No Touch Monkey!

Paul is the Biggest Led Zeppelin Fan in the World.

I met Paul last Summer while hustling for a job. He didn't have any work for me, but I spent a couple pleasant hours shooting the shit at his house one day. He showed me a lot of his collection.

I just so happens I may need to consult an "Idea Guy" and Paul is someone I would go to. So I checked his blog out, and lo and behold, he had actually won a trip to London last Dec. to see the Led Zeppelin Reunion Show based on this video.



ROCK FUCKING ON!

Labels: video, Whoa, Zep

This is a critically endangered Mountain Chicken Frog



photo by
jallen "To Be" dragonhide

I was at a figure drawing dealy on Saturday Night and the Hostess' husband is a Veterinarian and Frog Biologist. He as a few of these fellows in the basement. Nearly wiped out by a fungus in Dominica, and eaten by the natives, The Mountain Chicken Frog is at the brink of extinction.

Jay King (whose house I was at) is currently one of the only people to breed the frog in captivity and certainly the first (as well as the identifier of the killing fungus). I was told there are 50-60 left in the wild.

Recently the Yangtze River Dolphin snuffed it, and many empathic internauts mourned. Will there be such an outpouring of emotion if the Mountain Chicken goes to the Great Sky Pad?

The more I think about it, the more awed I am that I got to see it. I sure hope Jay can help breed 'em back from the brink.

More info can be found at: MOUNTAINCHICKEN.ORG

Labels: Frogs, Whoa

I had once gotten into a wicked fight with a girlfriend about humans behavior and our desire to constantly alter our brains and perceptions.

I am under the belief that we enjoy the fuck out of rearranging our perceptions.
Children do it all the time. That's what I think meditation is for. As is going on thrill rides which led to a fight about whether or not monks would enjoy riding roller coasters.




I was pro-coaster monk, she was anti.

I can't help but notice the argument memories I still hold inside are the ones I lost even though I knew I was right. 15 years later the proof is in the photograph, so I can finally let this one go.

I discovered a "new way" to really pleasantly mess with your mind just the other night. If you pay attention to how your eyes move when you run your inner monologue Eye Accessing Cues, try and move them the opposite direction. For example I was trying to picture how I drew something and my eyes shifted to my upper right. I deliberately shifted them to the left middle and I experienced what could best be described as a brain freeze, non verbal fragmentation of weird indescribable lightning images. I'm hoping to somehow provoke myself into Synethesia.

Labels: The Cap'n, Whoa, Worth your time

Since I'm married to a Brasileira, have been to Carnival in Rio & Sao Paul, and brought back lots of video and magazines; a lot of people ask me: "Is Carnival like our Mardi Gras?" My answer to that is usually: "Yes, they are both Pre-Lentin festivals that celebrate debauchery. There is music, and parades, but it is a matter of scale. In the US only a relative handful of people celebrate Mardi Gras, in Brazil it's an entire country. I laugh hysterically when people claim that St. Louis has the Second Largest Mardi Gras celebration after NO. I know it's rude, but somehow in comparison, this little party we have in the Sticks is a source of local pride.

This is a clip from the Viradouro Samba School in Rio 2008.

The school's theme is "Things ... all » that give you goosebumps." The theme is then broken down into sub themes, in this instance: Sex, Execution, and Horror. All done to Samba Beat

You should play "Name that cultural reference."

Note: The White float with the gagged people sitting on it was supposed to be a pile of dead bodies representing the Holocaust, but it was pulled due to public outrage.

The float now reads, "You can't build a future if you bury the past." I don't know who that guy is on the float, but it's not Jesus.

What is not included in this video are the floats with the giant ski slope and real snow skiers, A giant bloody, new born baby float dangling from human hands, wriggling and opening it's eyes Women wearing igloo dresses, hundreds of penguins, an army of Mr. Freezes zapping people with their cold rays, henchmen bashing the ice scupltures, sections of people wearing hand costumes, lips costumes and tongue costumes, and one big ass Edward Scissorhands float followed by a group of Edward Costumes. You know, things that give you goosebumps.

Here is what you need to know about Carnival.

There are 12 teams, each team has a theme, a drum group, 4 floats or so, 4000+ members a theme song and 90 minutes to get their team down the special Sambadrome Avenue and across the finish line. Points are scored and removed for everything, dances, costumes, harmony, time...the works.

The team beings work on next years theme a few days after Carnival. The team members pay for their own costumes.

Labels: Whoa

Sorry I've been busy/lazy the past few days wondering what to post about. Got nuttin'

Here is a video of local burlesque duo Gravity Plays Favorites doing their thing. Not really safe for work.

Labels: Hot Cha Cha Cha Cha, Whoa, wooooooooooo

I was at the South Pole Space Dive Facility secretly trying on my new Space Diving suit. It cost $7,900 and Alessandra didn't know I blew that much money to ride a weather balloon all the way to the top of the world and jump.

Which I did. In my dream I had 13 minutes or so of free fall then a 70 minute chuted drift, and then I landed safely.

It was pretty cool, not nearly as terrifying at I thought it would be. My suit had a full bubble dome helmet though.

I think I got the idea from seeing this article in Popular Science at my In-Laws house over Thanksgiving. High Dive

Labels: Whoa

Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque. But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.

Underneath this house:













Ale was in Turin a few years ago. She's gonna be pissed she missed this.

Story

Labels: Whoa