Better than I've ever heard them. (Tom is the guy up top and Shawn is the red head with the pseudo afro)

Also I finally got to hear Michelle sing which is awesome because she's very good.

Heh that last picture cracks me up. It was good times for all and alcohol was cheap (one of the benefits of playing in a dive bar). However I brought limited funds which thankfully lasted me until after they had finished. They mentioned something about playing at a club for Buffalo sometime in July but I was too drunk to remember the date, thank god I'm on the mailing list. I'm looking forward to seeing them play again. They just keep getting better.

And with that....

thoronas @ 2005-06-15T22:46:00

2005-06-16T05:47:45Z

What Bleach Character Are You?

Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.

To be honest I picked the answers I knew would get me ishida. What can I say? <3 Ishida

/gay off

pics of vacation

2005-06-16T01:39:00Z

Ok so just because I want to here are some of my fave pics of the 150+ pics my girlfriend took on our vacation last month.

We went on a cruise for seven days and paid the extra money for one of the swankier suites. That means we had a balcony and two tvs in our room. Why we needed two tvs is beyond me but hey luxury is luxury. Anyways this is our ship.

The Diamond Princess

Pretty swank.

The amenities on the boat fucking rocked. Free food whenever we wanted it. I don't mean like free room service (although food from room service was free) I mean there was four different dining rooms you could go to all with different menus and you could have as much or as little as you wanted. Just for the hell of it we went into one dining room to have an appetizer then went to another for entrees :P. There were four pools although I didnt like them too much because they were all pretty shallow and no diving board. They had a burger and pizza bar which were free and a sundae bar (which wasnt free). So while all the food was free the drinks were not. I don't mean just alcoholic drinks either, I'm talking everything. You could buy a pop card when you first get on the boat for free soda but juice and alcohol you had to pay when you bought it. The alcohol prices weren't bad but they were in american funds which hurt my poor canadian wallet :3

They dropped us off at 3 different ports. The first was Puerto Vallarta. Kelly (the gf) and I decided on a jungle tour which ended up taking us into the jungle where they filmed Predator which just happens to be one of my favorite Arnie movies so fuck yeah. We found this little quiet spot while hiked.

The water was so cool and yet warm at the same time I wish I could have a man made pool just like it here.

So it was pretty cool.

In Mazatlan we went on a bird watching tour which sounds boring as fuck but actually wasn't too bad. It helped that our tour guide was awesome and his assistant was all about handing out the free beer. We ended up being towed by a tractor to this stretch of beach.

I basically spent 3 hours jumping into oncoming waves and being washed ashore and drinking free Mexican beer.

Thats what I call a vacation.

Our last stop was in Cabo San Lucas where we went snorkeling. It was awesome. The fish were totally unafraid, they probably get boatloads of tourists coming to poke them and feed them so they were almost domesticated. I had an underwater camera and got some cool photos but the flash didnt work so its all blurry and bleah so no photos.

Anyways thats my trip. I leave you with a pretty picture.

~until next time.

Now with Bacon!!

2005-06-14T04:20:00Z

mmmmmmm

thoronas @ 2005-06-13T21:07:00

2005-06-14T04:14:12Z

Sooooo yeah... life continues to be a real bitch. Not complaining but got a lot of things going on right now. Went on a cruise with my girl friend last month (Thanks sweety! <3 <3) if I get around to it I'll post some pics since the parts of Mexico we went to were awesome. I'm doin my courses this semester from home since they are all distance ed. I've also taken on some writing assignments at work which means more money!! On the down side Im cancelling Wow because I've havent played in for-fucking-ever. I really want to go back to FFXI and rescue my poor pld but honestly I wouldn't play him and FF needs at LEAST 4 hours dedicated to get anywhere imo.

One last thing, I'm going to Burning Man! I'm pretty stoked :D

thoronas @ 2005-03-18T18:59:00

2005-03-19T03:00:14Z

Cowboy Bebop - YOUR bounty by Drusilla
Username
How much are you worth?	$7,760
Number of victims	3,067
Your story	What can I say, you're evil. PURE EVIL. Lets eliminate the weak! Killing seems merciful, hm? Life sucks anyway. If you're weak. Lets kill kill kill! )
Will you be caught?	Yup, you almost got caught a couple of times...your planning sucks.

Quiz created with MemeGen!

I like it. PURE evil :D

Anyways maybe a real entry when my classes arent kickin me in the ass.

I've done this before....

2005-03-06T00:25:10Z

Ok I'm going to try expressing my thoughts and opinions on the inter-web again. I've done this before and never followed through but dammit this time is gonna be different. >.> <.<

So yeah for now this is a place holder until I can get some pictures and shit up.