yar... I have been away sailin the seas of Spokane Washington for the last five days... went up to visit my pops... it was a learning experience to say the least.... lots to write about... not much time to write it.... where to start where to start... well, I guess I will just write about my pops and I to begin with, since that is what is on my mind at the moment....

Taking the ole trip up to see my Pop's is always interesting... it takes forever to get there, well... maybe it doesn't really take forever... but geez... it feels like it when you calculate total travel time.... almost 8 hrs.... There aren't any direct flights to Spokane anymore so you usually have to take two planes, and usually have to stay in Seatle or Portland for an hour or two.... I hate layovers, well, hate is a strong word.. but man, when you are traveling by yourself they sure are boring..... Anyway, the point of talkin about the traveling part to Spokane is this: before I got on the plane in San Jose I had my first bad experince related to the "heightened security measures". Four words can describe my opinion of this new "heightened security": What a fucking joke... no wait... let me restate that in 7 words: What a fucking pain in the ass.... no wait, that isn't quite it either .... one word can suffice: bullshit... yea that sums it up: Bull-fucking-shit. Tons of it... mountains of it. Continents of the smelly stuff... ok, ok, let me explain. So really my bad experience is my own fault, I messed up, I brought a "lethal" killing device with me..... not thinking (as usual), I decided to take my keys with me... My key ring has one of those tiny swiss army knifes on it.... BIG mistake, after all, I could "kill" someone with that thing... they ask to search my bag and I am like "oh yea, sure, no problem..." I know I don't have any bombs or guns in my bag.... but then they pull out my keys, and I am like "oh crap"..... my fucking swiss army knife... one of those silly mistakes that you don't even think about... I mean shit... not like I am gonna try to take over a plane or something... I just threw my keys in the bag so I could open the door when I came home... ugh... So the lady says you can't take this on the plane and I am like oh poop... "yea, I forgot I had that on my keys..." erf.... So then she says we are going to have to "confiscate" this. What she really should have said is: "I like your swiss army knife and I am gonna take it home to give to my kids" because as I find out 5 seconds after I ask "how can I get it back" that the answer is "you can't, and don't, get it back, I.E. confiscated" WTF?? That is bullshit. No system to return "stolen" sorry, "confiscated" goods back to their owners??!! That is really a huge pile of bullshit. It wouldn't take much to make a system of envelopes to hold at the costomer service desk or something..... That is what pissed me off the most... the fact that there was/is no system to return the goods that they took. That and the fact that some security guard is now the proud new owner of my swiss army knife... So anyway, I am out a swiss army knife now. A tool that I used all the time... a tool that has a 1 1/2 inch blade on it.... that I would have used to take over a plane with... whatever... I guess I should be glad that they are being so "careful", but as a victim of this BS... I can't help feeling like I just got robbed. I was also lucky enough to experience another new part of security: I was the recipient of the grand prize: I was lucky enought to get to take my shoes off so that they could check them for bombs.... dude... what? I am sorry but there has to be a better way..... they were making 75 year old ladies with walkers take their shoes off... it all seemed a bit insane to me.... stupid... it is all so stupid in some ways.... better safe then sorry I suppose.. but man... it all seems sorta lame... like, I don't really think they catch anyone besides innocent people who are just trying to get from point A to point B...... erf, word to the wise, don't bring your keys....

So anyway made it to Spokane. Got to see my Dad, which is cool. I don't get to see him much since he moved up to Washington about 3 years ago. He has a nice house in the hills, nice clean air, cool out.... it was a good break away from the everyday hussle and bussle... It is always good to see my pop's, I like hanging out with him, tho I gotta say this visit was a learning experience...

To sum it up: I came to the realization, that I sorta knew all along, that my dad and I are from two totally different worlds.... we are not alike at all, in any way, shape, or form. My life is about having fun, enjoying myself, piracy(haha), skateboarding, music... etc etc... His life is about vacume tubes, physics, ham radio, making budgets, planning for the distant future (and I do mean distant future, like as in: the end of time) , order, neatness.. a place for everything and everything in its place, and being serious... Everytime he does anything, he could be quoted to say: "lets sit down and think about this for a few minutes." I don't know the last time I really sat down and thought things out for more then 20min or so... he could take days... that is a good thing sometimes... but other times... I dunno.... got to seize the day sometimes... sometimes you can't spend hours and hours thinking things through... sometimes ya just gotta go for it..... he doesn't ever do that... I don't know how he lives the way he does.... everything is so... so... structured.... hahaha what about a little chaos now and then??? hahaha

An example of our differences: Money and budget. His budget spread sheet is insane, I have never seen a spread sheet that has so much information and so many formulas on it. This thing has everthing calculated down to the exact penny... no lie, he imputs his pocket change into the spread sheet when he gets home from the store. A few months ago he decided not to take a trip to see a bunch of his old friends because it would "cost too much" and if he did go, he wouldn't have any money in his "entertainment fund" for the rest of the month. "Entertainment fund???" what is that??? My budget is: do I have any money in the bank? yes! Wheeeee lets go buy a new drum set!! oh what, all my friends are gonna meet up in Santa Barbara... wellllll... I won't be able to eat for a week... but shit, I will be there.... My entertainment fund is every dollar I earn.... what good is money if you don't have fun spending it??? I don't work my ass off so that I can be financially stable... I work my ass off so that I can have fun... what good is treasure, if you never spend any of it... I guess my pops is kinna like the pirates of old, who aquire tons of treasure and then go dig a huge hole and hide it on some deserted island....

I dunno, I guess I just have different priorities then he does. He is strictly business... the kinna guy you don't f--- around with... where as I am strictly fun most of the time... just down to chill, only serious when I have to be... it is weird how different we are... hanging out with him is like being in another dimension... like the twilight zone or something.... Two totally different worlds, but both occupying the same space...

It is funny how little he knows about me too. I guess he just doesn't know how to get to know me. He is super introverted and scores off the chart as a thinking type... so he keeps to himself a lot... I don't think he likes being in situations where he isn't in control... it is funny how opposite we are sometimes... strange... you would have thought that I would have modeled after his traits as a kid... maybe I did to some extent... but for the most part we are like opposite sides of the coin... anyway... this came to light a lot this weekend... I am not like my pops... not much at least. I guess that is ok, but it kinna sucks sometimes.

Anyway, the trip all in all was good. Got some helpful advice, ate some great home cooked meals, chilled, read two books.... chilled.... talked a lot with my pops.... all in all, a good trip.... yea... kinna strange... but good... good to see the ole Man. I wish he lived closer.

so that sums up my last 5 days.... sheeesh.... what a long post.... damn...
--Capn' Ontha S.S. Roadagain