Bucky Reed

Stairway to Ukulele Heaven

2011-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

I figured out my version of Stairway on the ukulele this morning. I only ran through it a few times before recording the video so please forgive the mistakes and awkward rhythm. I'm playing a KoAloha soprano ukulele with Worth strings. If it sounds a little tinny it's because I'm in the bathroom recording on a cheap Sony point-n-shoot.

Here is the TAB:

-|-5-----5-7-----7-|-8-----8-2-----2-|-
-|-----5-----5-----|---5-------3-----|-
-|---5---------5---|-----5-------2---|-
-|-7-------6-------|-5-------0-------|-

-|-0---------0-----|-0-0-0-----------|-
-|---1---1-----1---|-1-1-1------~6-5-|-
-|-2---2---------2-|-0-2-2-----2-----|-
-|-----------------|-0-2-2-----------|-

-|-5-----5-7-----7-|-8-----8-2-----2-|-
-|-----5-----5-----|---5-------3-----|-
-|---5---------5---|-----5-------2---|-
-|-7-------6-------|-5-------0-------|-

-|-0---------0-----|-3-5-5-----------|-
-|---1---1-----1---|-3-5-5-----------|-
-|-2---2---------2-|-0-2-2-------2-4-|-
-|-----------------|-0-2-2-----------|-

-|-----3-------5---|-----0---5-0-----|-
-|---5---5---7---7-|---1---1---------|-
-|-5-------7-------|-2-----------2-4-|-
-|-----------------|-----------------|-

-|-----3-------3---|-0-0-0-----------|-
-|---5---5---3---3-|-1-1-1-----------|-
-|-5-------4-------|-0-2-2-------2-4-|-
-|-----------------|-0-2-2-----------|-

-|-----3-------5---|-----0---5-0-----|-
-|---5---5---7---7-|---1---1---------|-
-|-5-------7-------|-2-----------2-4-|-
-|-----------------|-----------------|-

-|-----3-------3---|-3-5-5-----------|-
-|---5---5---3---3-|-3-5-5-----------|-
-|-5-------4-------|-0-2-2-----------|-
-|-----------------|-0-0-0-----------|-

How To Please A Woman

2011-11-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Apple trees a possum

2010-07-25T16:20:00.001-07:00

Apple has had a busy week. Earlier this week she treed a raccoon and last night she treed a possum in our backyard. We are convinced that mother nature is trying to hasten our departure from the neighborhood.

There was another dog here just a second ago...

2010-06-16T17:40:00.001-07:00

There was another dog here just a second ago...
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

We had Rufus in for his summer undercoat removal. THAT is a lot of dog hair! The Dirty Dog is donating all of the hair to the gulf oil spill cleanup efforts and I think Rufus may have singlehandedly saved a pelican or two.

Hard Cider Fermenting

2010-05-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

I started another batch of hard cider yesterday and here is video of the fermentation after one day. I used five gallons of local organic unfiltered apple juice, three pounds of brown sugar, and White Labs champagne yeast. I boiled the sugar and one gallon of the juice to make a syrup and simply mixed everything in the carboy. The last time I made this recipe it was extremely tasty, very dry, and about 11% alcohol!

Apple loves to chase balloons

2010-05-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Our pitbull Apple LOVES balloons... maybe a little too much. She will chase them and bark at them until they stop floating. After popping the balloon she will paw at it in the vain hope that it will re-inflate and start floating again.

Rufus's secret cache of moldy tortillas

2010-05-15T15:41:00.001-07:00

Rufus's secret cache of moldy tortillas
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

A package of tortillas disappeared from the kitchen counter while Happy and Leo were house sitting a few weeks ago. Yesterday I came home to find Rufus in his bed working over a moldy, dirt-encrusted, leafy package of tortillas that I can only assume are very same ones that went missing. This might also go a long way towards explaining the moldy hamburger buns I found in the ceramic flower pot last month.

Why are Apple's paws pink?

2009-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Why are Apple's paws pink? She was jealous about not being allowed to play bingo and decided to let us know exactly how she felt about being left behind.

Panda defends Uighur protester from Chinese police

2009-07-11T13:35:00.001-07:00

Panda defends Uighur protester from Chinese police
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Day Laborers in 2009

2009-04-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Cognitive Dissonance

2009-02-16T17:41:00.001-08:00

Cognitive Dissonance
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

The Crowd at Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-20T15:38:00.001-08:00

The crowd at Obama's Inauguration
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Here is a satellite view of the crowd at Obama's inauguration. This was taken from GeoEye's website.

This little guy has grown up big and strong

2009-01-13T17:58:00.001-08:00

My new neighbor
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I came home today to a house filled with the faint aroma of skunk. Apple smelled ever so slightly skunky, was acting very guilty, but clearly hadn't been tagged. As I was investigating the smell our neighbor Mike came over to tell me that Apple had spent the day frantically digging under the shed to get at a skunk. He sat in the safety of his home watching her dig, bark, and successfully avoid getting sprayed. Based on the strength of the smell I can only assume that the little guy is still under or inside the shed.

The coal ash spill in Kingston TN

2008-12-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

Heaps of coal ash sludge
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I was visiting my parents last week for Christmas in Knoxville, TN when I first heard about the coal ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant. My dad and I drove 35 miles from his home in Knoxville to the site of the devastation in Kingston. My dad knows all of the backroads around Harriman and Kingston so we were able to get close to the spill despite the police roadblocks. The roads were filled with large trucks carrying gravel to the site and hauling away god knows what! I was completely horrified as we drove through several nice neighborhoods that were directly across the river from the plant. Large waves of ash filled water washed up behind these homes destroying boat docks and spreading the toxic sludge. According to the New York Times the plant produced 45000 pounds of arsenic, 49000 pounds of lead, and 713 ounds of mercury in 2007 alone. Now decades worth of this arsenic and lead have been dumped into the Clinch and Emory rivers polluting the drinking water for over a half a million residents downstream.

United Mountain Defense has published a copy of the initial TVA water test results and the results are awful.

Kingston Fossil Plant
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Wave of sludge washed ashore
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Boat dock with sludge in background
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

The Bush doctrine and locating the US on a map

2008-09-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

There is a striking similarity between these two videos (other than the fact that Sarah Palin is also a former beauty contestant):

What is the difference between a pit bull and Sarah Palin?

2008-09-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

What is the difference between a pit bull and Sarah Palin?
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

One is a sweet dog and the other is an ignorant bitch.

The other answer to this is that pit bulls are more selective with whom and how often they procreate. I hate to involve the children in this, but how dare she compare herself to a wonderful dog like my Apple?

When Beagles Fly

2008-08-30T15:37:00.001-07:00

When Beagles Fly
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Holly took Rufus and Apple to the Dirty Dog Pet Wash and Boutique to get a bath and have their nails done. Rufus HATES getting his nails trimmed and is such an absolute freak about it that I try to take him to a different groomer every time. The owner of the Dirty Dog apparently specializes in high maintenance hounds and had a very effective trick up her sleeve: the floating harness! Rufus dog-paddled in mid-air and chuffed while the trimming was going on, but seemed rather calm when he was allowed to just float unmolested. Holly theorizes that the compression of the harness has a calming effect, but I prefer to think that he was overcome with dreams of ear-powered flight. I can't wait for his next visit.

Obama Branded Air Filling Station

2008-08-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Who better than Barack Obama to remind you to inflate your tires to the proper pressure? Every gas station air pump should have one of these stickers!

Rufus and his den

2008-06-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

Rufus and his den
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Rufus and Apple are still really freaked out by the construction in the condo. Rufus has decided that the closet is now his lair and has spent the better part of the weekend in here with his herd of cows. He has dragged most of his toys into this closet and is extremely reluctant to leave. I had to bribe him with back scratches and ground beef to get him out.

The great flood of 2008

2008-06-07T12:41:00.001-07:00

Moisture sensor (40 is the max)

Ripping up the Pergo

living room and closet
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

This past Monday morning I woke up at 6:00 to get ready for work. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up, and waited, and waited, and waited, and quickly realized that Holly and I were in for an interesting morning. We ran downstairs and stepped off of the last step into our new indoor swimming pool! Our water heater had burst and flooded the entire first floor of the condo. She ran outside to shut off the water and I grabbed the shop vac. 40+ gallons later I had cleaned up most of the water and we managed to get everything off of the floors and out onto the patio.

The ServePro repair guys were sent by the insurance company to mitigate the water damage and promptly started ripping out ALL of the Pergo flooring, removing the baseboards, and cutting drywall off of the walls. They used a really cool moisture sensor to determine what got wet and where they needed to hack apart our home. It took them three half-assed days to finish cutting out all of the walls and set up their drying equipment to dry the walls. They managed to let one of their dehumidifiers drain back onto the floor on the first day. They had to remove our downstairs toilet and the washing machine, but they didn't bother to shut off the water supplies to both of these when they did this. We of course only discovered this when we turned the water main back on and re-flooded the bathroom on Thursday. The plumber was laughing his ass off at their attention to detail.

Rufus's Herd of Cows

2008-05-12T16:46:00.001-07:00

Rufus's Herd
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Holly's sister Katie originally gave me the cow that Rufus has adored so much over the last year or so. The cow has been bathed several times, but is still suprisingly grungy. Katie mentioned that the Petco in La Mesa had several more of the same cows for sale so we stopped by and cleaned them out yesterday. I was shocked at how white and aroma-free they were! Today I presented Rufus with two additional cows and watched his little doggie brain implode as I squeaked them and teased him with them. He chuffed and bayed with delight, but soon decided that the well-seasoned beef was still the best.

Apple's Altruistic Birthday Present To Me

2008-04-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

Apple's Altruistic Birthday Present
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

For my birthday a few weeks back Apple and Rufus managed to buy me a present. I'm not quite sure how they got to the store or used the computer to purchase online, but it was certainly clear by the drool and general messiness that they wrapped it themselves. When I unwrapped the remote controlled car Apple feigned disinterest, but she had obviously picked it out for herself! As soon as I tried it out Rufus started baying and Apple freaked. She chased it, but would scramble away in terror when I backed it up into her feet. Rufus grew bored after a while and took the opportunity to steal Apple's rawhide while she was busy chasing the car. It took a while for Apple to get the courage to actually pick it up in her mouth, but now the car is happily covered in drool, hair, and teeth marks.

Gray Whale Encounter

2008-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've seen gray whales from the shore in Oregon and have seen them several times on whale watching cruises in the San Diego Bay, but this Saturday I saw one up close while sailing with Holly's family. We were sailing out towards the ocean and passed a navy sub being towed out of the submarine base. We watched the sub get hauled out to the ocean and then head down south towards Mexico. We were excited because it was cruising on the surface and we were hoping to see it dive. We made it out to the open ocean and were starting to turn back when I saw a large gray hump surface and disappear. I started gibbering excitedly about a whale, but no one else saw it. It was heading south towards Mexico, so perhaps like the sailors on the sub it was hoping for some lovin' south of the border. We turned back around and criss-crossed over the path it seemed to have been taking, but we over shot where it was. Holly and I saw a blow spout and we headed towards that. After a few minutes it surfaced again about fifteen feet away from us! It showed us its barnacled and scarred back and then showed us its tail before it disappeared for good.

Granny's Sewing Machine

2008-04-10T12:28:00.001-07:00

Granny's Sewing Machine
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Mom and dad brought granny's sewing machine and mom's rocking chair down with them from McMinnville. The sewing machine is a Davis treadle sewing machine that my great-grandmother bought second-hand in the 1930's for $25. The Davis company went out of business in 1924, so this machine has to be close to a hundred years old. When I was a kid I used to love this machine because it was so funky looking and because granny was so protective of it! She took excellent care of it and would only let me pump the treadle when she was present. I'm sure it still works because I remember her sewing things with it. This sewing machine is a reminder of my visits with granny in Kentucky, of my childhood, and of my family's past all rolled up into one beautiful thing.

Chew Toy?

2008-04-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Chew Toy?
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

We had an unexpected visitor come into our lives while mom and dad were visiting last week. This little guy was hanging out across from the doggies' food bowls and was trying to hide behind a piece of rawhide. Fortunately the dogs were passed out upstairs; Otherwise there would have been a bloody mess. As it was there was plenty of excitement! Mom freaked out when she saw the lizard on the floor not ten feet from the hide-a-bed where she was sleeping, I hesitated as I debated on how to best pick it up without touching it, and then Holly came downstairs to save the day. She walks up bold as brass, says "Oh, a lizard. I'll just take him outside", and scoops him up with her hands while mom and I are wigging out. Apple comes running downstairs to see what's happening and gets so interested in where the lizard had been that she is almost licking the floor. Rufus, my boy that he is, could have cared less.

Spring Training with the Ecks

2008-03-17T09:57:00.001-07:00

Holly surfing at the game
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I went with Holly and her family to a spring training game in Tucson this weekend. We saw the Oakland A's play against the Chicago White Sox. I'm not a baseball fan at all, but it was fun seeing pros play in a tiny park while eating good mexican food! Holly could have cared less about the game and spent most of her time soaking up rays while surfing on her iPhone. I focused mainly on sampling as many unhealthy food as possible while fending off dehydration with Nimbus Red Ale.

Hard cider in the making

2008-03-03T16:46:00.001-08:00

Hard cider in the making
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

On Saturday I started a batch of hard cider with Ken. He helped me with my first batch of nut brown ale and was again willing to risk getting dowsed for the promise of some free beer. I bought five gallons of Henry's Organic Apple Juice and a vial of White Lab's Champagne Yeast. I boiled one of the gallons of juice along with four pounds of brown sugar and a quarter cup of honey. I added the four cool gallons of juice to the carboy, added the warm juice/sugar syrup, and finally added the yeast. I put the fermentation lock on the carboy and set it in the closet to ferment away for a few weeks. Having misplaced the $1 pint of vodka that I use for the lock I instead had to use a shot of Absolut! The boiled juice and sugar smelled so good that I wanted to taste it right then and there. Every thing I've read about making hard cider indicates that it smells terrible while it is fermenting. Beer usually smells yummy while it is fermenting, but the odors put off by cider are frequently described using the words "sulphur" and "brimstone". Can't wait! I guess it's my hillbilly ancestry that is manifesting itself in my desire to brew alcoholic concoctions at home. But at least this time I'm using real brewing gear (unlike the limoncello I make using hardware I found at Pep Boys.)

Sailing with Rick and Ken

2008-02-27T15:32:00.001-08:00

Three layers of clouds
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I helped Rick and Ken move the boat further back in the slip this past Saturday while the weather was nice. It rained like hell all day Friday, but was beautiful for several hours on Saturday before getting ugly again. We used that window to go out into the ocean for a quick sail. The rainstorm was blowing in from the north, but clouds seemed confused about what kind they were and the wind didn't know if it wanted to blow or not. By the time we got back the temperature had dropped and the storm was clearly on its way.

Legoland

2008-02-20T19:18:00.001-08:00

Picking on Einstein
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Volvo Parking Only
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I went to Legoland this past Saturday with Holly, Katie, and Ken. We had a blast riding the rides, eating lots of bad food, and basically acting like dorks. We asked Katie to drive her Volvo so we could take advantage of the front row parking reserved for anyone in a Volvo. If you ever built Lego models as a kid then this place is heaven. There are thousands of excruciatingly detailed replicas of Vegas, DC, New York, and even Albert Einstein's nose!

Giant Joystick

2008-02-12T13:12:00.001-08:00

Giant Joystick
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Life-sized Asteroids
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

An exhibit by Mary Flanagan called [giantJoystick] just opened in the art gallery in the Calit2 building at UCSD. She has it hooked up to a game console with a bunch of old 8-bit Atari games that project onto the wall of the gallery. The joystick is so big that it takes two people to play: One to move the stick and one to hit the fire button. I played on my lunch break last week for almost an hour and still couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately the students have discovered it too, so now there is contention for the big stick.

Interesting Super Tuesday Statistic

2008-02-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

I have been obsessed with the primaries this year and have been following the races closely. I spent last night glued to the tube and the internet as the results came in for the twenty odd Super Tuesday primary states. After enduring all of the hype and inane commentary from the talking heads I finally found a statistic that speaks volumes: In the 19 states that had both a Republican and Democratic primary there were 14,460,149 combined voters for Obama and Clinton versus 8,367,694 voters for McCain, Romney, and Huckabee. 73% more people came out to vote for the two Democratic candidates than for the three Republicans.

Does this mean that the Democrats are more determined to win the presidential election this year? Does this mean that the Republicans are uninspired and lost without the Karl Rove machine driving them? Regardless of who gets the nomination in either party I feel that this disparity in voter turnout gives hope that the Democrats might not screw it up this time.

TV B Gone

2008-02-02T14:52:00.001-08:00

TV B Gone Kit
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

TV B Gone
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I am really looking forward to the Super Bowl this year now that I have built up my TV B Gone kit. I ordered it from Make Magazine after eating one too many meals in restaurants with blaringly loud TVs. It is basically just a universal remote that turns off any television by cycling through all of the various manufacturer's OFF codes! I soldered it together this morning and am now trying to figure out how to fit it inside my old Nokia cellphone. The LEDs are infrared, so the only way I could check to see if they all worked was to look at it through the viewfinder of my camera. You can try that with your TV remotes; It is pretty cool! Now I'm off to the gym where I can test it on lots of TVs. I'm going to try to hit the sports bars tomorrow and see how well it works in the wild. Hopefully no one will notice why the TVs start turning off during exciting parts of the game.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

2008-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

I watched Cat On A Hot Tin Roof this weekend and fell totally in love with Liz Taylor. I wholeheartedly agree with Burl Ives when he says, "There is life in that woman!" However, my love affair with the woman in the movie just wasn't meant to be. Here is the proof:

Bisteeya: Moroccan Pastry

2008-01-26T22:53:00.001-08:00

MoroccanPastry
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can condensed chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 whole chicken breasts, chunked (or tofu)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 eggs, lightly beaten
16 filo pastry sheets
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine sugar and ground cinnamon. Set this aside.

In large heavy pan, combine chicken broth, water, cinnamon stick, ginger, turmeric, onion, parsley and garlic; add chicken. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from broth. Reduce broth to 1 1/2 cups; add lemon juice. Remove cinnamon stick. Gradually pour eggs into broth, stirring gently until eggs are set; chill.

In buttered 12" round baking pan arrange 4 filo sheets and brush each with butter. Top with 4 more filo sheets allowing 1/2 of each sheet to extend beyond the edge of the pan in a star. Brush each sheet with butter. Arrange chicken over filo sheets and spoon broth/egg mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Cover with 4 more filo sheets and brush each with butter. Fold extended sheets over top and brush again with butter. Arrange remaining 4 sheets over top and brush each with butter. Tuck in ends; brush with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and turn upside down on a large buttered baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes more or until done. Turn upside down on a serving platter then dust with additional sugar and cinnamon.

Going outside is not worth the humiliation

2008-01-24T12:17:00.001-08:00

Going outside is not worth the humiliation
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

It has been raining like crazy again and I've started using the doggie rain jackets on Rufus and Apple. Rufus looks miserable here, but he really perks up once he gets outside. He hates the rain more than the confining raincoat. Apple on the other hand tries to scrape it off with every tree and bush she passes. It has gotten to the point where I actually put the elastic band under her tail to hold the jacket in place. Most ignomious!

Phil's Rack

2008-01-23T10:14:00.001-08:00

Phil's Rack
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Phil's BBQ is one of only a handful of decent BBQ places in San Diego. For years he ran a small place in Hillcrest that was always packed. Recently he opened up a new larger location and it is just as crowded as the old one. The meat is smoked well and the sauce is pretty good, but it still doesn't hold a candle to what you can get back in Tennessee. There must be something fundamentally at odds between good BBQ and health code enforcement. There was another good place up in Encinitas that was run by a guy from Alabama but it was shut down recently for.... are you ready? Health code violations.

Apple and Rufus

2008-01-19T15:40:00.001-08:00

Apple and Rufus
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

This picture of Apple and Rufus was taken right before they were let out on the boardwalk at Mission Beach. They terrorized the seagulls, joggers, and homeless people for several hours before they were forced to go home again. This is my favorite picture of these two!

Roger the Shrubber plays hockey?

2008-01-17T11:11:00.001-08:00

CallMeRoger
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Roger the Shrubber lives in San Diego and apparently plays hockey with the Knights Who Say Ni.

RuralSexual

2008-01-14T15:38:00.001-08:00

RuralSexual
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

I was proud to be metro until I saw this!

Dad at the McMinnville air museum

2008-01-14T15:29:00.001-08:00

McMinnville air museum
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Dad and I went to the McMinnville air museum over the Christmas holidays. We wandered around the museum for hours and had a blast. The museum was built around the Spruce Goose and is in turn surrounded by a large vineyard. I did wine tastings at the museum, but the only thing worth buying was the non-alcoholic pinot noir grape juice. Dad got really excited when he saw this plane because it was one of the ones he worked on when he was in the National Air Guard. Seeing this aircraft reminded him of people and stories that I had never heard before.

Rufus and his cow

2008-01-11T14:41:00.001-08:00

ILoveMyCow
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

Rufus is still in love with the cow. It has been washed several times, but is still rather nasty to touch. He carries it with him almost everywhere he goes and yes he does in fact sleep with it. If you squeak it or mess with it in any way he gets upset. He will chuff and bark until you hand it back to him.

Holiday Door Decorating Contest

2008-01-10T12:44:00.001-08:00

Holiday Door Decorating Contest
Originally uploaded by buckyreed

We went all out for the door decorating contest at work this year. I put two 19" monitors up behind the glass door that looped a video of a fire in the fireplace and three Christmas videos looping in the giant Samsung plasma. "The Grinch" was the general favorite, but I rather preferred the "Heat Miser, Cold Miser" song. This maddened the people whose offices were nearby. Jazz spent hours making the fireplace out of keyboard boxes and pilfered rocks from the landscaping outside. The stockings are the ones I used for Rufus last year and still had some yummy doggie treats inside. Sadly, we had to take it down last week but the memories of the best Christmas ever will linger in my heart for the rest of my life.

A resolution for a new year?

2008-01-09T14:20:00.001-08:00

OK, so it has been a long time since I've updated anything . I'm sorry. I have excuses, but they are lame and I'm just going to have to chalk it up to laziness on my part. So here it is! My first blog entry in 15 months.

Eruption!!!!

2006-09-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Eruption!!!!
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I saw this and immediately saw visions of dudes in mulletts ripping off cheesy guitar solos. The Northwest is truly stuck in the 80s.

Mount St. Helens on a windy day

2006-09-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Mount St. Helens on a windy day
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

It often isn't this hazy, but there were fairly high winds in the valley that blew ash around like crazy. We are in the middle of the blast zone looking down the muzzle of the crater, as it were. It was still very desolate after 25+ years of regrowth.

Crippled Elk!

2006-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Crippled Elk!
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Maybe the elk were taking the day off for the Labor Day holiday.

Are those dots elk?

2006-09-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Are those dots elk?
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

We stopped at several overlooks in the blast zone of the volcano. This valley was miles away from the crater, but was still fairly barren. This valley used to be a river valley, but the eruption filled it full of silt up to 200' deep in some places. Dad insisted that there were elk in the valley but I never saw any.

Bait

2006-09-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Bait
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

We stopped at a convenience store on the way to Mount St. Helens and found the most amazing refrigerator stocked full of tasty seafood. I
've never seen purple and red shrimp before.

Mmmm Bacon

2006-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Mmmm Bacon
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Mom cooked us the traditional light Reed breakfast which consisted of a mound of bacon, chocolate chip pancakes, and at least 5 pounds of potatoes.

Road to McMinnville

2006-09-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Road to McMinnville
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

My parents bought a house 35 miles SW of Portland in a town named McMinnville. The town was named after the McMinnville in Tennessee by one of its early settlers because it reminded him of his home.

Jim always did like him best

2006-09-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jim always did like him best
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Mattie is looking at me like I'm going to help her out or something. Dogs trust humans far too much.

Old'n'warty trumps cute'n'stoopid

2006-09-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Old'n'warty trumps cute'n'stoopid
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

There are pear trees lining Jill's driveway that provided endless amusement for the doggies. The dogs would carry the pears around in their mouths until Jim took one away and crushed it on the ground.

Arrival in Portland

2006-09-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Arrival in Portland
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Jill, Mom, and Dad picked me up at the Portland airport and took me back to Jill and Jim's house. I was instantly engulfed in a doggie swarm consisting of their three labs, Matildamesh, Muldoone, and Sherman.

Cat Power

2006-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Cat Power's latest SD performance was rather disappointing. Last year I stood five feet in front of her and was totally blown away despite the fact that she never looked up once from her guitar. However, this time she was not having a good night and kept stopping to fidgit with her guitar, the mic, or ask for a sound level change. She was making eye contact with the audience, but you see the panic and anxiety in her body language. Holly said that she will answer with a resounding "YES" the next time one of her autistic or obsessive compulsive kids asks if they can be a rock star when they grow up. Call me a fanboy, but Chan Marshall still has an amazing voice and is worth checking out no matter how awkward she is on stage.

Forget the chips-n-dip

2006-08-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Forget the chips-n-dip
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The hors d'oeuvres bowl of cigarettes is a nice touch at any sporting event.

Michael, the founder and organizer

2006-08-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Michael, the founder and organizer
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Michael takes his role of official bocce referee seriously: Notice the belt mounted cigarette lighter and looong tape measure. You can't argue with the man in the bocce headband.

All Terrain Bocce

2006-08-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

All Terrain Bocce
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Saturday I went down to Mission Bay to compete in the All Terrain Bocce tournament. It was started by Michael and his girlfriend. He manages a Pat-n-Oscars and she is a rep for Skyy Vodka, so of course the food was top notch! For $20 you get to compete for the championship while enjoying all the food and beverages you can stand. There were something like 100 contestants sprawled out over most of the NE side of the bay. I had fun hurling bocce balls across the boardwalk while people jogged by. I made it as far as the second round, but was soon thrashed by the pro players.

Terrorism drill at Calit2

2006-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

I spent most of this morning at work up on the roof of my building watching a terrorism drill being conducted nextdoor in the Calit2 building. They blew up a fake bomb in the alley and then had EMTs, the fire dept, the police, and the swat team come in to take care of the victims and apprehend the terrorists. Several of my coworkers volunteered to be victims along with about a hundred other people. They were told to fake injuries, were herded around by the rescuers, or were held hostage by the evil terrorists. The highlight of the drill was watching the helicopters drop off the swat team so they could rescue the hostages (requires RealPlayer). We were standing right next to the filmcrew that shot this footage.

Harbor Seal in the Lineup

2006-08-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I saw a seal in the lineup while surfing at La Jolla Shores. I saw its head pop up about fifteen feet from my board and look around. It started swimming out to sea and a couple of surfers paddled after it. A girl next to me yelled at them and told them they were assholes, but I'm sure they knew that already.

Taste of Encinitas

2006-08-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

I went to the Taste of Encinitas last night and had a blast. 31 restaurants along a one mile section of the 101 highway participated and I made it my mission to visit them all. I wasn't quite able to do, but I think that this was because I gave into the free hotdog and slushie at the 7-11. Other than that all of the samples were very good! It was much better thab the Taste of Hillcrest a few months ago.

More Surfing Adventures

2006-08-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I went surfing again last night and saw dolphins for the first time in months. There were three of them swimming north together about 50' outside of the lineup. The waves were chest high and breaking very nicely. I've been used to the smaller stuff, so I pearled quite a few times before I remembered where to position myself on the board. I caught quite a few fun rides once I got used to the steeper waves.

Lobsters

2006-07-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Holly and I went surfing after work on Friday at La Jolla Shores. The surf was extremely small, but we saw some amazing wildlife. There were quite a few leopard sharks noodling around in the shallows with the stingrays. What was truly amazing, however, were the lobsters! There were four or five of the buggers walking on the sandy bottom towards La Jolla. Hopefully they were headed down to pinch the toes off of people swimming at seal beach.

Damned Bounty Hunters

2006-07-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Damned Bounty Hunters
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I tried really hard to get a picture of a seven foot tall guy dressed as supergirl, but these guys got in my way. I saw quite a few dudes dressed as wonderwoman, so I can only assume that this is normal.

Goth Girls

2006-07-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Goth Girls
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I asked one of the goth girls if she could explain to me the difference between being goth and emo, but she just started crying and said, "No one understands me." Maybe that was an answer???

SCA Whackos

2006-07-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

SCA Whackos
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The temperature got up to arround 100 degrees on Saturday, but that didn't stop the SCA whackos from beating the hell out of each other in full armor.

Comic Con

2006-07-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Costumes
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I went to Comic Con this weekend with Holly and her friend Ivy. There were something like 100,000 people present and many of them were dressed like this. It was actually quite fun! I geeked out a little and went to panel discussions given by George RR Martin and by the guy who created Babylon 5.

Mom and Dad's visit

2006-07-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad seem to enjoy their whirlwind tour of San Diego. We managed to squeeze in the following in less than four days: Pt. Loma, O.B. Dog Beach, Sunset Cliffs, In-n-Out Burger, Shelter Island, driving around North Park, University Heights, Kensington, La Jolla, the seals, the Cove, the Shores, Mt. Soledad, the desert, the Tecate border crossing, the Acorn Indian Casino, In-n-Out Burger with Rufus, the dog park with Rufus, Balboa Park, the Chicken Pie Shop, El Zarape, shopping in Solana Beach, driving around Encinitas, Leukadia, and Carlsbad, Torrey Pines, driving through UCSD, Perry's Breakfast House, the Cafe on Park, flip-flop shopping for Dad, almost record-breaking heat, Dad dropping his drawers in front of two amused ladies at seal beach, and quite a few other things I've likely forgotten. I know I had fun!

Traffic? What traffic?

2006-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Traffic? What traffic?
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Mom and dad drove down from Portland last week and arrived Friday. We decided to drive out to the desert on Saturday to look at rocks. Dad would just stop in the middle of the highway while mom and I took pictures of... rocks. Mom and I convinced dad that the Acorn Indian Casino had nice bathrooms, so we abandoned the rocks for the glowing air-conditioned solace of the casino. Mom and I dropped about $30 while dad took a leak. I really don't understand the alure of the casino. Why waste money gambling when you can invest in lottery tickets?

Kook Report

2006-06-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

I went surfing yesterday after work at La Jolla Shores around 5:00. I hadn't checked the surf report beforehand and was a little suprised by how big it was, but I paddled out anyway. Once I got out in the lineup I noticed that there weren't too many people out and almost no longboarders. Then I noticed the lifeguard jetski. Then I noticed that the chest-high waves that I paddled out through happened to be part of one of the smaller sets. Almost everything else was head high. Eek! I caught a wave and rode it for a little while before falling. I was in the impact zone, waves were coming in, and the safest thing to do was to head back out to the lineup. I hung out for a while watching folks take off. I took what looked like a smaller wave and ended up falling again. This time the leash slipped off my foot and the board went to shore. I swam after it and decided that these conditions were really beyond my ability. I played in the white for quite a while, had fun, and practiced turning. The real waves would break further out and then the white would reform into peaks and break again close to shore. These were 2-3' high, were smooth, and were very rideable. When I got home I saw online that there was some freakish offshore storm that had caused unusually large surf starting Sunday. The swell was at its biggest today, so I'm glad I kooked out on Monday rather than today.

Hello Honda

2006-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

For the second time now Akira has been stolen and recovered. The SDPD found my Accord somewhere in City Heights essentially intact. I think I'm going to just leave the keys in the ignition and put a Flexcar(tm) sign on it. Rufus will be pleased too. He he has spent many years shedding and drooling in the car and was upset at the prospect of having to start over again with a new vehicle.

Goodbye Honda

2006-06-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

I needed to pick my friend Janet up at the airport tonight at 7:30, but decided to go for a run at 6:00 after I got off of work. I ran by where I parked the Accord on Saturday and noticed that... it wasn't there. So I proceeded to run around the neighborhood looking at all of the places where I've ever parked the car only to conclude that it was indeed gone. I rushed home only to find that I had forgotten to bring one of the three keys necessary to get me back into the church. I managed to get inside the gate, but couldn't get into the building. Of course Rufus heard me outside and started baying like the loveable hound he is. I pounded on doors and windows until one of my neighbors came out to rescue me (or quite possibly to see whos dog was barking). Holy crap, what an evening!

Floating Market

2006-05-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

Floating Market
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The boats full of fruit were beautiful. It was really colorful despite the impending rainstorm. As soon as it started raining the vendors frantically covered their goods and our driver paddled us back to the dock. Oh well, at least I was able to grab a quick plate of noodles before we left for the gem factory.

Floating Market Traffic Jam

2006-05-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

Floating Market Traffic Jam
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The floating market was really fun, but the prices for all of the touristy stuff were higher than any I had seen so far. I ordered a plate of noodles from one of the vendors from land, but purchased nothing else. The boat we are about to hit head-on here is the other half of the tour group. Banging into other boats was quite fun!

Driver of the Boat

2006-05-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Driver of the Boat
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I went to the floating market outside of Bangkok today. This is a picture of the lady who piloted the boat through the canals. She was talking to herself the whole time and seemed to enjoy paddling us into other boats. I felt like I was on a Roman war galleon.

Back in Bangkok

2006-05-20T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'm now safely back in Bangkok, which seems very plush and western to me now. I'm going to do the touristy floating market tomorrow. Cambodia was a tremendously beautiful place and was such an intense experience for me. The horror, poverty, and pain that many of those people experienced was unbelieveable. But, the Cambodians were some of the nicest, most hospitable, and most sincere people I have ever encountered. There were people who resented foreigners or who looked at you as an ATM, but this was the exception and not the norm. I'm still puzzling over what I saw the last few days and am sure that it is going to take me a long time to make sense of it all.

Siem Reap Killing Field

2006-05-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Siem Reap Killing Field
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This is a modest monument at a Buddhist temple outside of Siem Reap. Siem Reap province now has a population of about 1 million people. Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge killed one million people in this province alone by means of torture, execution, forced labor, and starvation. That was more than half of the population of this area at the time. Much of it occurred at this temple where it became a prison and an execution ground. The people who survived torture were taken to a well and beaten to death or shot. This place is now again a temple, a memorial, a school, and an orphanage. I really couldn't bring myself to take too many pictures here because I was completely overwhelmed. Some of the teachers at the school that I talked to were orphaned during the genocide. They were all about my age and had survived horrific childhoods. Many of the kids here were orphaned by landmines, the civil war, and the conflicts with Thailand and Vietnam. I still can't get over the fact that one million people died in and around this place in less than four years.

Danger!! Mines!!

2006-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

Danger!! Mines!!
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I saw this sign for real a couple of times. This one was in the landmine museum in Siem Reap.

Four Way Linga

2006-05-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Four Way Linga
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Originally there was a linga where this post now stands. There are four channels with spouts at the end to distribute the linga water more efficiently. Water and agriculture was a very important part of these people's lives. The king was revered as a god and he controlled the water. There are enormous man-made moats around most of the temples that were used for defense, for agriculture, and as a symbol of the divine power of the king.

Linga

2006-05-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

Linga
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Ah, the linga. You just gotta love the Hindus for their fascination with the phallus. There were pedestals/receptacles in almost every temple. A linga was inserted into the opening and then water was poured over it. The water was then fertile, powerful, magical, reverse-osmosised, or whatever. It could then be used in rituals. People still poured water over these and sprinkled themselves with it. About 80 km outside of Siam Reap there is a river called the river of a thousand linga. 1000 linga were carved into the stone river bed to fertilize the water as it flows downstream. Now that is agriculture!

Consumed by Trees

2006-05-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Consumed by Trees
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This temple was being completely consumed by the jungle. These trees are massive and were everywhere in the complex.

Temple Madness

2006-05-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

I visted a dozen or so temples in three days and took roughly 500 pictures just of the ruins. I was completely mesmerized by them and can't even begin to describe how beautiful they are in person. The pictures don't really do them justice. What added to the magic of the place was that the temples are still being used by buddhist monks. The statues are robed, there are people worshiping, and the smell of incense fills the air. There are also the ever present sounds of the jungle, musicians in the temples playing traditional music, and the chatter of the locals. I wish I could convey he presence and power of these places, but I cannot. You will just have to see it for yourself!

Bayon Faces

2006-05-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Bayon Faces
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The faces of Bayon Temple are everywhere! They are identical and all have the same beatific smile. I met two students from Phnom Penh who were studying archeology. They enthusiastically explained a lot of things about the temple, about the carvings, and about the history of it. I am still amazed at how proud the Cambodians are of these temples.

Outside Bayon Temple

2006-05-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Outside Bayon Temple
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Bayon Temple was another spectacular place. It looks like a pile of rocks from a distance, but is covered in beautiful carvings and statues. There are 216 GIANT faces carved into the towers that either depict a Hindu god or the king who built it, depending on who you ask. Legend has it that the temple was originally covered in gold.

Inner Temple Stairs at Angkor Wat

2006-05-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Inner Temple Stairs at Angkor Wat
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

These are the stairs that I climbed to get into the upper/inner temple. They are steeper than they look, heavily worn, and covered with sand. Fun! I met some monks at the top that I talked to for a while. We descended the stairs together and one of the monks asked me if I was afraid. I told him that I was afraid of heights and he replied with "It is no problem to fall. Don't you believe in reincarnation?" Funny guy.

Angkor Wat

2006-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

Angkor Wat was one of if not the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It was HUGE. This is the postcard shot, but hopefully it gives some hint as to just how big this place is. I spent two half-days walking around the ruins and still didn't see all of it. I managed to get there during the absolute heat of the day and didn't run into too many tourists.

Roadside Country Restaurant

2006-05-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Roadside Country Restaurant
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This was a roadside restaurant that my driver took me to while visiting the temples. The brown building with the dirt floor is the kitchen. :) You don't want to know about the toilets. The food kicked ass and the people were friendly. These were family friends of Chan, the guy who drove me around for three days. Chan was a super nice guy and was extremely friendly. He took me to a Cambodian wedding party, introduced me to his family, and took me to a party at one of his friend's house. This was defintely not the normal tourist experience. Almost every Cambodian that I met asked me where I came from, how long I was staying, what I liked about Cambodia, and about my family. This last question was the most important to them! I was constantly suprised by how friendly and sincere people are in Cambodia.

My First Khmer Meal

2006-05-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

My First Khmer Meal
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This was my first meal after arriving in Siem Reap. Tasty chicken curry Cambodian style. There was a Taiwanese couple at the next table that shared their pumpkin soup with me. Mmmm. The guy in front of the restaurant was one of the many, many landmine victims I saw. This is still a terrible problem and doesn't show any signs of abating anytime soon. In many ways this picture sums up what I experienced in Cambodia: A fantastic culture, generous hospitality, extreme poverty, and great personal tragedy.

Three Little Pigs

2006-05-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Three Little Pigs
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

We passed this guy on the way into town. The pigs were still alive and were going to market. This was a common sight, but usually the pigs were inside wicker baskets on the back of the scooter. The local pork was quite tasty!

Gas Station

2006-05-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Gas Station
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

There were only a few western-style gas stations in Siem Reap. Most of them were roadside vendors selling gasoline out of liquor bottles. Your mileage may vary.

Special Muscle Wine

2006-05-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Special Muscle Wine
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I almost fell out of the tuk-tuk when I saw this ad on the back of another tuk-tuk... I LOVE Asian marketing! The lady in the picture was the Cambodian national beauty queen for 2005 and I saw her in several other ads. What special muscle are they referring to anyway?

My Money is No Good Here

2006-05-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

My Money is No Good Here
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

US dollars are an officially and universally accepted form of currency in Cambodia. The only time I ever saw local money was as change for things that were less than a dollar. It was a little odd getting back a handful of bills instead of a quarter. I brought two bills from the US that I couldn't spend because they were torn. Nobody would take this money. Welcome to Cambodia! Your money is no good here.

Off to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

2006-05-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving Bangkok early tomorrow to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I'm staying there for five days so I can spend a lot of time at Angkor Wat. I started the malaria meds today without ill effect, so we'll see how that goes.

Palace from the River

2006-05-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

Palace from the River
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This is a view of the Royal Palace from the river. The spirit house was to the left, but I missed it. One of the cool things I noticed was that most of the houses along the river had a spirit house on the water and not on land. I asked the guide and he said that the river spirits would rather live in a house on stilts.

Suspension Bridge

2006-05-13T04:16:00.000-07:00

Suspension Bridge
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I tried to get a good shot of this suspension bridge with the hopes of giving a framed picture to Frieder. But alas, the boat went the wrong way and I will be stuck forever as a lower minion in the Dean's office...

Fruit Tray from Hell

2006-05-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

Fruit Tray from Hell
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

The trip included this amazing fruit tray and all the Mekong whiskey you could drink. The list of fruit was: Papaya, two types of lichee, Thai apples, pineapple, mangos, bananas, durian, watermelon, peanut brittle, and god knows what else. The Mekong whisky is a rice-based whiskey that tastes more like rum. Very nice!

Party Barge

2006-05-13T04:07:00.000-07:00

Party Barge
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

We moved over to this party barge for the return trip. This guy with the dog owns a restaurant and comes down every day to feed scraps to the fish. He said it was good for Buddhist merit.

Catfish

2006-05-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

Catfish
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

We stopped along the way to feed catfish. They hang out behind a Wat along the river where the monks feed them once a day. When the boat stopped they went nuts! I could have easily reached out and grabbed one.

Water Vendors

2006-05-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

Water Vendors
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

This lady was kind enough to row out to sell us beer and fans. She had an amazing assortment of stuff crammed into a tiny boat.

Tour Boat

2006-05-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

Tour Boat
Originally uploaded by buckyreed.

I just returned from a three hour boat tour of Bangkok. This was the boat I was on for the trip up the river. These things haul ass!

Back in Bangkok

2006-05-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

I arrived back in Bangkok last night and am flying out to Cambodia tomorrow. I went for Indian food at this vegetarian place I noticed last week. They specialized in dosas, which are these savory crepes made of a light lentil/flour batter. It was an unusual place because they only had vegetarian dishes and they sold no alcohol. It was by far the largest and most expensive meal I've had so far, but only set me back $9. The Indian food here is amazing. I'm on my way over to Chinatown again because there is an Indian neighborhood near there. Mmmm.