El Pistolero

I have a problem that I’m willing to admit. Those close to me (friends and family) have known about the problem for many years. Only the last year or so have I really come to grips with the problem and learned to control it. The source of my problem … the camera.

It’s not something I normally do in daily life, only when someone is snapping pictures of me. I thought I had it under control however just last week I was reminded once again that this is a problem I need to keep constant watch over and be mindful of.

Last week, Juan (a Spanish friend of mine) started calling me by a nickname, which I was honestly honored by and made me laugh … a lot. The name, El Pistolero. It means … The Gunman. Yes, I’m that guy.

I’m the guy that in just about every picture you see me in I end up making “the guns” motion with my hands. I’m not sure how I started down this path of photo-posing destruction, but here I am and admitting the problem is the first step. Right?

Honestly, with the new nickname (el pistolero … the gunman) I’ve come to embrace my problem, identify it and take the appropriate steps towards correction. I’m ready to step into a braver, larger, “gun free” world.

In the hopes that coming to grips with my problem will help me down my path of corrective action here is the perfect sample of my infamous gun pose. Bang. Bang.

Taylors Falls

Well after being pretty much sick and overworked the entire summer I finally escaped for a day with the girlfriend. We went down for the day to Taylors Falls, and what a good day it was! I hadn’t been to Taylors Falls since I was a kid, and well let’s face it when you’re a kid you can’t appreciate anything, right? Right!!

It was sooo beautiful a top the rocky cliffs overlooking hundreds of trees turning color with the river running far far below. You should go if you get the chance!! The leaves are turning now and it’s beautiful. Only less than an hour’s drive from Minneapolis. If you do go be sure to go over to the Wisconsin side and drive next to the cliffs by the river and walk around on the trails. You won’t be disappointed.

Well as I do with every adventure, I of course had to bust out the old trusty camera and take a bunch of pictures. For you impatient readers enjoy a few selects below. Otherwise to see them all click HERE.

Why I DON’T drink bleach underneath the sink

Today I was once again reminded of the usefulness and purpose of Mr. Yuck stickers warning us what NOT to drink underneath the sink.

Over my lunch break today from work I took my car down the street to gas up and get a car wash at Bobby & Steve’s Auto World downtown Minneapolis. I pulled next to the gas pump, got out of my car and as soon as I did I had the feeling like something was incredibly wrong. I heard shouting. I looked around and notice everyone had locked themselves inside their cars, and a crazy unkempt looking woman in hysterics was running around waving her hands and screaming “They stole my $5,000!!!! They stole it from me!!! I have proof!!!”

As I was the only one (stupid enough) to be outside their car at the time she immediately ran over to me and started pulling at my shirt saying, “They stole my $5,000!! That’s a lot of money right? They stole it!” To which I responded, “I’m sorry … that sucks!”

Startled by the woman’s forcefulness I took one look at her and caught an eyeful of a whole lotta DAMN going on. The woman’s hair was long, stringy and tangled. Her clothes were dirty and ripped. She reeked and her mouth looked like a train wreck! There were several missing teeth and the few precious remaining ‘chompers’ were a jagged mess and two of them stuck straight out. Yikes! To quote one of my favorite Simpsons lines, “I call the BIG one ‘Chomper’!”

Well I immediately kept my eyes focused on the ground and the gas pump (as if my life depended on it) all while the woman kept asking me questions and tried to get me to believe that magical forces “stole” her money she put away in a secret room. Meanwhile I thought to myself the whole time, “Please don’t kill me freaky Jason!” Luckily enough the manager of Bobby & Steve’s Auto World finally saw her and ran out, pulled her aside and got her to leave. The cops showed up shortly after the incident and after she had left. Yikes!!

Let this be a resounding warning to all the kiddies and bored adults out there. The chemicals underneath the sink are NOT for drinking!! They may seem colorful, mysterious and even tempting, but they cause brain damage and can make you think that you’ve lost large sums of money from a magical room!! A word to the wise! BEWARE!

IKEA Sunday

About a month ago, one of my dresser drawers finally broke. I say "finally" because I've been using the same dresser since I was born. It was handed down to me from my Dad who had it quite a few years before I was even born. So sort of a crappy family heirloom, if you want to think of it that way. Well I didn't want to drop a ton of cash on a new bedroom set before I buy a house and buy all new stuff again, so where can I get some good looking furniture for cheap? What's that ... IKEA you say?

Well I picked out a new dresser and matching nightstand about 3 weeks ago at Ikea after battling all the annoying couples, screaming babies and kids running around knocking over everything in sight. I finally get to the warehouse part of the store to pick up my items and ... SOLD OUT! CRRRRAAAAAAPPPPPP!!!!! So, since IKEA doesn't hold anything for you (great customer service) after a couple of more fruitless trips to the Swedish Wonder they finally had my furniture in. At last!!

So Sunday I picked up a brand new dresser and nightstand from IKEA. One thing left to do; ASSEMBLE IT! This is where the realization of "cheap furniture" comes in. You get the IKEA box home, dump out 100 billion pieces, a dinky Alan wrench, confusing picture instructions and good luck to ya! You'd think you were trying to assemble a rocket to the moon with a little less than a video of watching a shuttle launch towards the sky. Umm...thanks that helps a lot. Well after a couple of hours I got them all assembled.

I finally have a new dresser and night stand thanks to IKEA. They are no Corey Brower masterpiece, but they'll do for now.

Random Pic

In honor of random picture day, here's a pic I took of two unsuspecting people asleep on a train in Tokyo, Japan.