Master of Photography

Pretty, huh?

I dig taking pictures, and since this is my blog page, I'm going to post a bunch of pictures that I took. Or in some cases, that somebody I know took...as long as I'm in them.

This is in Northern Colorado, in the Never Summer Wilderness.








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"80's" Metal Video

Man, I've really been slacking. You know, with the Dokken Day planning and all it's been pretty hectic lately. But it's all gonna be worth it once you check out my 80's Metal Video.

It's by Steel Panther, who rule. They're actually a parody band that does a lot of covers...but they do them really well. The singer and guitarist used to be in a Van Halen cover band called The Atomic Punks, and you couldn't tell them from the actual Roth-era VH if you were to do the Pepsi Challenge with the head phones. And if you remember the commercial (I think for Master Card or someshit) that documented (facetiously) the rise and fall the 80's Metal band, Danger Kitty, that was them too. So they're actually excellent musicians and performers. Lucky for us, they don't take themselves too seriously.

This video contains element from Twisted Sister, Dokken, and Van Halen among others. And I fell in love with the song as soon as I heard the first line..."Fuck the Goo Goo Dolls! They can suck my balls!"

It honestly does not get any more poetic than that. You're going to laugh your asses off.

Enjoy, my friends.

Steel Panther-Death To All But Metal - watch more funny videos

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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BLOGGING??!!

Nothing too mindblowingly deep or thoughtful tonight. Just wanting to let everyone know that I'm happy.

Just got back from the Monday Night Football contest between the Broncos and the Steelers, and as I write this am happy on beer. Sure, I spent $80 on seven beers, but it was worth it. Got to see Pittsburgh beat up on the Donkeys a bit, so all is well.

"Why the hell are you a Steelers fan, Matt?" you might ask. "Why not a Chiefs, Broncos, or Rams fan?"

Let me answer the last question first...because they suck. And now the first question...

Growing up in Missouri with deep St. Louis roots, the St. Louis Cardinals football team was my most favorite growing up. My mos favorito. With O.J. Anderson, Jim Hart, Dan Dierdorf, and a whole slew of forgettable names on my team, it didn't matter because the Cardinals were St. Louis.

Well, right when I actually started to understand the game of football, the Cards' owner Bill Bidwell, up and moved his team to Arizona where there are no cardinals...just gila monsters and big spiders. So I was left with no football team.

Normally if you're a fan of a St. Louis sports team, you cannot be a fan of a Kansas City sports team...especially after 1985. So I never really allowed myself to root for the Chiefs.

My dad though, he worked for a stainless steel tank manufacturing company in Springfield and would always bring home the stainless steel stickers that they put on every tank. I put them on my toolbox, my closet doors, and my bed. They look exactly like the Steelers' emblem...except they say "STEEL" instead of "STEELERS". That, along with the Steelers' cool colors (which were like the Missouri Tigers) prompted me to start rooting for Pittsburgh.

Since Bidwell stole the Cardinals from us, I've been a Steelers fan ever since. Not to the point of Cardinals Baseball, but as much as I get into NFL. I follow them, root for them...but don't freak out if they suck. And I love it when they beat the Broncos! Never liked Elway or Shanahan.

I'm still a Rams fan, because they're a St. Louis team and I have to. But if they played the Steelers in the Super Bowl, I'd probably root for Pittsburgh.

Anyway, It was a swell game and I'm happy. Now it's time to go eat seven Tums and go to bed. I have to get up in the morning and go to the mountains to go fishing. I hope you're jealous. If you're not, you should be.

Good things...




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The Incredible Hulk or Superman?

First off, big thanks to Anonymous (or Frank) for commenting on my latest entry about Dokken Day. Frank's been rocking out since he been to a Metallica concert back in 1986. Frank, I don't know you, but we have been connected through the power of rock and that cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, I can't invite strangers to my friend's house...but I will most certainly keep you updated on the planning of the festivities and perhaps you and your crew can celebrate Dokken Day up in Westerville, South Dakota! Dokken Day should be celebrated everywhere by everyone! Keep rockin', Frank.

Along with the preparation of Dokken Day, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking. So much so, that I sometimes wonder if I suffer from ADD or some other made up mental disorder that keeps me from focusing on single thoughts. Sure, I can concentrate on one thought at a time, but it immediately jumps to another thought, then another, and so on. I've been self medicating as much as possible to try and get a handle on this annoyance. It's helped. And surprisingly, writing helps. It keeps me focused...which is nice.

Random thoughts have included, but are not limited to...

Entreprenuerialism, global warming, the passing of a good friend, future large purchases, playing music, who my favorite super hero is, Thanksgiving dinner, my hatred of running, my hatred of the Beatles, discovering new music (that does not sound like the Beatles), different moods, individualism, marketing, washing my car, why people suck so bad, trout behavior, my desire to revisit past outdoor activities, and starting a cult.

Now I will randomly talk about one of the above-mentioned thoughts.

Different moods. Sounds boring, and maybe it is, but it intrigues me and I want to talk about it.

Different moods bring out different thoughts and different feelings, thus creating different tastes and likes at that time. For instance, I love to chill the fuck out with a glass of Scotch while listening to good jazz and tying flies. But I also love to go downtown to a punk show, jump up & down, push people into the pit, get drunk on Irish Car Bombs and then go have breakfast. Two different things, right? Moods create thoughts, which then help create tastes. Having different tastes allows for more diverse experiences. My tastes (which are created with the help of moods) revolve heavily around music and drink. The two go hand in hand. The two also heavily influence your mood.

I guess I just appreciate the fact that I enjoy so many completely different things. I not only enjoy different things, but different personalities, subcultures, or common ground. I don't really know what to call it.

Example: I like to go into a coffee shop, where there is classical music playing, order a hot coffee and sit down at a table with my laptop. It clears my head, allows me to relax, and helps me think. I'm not 'that guy', but I do enjoy it from time to time and I typically get along with 'those guys'. I also like to fillet 15 to 20 freshly caught crappie in a white t-shirt with crappie blood all over the front, on a makeshift "gut table" made from 5-gallon buckets and plywood, with a wind-burnt face, sore upper back, and painful hat-hair while listening to BR5-49. I'm not necessarily 'that guy' either, but I can relate. It's just things I dig that have evolved due to my different moods at one time or another.

It actually took quite a while for me to realize that it's okay to like more than one thing. I grew up listening to punk and would not even give hippie-shit the time of day. But my maturity overruled whatever category I had put myself in, and now hippie-shit is some of my favorite music. Joey Ramone just rolled over in his grave...

So whenever you're in a certain mood, and different things are starting to sound interesting to you, whether it's riding motorcycles, hanging out at a coffee shop, participating in a triathlon, getting high to Pink Floyd, rollerblading, turkey hunting, volunteering at a soup kitchen, sail boating, or attending a monster truck rally...don't think of being 'that person', think of just you...doing something. If you're in that particular mood, then do it.

Good things, man. Good things.



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Dokken Day 2010

Last month on the 11th of September, I posted a hilarious commercial entitled, "Dokken vs. Chicken" in my entry, "Don.". Along with that commercial I wrote a bit about the rebirth of a celebration in January called "Dokken Day". I was confident that this festival of 80's Metal would rise from the dead like fiery, flaming phoenix carrying a double-necked Gibson Flying-V guitar in it's talons.

Well, my friends...it has.

Dokken Day 2010 is in the works. There is a place. There is a time. There is a drink menu. There are activities. And there is music.

Listen up. Dokken Day is officially held on January 27-the same day that Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley gave the 80's Metal band the key to the city back in 1988. Unfortunately, that falls on a Wednesday, so we're going to have it the Saturday before (pending). Location: Foster's house, Springbilly, MO.

There'll be full kegs of cheap beer, Jack Daniels, Boone's Farm, an array of wine coolers including Bartles & Jaymes and Seagram's, Amaretto Sour's...all being consumed while playing Speed Quarters, Indian, Asshole, Chandeleir's, and Do It.

Activities will include drinking, rocking out, hot tubbing, RockBand/Guitar Hero, and lots of high-fives.

Nothing but 80's Metal will be played. And everyone will dress up like an 80's Metal Rocker.

My wife and I are flying all the way from Denver to Springfield to attend this Celebration of Rock. I plan on vomiting, dislocating my knee due to excessive heavy metal kicks, losing my voice, planning to start up a metal band with my buddies while in a drunken stuper, hitting my head on something hard while demonstrating the proper way to "bang your head", pulling my groin, losing conciousness during a keg stand, spitting beer on someone inside Foster's house, my body completely rejecting a SoCo shot, and spraying beer out my nose in the middle of a beer bong.

It will be phenomenal.

If you are lucky enough to attend this party, I assure you, it will be the 2nd best time you'll have all year, maybe the first. Could it overtake St. Pat's???

If you're cool, I'll see you there.



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Warm and Fuzzy

There aren't too many things that give me warm fuzzies.

You know, warm fuzzies. When a smell, a sound, an image, a feeling, a taste, or a memory gives your body that short, but satisfying shutter. Sometimes your closed eyes kind of role up into your head, there is usually a deep breath that accompanies it, and there is always a smile included. Yea, I guess it is somewhat orgasmic.

For me, it normally happens when something triggers a memory. A good memory. I don't get warm fuzzies when I remember shitty times. When I recall the tsunami disaster, I don't get all happy and reminiscent. I get warm fuzzies when I hear the first three notes of "Highway To Hell", like I did just a second ago. Not because it's good song (which it most certainly is), but because it takes me back to driving to the lake cabin in Vinnie's 64, The Tank O' Love.

The reason that's a special memory is, well...it was the place we could go and do whatever the fuck we wanted to do. It was like having your own place, but you were 17. We drank whatever we could get...we drank it all and we drank it fast. We smoked marijuana on the porch (for medical reasons only) and listened to AC/DC, debating over who was better, Bon or Brian.

And The Tank was our means of transportation when visiting the cabin. She was an original, red, 4-door 1964 Chevy Impala. She was beautiful. And she and the cabin both represented freedom to us.

Looking back on that time, I guess "Highway to Hell" was our unofficial anthem. It too, screamed freedom.

The cool thing about the warm fuzzy is, that when you get one, for a split second it takes you back to that exact moment. It's hard to absorb it because it happens so fast. But for one nanosecond, you are experiencing the same passion, elation, love, or excitement that particular memory triggered.



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jump.

My brain has been going a million miles an hour lately. A million.

I've got so many things going on in my head, it's hard to sort them all out and get them taken care of.

I think what's triggering the coagulation of thoughts...what the nucleus is...is the thought of making not only a good living, but an exciting living.

Yes, my fun career choice of being in the outdoor industry is starting to lose its luster. Having to handle different types of personalities from different types of people on a constant basis is chipping away at my brain and at my soul.

In some way, shape or form, for the last 16 years I have had to deal with people in a sales or service format...with the exception of working in a steel factory for two years, blue collar style. When you are in sales, or in my case, retail, anyone can walk through those doors. It's a public place. Crazy people, pretentious people, hateful people, socially inept people, and brainless people. But also delightful people, friendly people, courteous people, and likable people. It's the former batch that chips away at me. It's the people who have no business going out in public at all. The people with no common sense, no tact, no manners, and no reason to like them or want to assist them. Not a day goes by that I don't run into at least one of these worthless beings. Except for when I have a day off.

And I've heard the pep talks, the "it's not as bad as you're letting it be, Matt" talks. I've definitely looked into this rather deeply, thinking that it might be me...that I might be letting little things get to me. But it's not me, it's them.

Back when I started sales, I was young and didn't care about assholes or morons. They made me laugh and were easy to shrug off. But part of it was because I really didn't take my job that seriously either. I was young, people were idiots, and I said what I wanted to them or laughed at them and that was it. But I'm much older now. I take offense to people that have no idea how to act in public or don't know how to treat another person. It no longer is easy to laugh at on a regular basis...because it happens so often. And also, it is no longer my job to put up with douche bags, it's my career choice. That chips away at me as well.

So, what to do? What to do?

I think when you get to a point like this in your life, you have to do some soul searching. You have to ask yourself a lot of very important questions. And if those answers do not relate to where you are currently in your life, you have to then make a very important decision. You may have to jump. Not "suicide" jump, "Van Halen" jump. If you think it's time for a change, you are going to have to plan things out the best you can...and then jump. It's scary as hell. I've done it a couple times. But the older you get, the more difficult it gets. So, with each jump, each consisting of different degrees of difficulty within themselves, they still become progressively harder. Mainly because over the years, you accumulate things like stability, family, roots, and each one of these "grown up" things is affected by bold moves.

It can be tricky, too. Because the older you get, the more value you have...to a point. Sure, at age 40 you probably have a hell of a resume. Lots of experience. But to a potential employer, you are going to cost them more money than a fresh out-of-school applicant with unlimited potential and service. It's like a baseball player's career lifeline. And also, if you are going to do a 180 in the real world, there's a good chance you are going to have to educate yourself. Going back to school at age 30 or 40 can't be a picnic. And then finding a job afterwards? Kudos to those that can pull it off.

Then there's starting your own business. That appeals to me. My beef with my current situation has to do with corporate guidelines, and being "on" constantly...whether it be with the customer or my corporate superiors. With your own gig, some of that can be eliminated depending on what the new gig is. But starting your own business is no cake walk either. Once again, you really have to educate yourself. But I've got more drive to go that direction than to start completely over with school, followed by fresh job hunting.

I'm extremely entrepreneurial minded. I am constantly thinking of ways that I can make that aforementioned exciting living. Sometimes they're realistic ways, other times not. And I have no doubt that I could form a successful business, as long as I had someone to help out with the whole money part of it.

So, with all the above said, that's kind of where I'm at right now. I may stay right where I'm at, or I may decide to jump one of these days. I'm just trying to answer those important questions right now. I'm weighing certain things, thinking about opportunity and consequence, and including "grown up" things in those thoughts.

I'm glad I wrote this down, because I think that it would be a lot healthier, and more fun to shrug people off a little more. That's what they deserve, and I don't deserve high blood pressure just because they don't know how to act. So if you plan on coming into my store, don't be stupid, because you're gonna get laughed at and made fun of from now on. You deserve it.




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