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| Preemptive Maritime Salvage Expert |
Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Thar be pirates in these hills!
(...because, honestly, there's not much shoreline in Burbank)
Doing some occasional volunteering for the Make-a-wish foundation and otherwise just messing around with the Port Royal Privateers,
I often take a little time out to swing a sword, swill ale and sing rude songs.
| Stoney Point Park |
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| End of a 94' wall Aussie style |
Ever feel the need to just take it down a notch? How about 94 notches? Okay, admittedly not the biggest wall in the world
but when you're the first to test the anchor, it may as well be a million feet high.
Somehow, after hanging your can over a cliff, it puts everything else in perspective.
Geek Artistry
| An "EJ Style" folder |
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| Click to see other sets in the collection |
Who needs "aqua"? Despite Steve Jobs proclamation, I've never had the impulse to lick my computer screen. On the other hand,
I have been a Mac-head since 1984... and I've been into customizing my desktop since the days of ResEdit.
I love the GUI concept. Not "gooey" (that would actually be licking the screen), but rather the "Graphical User Interface"
that the Mac made famous (and Windows made popular). Designing my own folders is a form of visual organization. It allows
for quicker recognition and finder navigation, saving precious moments and helping me to keep my focus when I'm working. The
creation process itself is fun, a bit meditative if you will.
Click on the folder and you'll get an icon site "InterfaceLIFT" (formerly "Xicons"),
my collections in particular. I've done custom jobs for the Terrorism Research Center, the Coast Guard (AUX), as well as a
few private requests. Check it out and see how the style strikes you. Obviously, I'm no Picasso, but for an amateur, I can
pound on Photoshop until it cries uncle.
Plinking
(AKA "Marksmanship")
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| Enjoying an informal range |
Shooting. Yes, my pacifist friends, I do shoot. There is a certain challenge and exhilaration to live-fire eye-hand
coordination exercises. It is a meditative process; transcending the power of the tool you hold – especially when that
tool is a Mossberg 500A. The X-Box just doesn't hold a candle to the real thing.
The problem I have with this diversion is my usual problem... I don't shoot enough. It has been years since I've knocked the
rust off – and rust is bad. If I were independently wealthy, it would be fascinating to train for the likes of IDPA or USPSA competitions. Of course, if I ever get around to volunteering as a reserve deputy sheriff for L.A. County, I'm sure I'll get all the practice I can handle.
This shot was taken some years ago out in the middle of nowhere. Can't remember exactly where, but no – it's
not Afghanistan (if it was, I sure wouldn't be wearing that t-shirt). Suffice it to say that I promote safe shooting
(and ownership) techniques.
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| Like diving in a jacuzzi... |
No, not the old Van Halen song, this is the real thing. Follow the adventures around the Channel Islands and learn just how I fell in to being an aquanaut.
Outdoorsy Stuff
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| In the San Gabriel Range |
It's sadly ironic: a lotta folk watch television and wish they were a part of it. I work in television but seldom watch it.
Here we have this great big beautiful world and people want to explore it... via the "Discovery Channel." [insert headslap
here] Hm. I think I feel a career change coming. Time to stop this studio stuff and start making money where the fun is: out
there. Anybody know any producers at the Travel Channel...?
This modest shot is me comparing lat/lon points on a GPS. Jenny and I were camping in the Angeles Forest but I don't remember what valley we were in when she took this shot.
A few miles back, near the campsite, was the Bear Valley Dumping Grounds. No, that's not the official title, but we wandered
through and saw a couple dozen dead cooler chests, discarded plastic ketchup bottles and evidence of several years of old
lunch. I was deeply disappointed by the mess we found. As we walked through, I started noticing all the coolers had holes
in them. Toothmarks. It wasn't people leaving this litter – it was the bears. I was relieved, or at least
I wasn't quite as disappointed in my fellow man. On the other hand, once we knew who's stomping grounds we were in, we didn't
stick around long.
We don't get out nearly enough these days. I suppose that's the price we pay for doing all the other things we do. When we
do get out, we go camping, hiking, Jeeping and orienteering in the local mountains (usually leaning toward the less-populated
Los Padres National Forest). If you camp/hike in the area, drop us a line or give us directions to your favorite spot – we're always looking for
someplace new and beautiful to explore.
Shoot the Breeze...
(...and your friends)
| In SC Village |
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| Hostage Rescue, OBJECTIVE IN TRANSPORT! |
Here's another neglected hobby: paintball! All the adrenaline you could ask for and almost no chance for death or disfigurement!
Almost. Ah, to be independantly wealthy and able to pursue every distraction.
In this shot, Best-of-USA marketing set up scenario games in SC Village, a decent paintball park in Corona, California. This particular situation was a downed
pilot rescue. He's injured (hence the blindfold), so he can't walk. One group played VC and the other group was CSAR. Moments
before this shot, I'd scooped up the "pilot" and I was hauling him out of the hot zone. Moments later, I set him down, identified
myself and gave him a little reassurance.
Trivial Pursuit note: that guy over my shoulder is Maj. Jim Morris (retired, obviously), former Special Forces operator
and current adviser to Hollywood (The General's Daughter, The Peacemaker, Clear and Present Danger and Operation Dumbo Drop).
By the end of the day, he was pretty sure I was just a tight-lipped SEAL. Made me feel good about my research...
Dang, wish I still had contact with this guy.
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