Diary of the Mad Pigeon

Taking the Boy Fishing

One of my New Year's resolutions was to take the Monkey fishing--and that's just what I did this past Saturday.

I hadn't fished since... man, 1987, 1988?  It's been a long time.  Once an avid angler, I simply gave up as a young man since few of my friends and none of my family fished; it simply wasn't a common pastime in suburban Maryland.

I suppose I could've picked up the hobby again in college or earlier in my military career, but the excuses were numerous:  no money, no time, no one else interested... so angling fell off my radar (or depth finder, if you will).

That is, until the Monkey asked to go fishing last year.

The Monkey's 10, about the same age I was when I started dropping lines for panfish.  Memories sure cross time and distance in a flash, don't they?

And now I'm surrounded by folks who hunt, fish, and otherwise enjoy the outdoors.  Folks who've never given it up.  Just listening to 'em plan Elk expeditions at the lunch table builds inspiration.

Then I wrote the wizard series, which got me thinking again about all the fun things I used to do.

(You can revisit the series here:  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V)

So one day I sat down, looked the Monkey in the eye, and said, "son, I'll take you fishing this summer!"

We started by hitting the books and mags:  Field and Stream, In-Fisherman, Outdoor Life, Fishing for Dummies, you name it.  It's been so long since I cast a line I figured I'd better start from scratch.

And those odd fishing shows that come on cable?  Yeah, we started watching those on the weekends.

Then three weeks ago, knowing I was going out of town for a month and my fishing time was growing scarce, I called up USAFA's Farish recreation area in the slim hope they'd have a cabin or rent--and wouldn't you know, someone had just canceled, so I scored a weekend roost!

Two weeks ago, I took the boy tackle shopping.  I could've saved money by sharing gear, but I wanted the Monkey to take responsibility and pride with his own kit.  Thus on his own, he picked out a starter tackle box and augmented it with trout-sized hooks, spoons and spinners.  He also passed on the kid's rods and went with an adult ultra-light spinning rod.

And daddy got to be a kid again as I re-outfitted myself after 20 years.  When we settled the bill, the gentleman at the counter said I picked well for someone off the water for so long.

The week leading up to the trip, we organized our gear, learned to tie three different angling knots, and practiced our casts in the backyard.  After a rat's nest or two, we were hitting targets within 2 feet.

Then the big day came:  we packed some clothes, snacks and our gear in the truck, drove 45 minutes to Farish (outside Woodland Park, Co), checked in, and had our lines in the water before 1100.

We didn't catch anything.

Unfortunately, it was a fly fisherman's paradise--all sorts of insects were hitting the water, and the trout had no interest in submerged bait.  The Monkey even cast inside a group of 6 or so trout, which just sat waiting for insects.

All made worse by the kid across the pond who caught his first fish within 5 minutes.

But it didn't matter... the old saying about how it's not the catch, but the getting outside that makes it worth it?  We had a blast!

Plus, his casting was phenomenal:  he'd point out a target and hit it dead center, again and again.  In addition, he had fun just experimenting with different lures and weights, methodically reading the water and his gear to logically decide what might work.

We fished for 4 hours, and even leaving empty handed the Monkey held my hand as we packed up with a huge grin across his face.  All he could talk about was when we'd go again.

And yes, the Hummingbird and Mouse were there, too:  not to fish, but to take pictures, share company, and make fun of the men as needed.  To paraphrase the Hummingbird, she didn't want or need to fish; she just needed the outdoors.

It helped the campground office was covered with hummingbird feeders, around which said birds swarmed like we'd never seen before--just seeing a real hummingbird put a smile on my hummingbird's face!

We celebrated our fishing expedition at a local Barbecue Joint, with the Saturday all-you-can eat beef ribs.  We then read in the cabin for a while, and then I went for an evening walk around the lake--a quiet, thoughtful end to a perfect day.

We got back home around noon yesterday, and both the Monkey and I carefully cleaned, repacked, and stowed our gear.  But he won't have to wait long:  since I'm leaving for a month next Monday--but am off work Thursday through Sunday--I told the Monkey we'll go again this weekend.  Not far, just up to one of the lakes on the USAFA grounds.  Perhaps going the morning of the 4th will be a fitting, patriotic time.

Regardless when, I will take the Monkey fishing again, as I'll take myself fishing again. 

I'm not waiting another 20 years to find the boy inside of me.

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Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, The Virtuous Republic, third world county, The Random Yak, DragonLady's World, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, Rosemary's News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, Democrat=Socialist, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Proof that there is still good things in Germany :)

Germans apply the warpaint for Euro final

Truth be told, I really couldn't give two shakes about soccer, not even the World Cup, I have a hard time celebrating sports which lionize "almost" doing something the way "fuuuuutbooollll" does, (admittedly, I'm a hockey fan, so yes, hypocrisy abounds even in the Pigeonverse, buzz off).

But, this I like.

More Pigeon to follow. I promise.

MOGSY Rollins.

Pigeon Offline until Monday

Apologies for the lack of original content on my part the last week or so... I'm swamped with work projects I MUST finish before next Wednesday--my last duty day before flying to Paris.

THAT, and I'm going fishing this weekend (I'll be posting 'bout the trip next week).

With that, I'll be offline until Monday... although MOGS and Antitool are still lurking about.  ;-)

Peace.

-

You need to read every post on this girl's site. Now.

I mean it.

I'm not shitting you. Finally, someone, just...gets it. Gets it completely. Honey, are there any more of you out there, if so, sign me up. I'm done looking, and since you're taken I think we've finally found an ethical argument in favor of human cloning.

Oh, and I'm with you. Post Secret is pretty dang ghey.

Truth in Advertising

http://www.shitbegone.com/

Actually, I've always wondered why the commercials always show people wiping "the paper" across their faces, as that's not the primary point of application.

And why, for that matter, does "bathroom tissue" NOT come with directions?  I think it's a skill many are lacking.

Become an Illegal Alien Today!

Supposedly an actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his senator...

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as 'in-state' tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington , IA

Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service 1-800-289-1040.

A Tribute to a Man and Freedom of Speech

A sad day, it is...

Some Obsevations Regarding Material Wealth

Below is an email I recieved from a former colleague who's on a Fulbright Scholarship in Tanzania.  His observations on poverty are quite thought provoking--enough so that I asked his permission to post this.

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Sorry for the conspicuous absence, I was doing some traveling to Zanzibar and then went home for the vacation we Fulbrighters are given to recharge. "Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

It was wonderful going home and just doing nothing. Going home to regular electricity, potable running water, home cooked food, and most importantly being with family was incredibly relaxing. Having not watched TV for the last five months I proceeded to gorge myself on TV shows and movies. I really didn't want to come back, but I have work to do and experiences to gain in order to become a deeper and more balanced individual.

It's easier now going back and forth from the developing to the developed. The first time was after living for four months in Pakistan in conditions that would only be understood as poverty-level by most Americans. My brother and I flew through Dubai to come to the States. It's overwhelming to see the level of materialism we have in the States through advertising or the amount of options available. You go to any supermarket and there no less than fifty types of shampoo. In a corner stall in Pakistan where we lived, people would buy small packets of shampoo. What we would have been given free for samples in America, they would buy one-at-a-time as they needed it- a combination of poverty and supply. Even the amount of trash we create through the packaging of our products is staggering, much of it unnecessary but there not being an economic incentive to reduce it stays the same.

When I came back to Tanzania I brought a lot of stuff with me, things that I simply can't buy otherwise because they're not available here. In the U.S., we can purchase almost anything sold anywhere in the world. If you have money you can obtain it and generally for an equitable price. That's not the case here. A lot of the products available on the local market are imports from China. Ok, you might say, so also is that case in America. That's true, but the nature of our market and import regulations means that we get the higher quality products; the cheaper ones are dumped into poor countries where few other products are available. It's true that you can buy some good quality merchandise, but it's usually imported from South Africa or Dubai making it expensive even for us ex-pats and astronomically out of reach for the average Tanzanian.

We have a culture of having stuff. We can afford it and it's available, we favor the new to the old and are constantly upgrading. When I was at home, my dad's cell phone broke. He had insurance on it and evidently it was a routine problem on that type of cell phone. The retailer instead of attempting to fix it just swapped it out with a new one plus the deductible. Here you have fundis (translated as "mechanic", but I like the older term "tinkerer") who can fix almost anything. They can jerry-rig almost anything to continue functioning longer that its originally intended life. Not having makes stuff valuable. What we would throw out as not being valuable can be given as a gift to be accepted in gratitude. Here there's a culture of giving zawadi (gifts) when you've returned from a long voyage. With me this time I brought pens and little gifts to give everyone from the watchman to the milk seller.

One of the most obvious differences between Pakistan and Tanzania is the clothing. In Pakistani men and women wear far more traditional clothes. Here in Tanzania people mostly wear Western clothes. The clothes are second and third-hand from the developed world through the used clothes trade. So anything is recycled. Yesterday walking down the street I saw someone selling what looked like an original Dustbuster from the 80s. Evidently it was still working and someone was interested. Everything finds a second life here and sometimes a third.

We're so blessed living in the States and the developed world more broadly. Not only do we have access to whatever we want whenever we want, we have broadband internet. It's amazing how the computer and internet have become so integral to our lives. I'm back in Tanzania on dial-up speed and it takes forever to do what I could in just minutes at home. For that reason I've been reading a lot more books and novels. I've been dabbling in some fiction; I'll let you in on some of it as I continue.  Have a great week!

"Here Comes Mary" (I hate it when stuff like this creeps me the hell out)

1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, ETC on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT.
4. Put any comments under the song title in brackets/italics.
5.Put this on your journal.

1. If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say?
"Parsifal: Prelude" Berliner Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado
(well, just like me I guess, a really long winded and overblown way of saying "Yeah sure.")

2. How would you describe yourself?
"Spanish Bombs" The Clash
(... but I'm not Spanish? I think. Either way, I guess one can't outrun one's reputation, eh old chap?)

3. What do you like in a member of the opposite sex?
"Chant Down Babylon" John Davis
(...well I'll be dipped, yeah I think this about covers it. Not quite sure how..)

4. How do you feel today?
"The 11th Hour" Rancid
("Do you know where the power lies? I said it starts, and ends with you!" I should say so!)

5. What is your life's purpose?
"Clampdown" The Clash
(My purpose is to work for the "Clampdown?" Well that sucks...)

6. What is your motto?
"Heart of the City" Nick Lowe
("Lookin' for a home in the heart of the city, lookin' for a lover in the heart of the city" hmmm...)

7. What do your friends think of you?
"Astro Zombies" The Misfits
(You all think my prime directive is to "EXTERMINATE! The whole human race?" Well, I have been called an "evil mastermind" and a "supervillain" twice in the past week and half...)

8. What do you think of your parents?
"The Beat Dies" The Raveonettes
(I ain't touchin' this one. Bugger off.)

9. What do you think about very often?
"Anarchy in the U.K." The Sex Pistols
(okay this is getting extraordinarily silly, but yes, I often fear for England...)

10. What is 2 + 2?
"Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over" Charlatans UK
(Heheh. Nice.)

11. What do you think of your best friend?
"Everyone is Crazy", Reggie and the Full Effect
(Oh good lord this is excellent. "Everything is crazy, everyone is crazy...everything is not the way it should be, not the way it could be, everyone is not the way they should be...")

12. What do you think of the person you like?
"Radio Baghdad" Bob and Brian
(It's gonna take me a couple days to figure this one out.)

13. What is your life story?
"8 Miles High" by Husker Du
(loud, discordant, but nevertheless a cover tune - The Byrds. Not sure what I think about that one...)

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
"My Little Underground" Jesus and Mary Chain
(... I want to be an aging annoying hipster who's too cool for school? Oh wait.)

15. What do you think of when you see the girl you like?
"Regret" New Order Cover by Reggie and the Full Effect
(I don't like this game anymore)

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
"Blitzed" The Raveonettes
(Okay for those of you who don't know, Raveonettes are what you'd get if you mixed equal parts Johnny Cash, rockabilly, early '50s rock, girl groups, the Phil Spector Wall of Sound, the Velvet Underground, and Shoegaze...it fits.)

17. What will they play at your funeral?
"Only With Me", Reggie and the Full Effect
(Damn, I was kinda hoping for Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly)

18. What is your hobby/interest?
"Hey", The Pixies
(Hey heh, "where have you been?")

19. What is your biggest fear?
"Nicholas Ray", Sea Ray
(I'm afraid of some guy named Nicholas? Maybe they mean "Old Scratch" or "Old Nick." I've never thought of myself as afraid of Santa Claus...or Jack Warner for that matter...)

20. What is your biggest secret?
"Hellbent", Superdrag
(My greatest secret is that I'm hellbent.....)

21. What do you think of your friends?
"The Globe", Big Audio Dynamite
("C'mon and dim the lights, switch on the strobe, gonna have a ball tonight, down at The Globe.." "Let's have a ball" ....I can buy it.)

22. What will you post this as?
"Here Comes Mary", The Raveonettes
(Well this one is rather morbid. Oh well, not the first time that "dark" and "MOGS" have been associated with each other. Not the first time at all...)

Somethin's Changed. No I mean it this time. Really.

A scant two nights ago I found myself in the Ghostbar, way up on a fifty-fifth floor of the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. I was enjoying a well-made gin and tonic and attending to conversation with some long time friends and colleagues out on the balcony, overlooking the city of Las Vegas, and watching the middling middle-of-the-week crowd get to partying, striking out with the girls, drinking, and some dancing. The Deejay decided the time of the night was ripe for some good ole' NINE INCH NAILS. Yuppers.

Y'all might remember this little ditty called "Closer." Yeah, you remember "Closer." Who can't forget a line like "I want to *(%* you like an animal! I want to feel you from the inside!"

So, there I am standing with my friends, men and women who I've literally grown up with. Most of us have known each other since tech school at least, if not college/commissioning source, we've been assigned together overseas, deployed together, sweat, bled, cried together, in some cases dated each other. You're talking about eight or nine to a dozen years on average, if not more. Needless to say, the modern connotations associated with the word "awkward" were in full force at that moment. Here's what I mean. That song came out in 1994. It saw us through days and nights in the bar, at the club, parties and you name it all back in the day. Well, um it's not 1994, several of us are married with kids, hell most of us are usually in BED by 10:30 or so at night (that's about what time it was), and I think we may have all been a bit dare I say it, embarrassed by the whole thing? I think it just reminded us all of how bloody stupid we could be at times.

Let me put it this way: "I want to f8957 you like an animal" sounds about 10 times more awesome when you're 17 and don't give a good goddamn about anything.

It's umm, lost a little bit of its luster. In fact it seems downright SILLY. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely circumstances and configurations out there where the song might be completely appropriate, even welcome today, but um, well dammit let's talk maturity for a second shall we?

Our female companship is working out the nervous laughter, and they want to dance a little bit before calling it a night, and grinding away like it's 1995 all over again though, just didn't seem to be on anyone's agenda. Us menfolk are pretending that something a bit nice like "Whoomp There It Is" is playing...or something.

Yeah, awkward doesn't begin to cut it. You think this was odd? We went and ate a place called "Firefly" earlier that night. Awesome food. Awesome sangria. The choice of "Cutey Honey" fanservice anime playing in the background while we were eating and talking shop (we're patches, we can't help it, but it got so bad that _I_ couldn't handle it anymore. yes Pidge, Antitool, you read correctly, MOGSY got tired of talking shop), umm yeah. Look I'm pretty laid back, but man it gets tough to keep a straight face, talk to someone you haven't seen in 5 or 6 years and drink sangria without it ending up all over her shirt when you have "Honey Flash!" (umm, literally) happening in the background. It got me thinkin' something about being afraid of Americans in this early 21st century...

What I did think afterwards was, boy someday I get stand in front of Little MOGSYs and MOGETTES and say "Yeah kiddies, in Poppa MOGS' day we were so cool we danced to songs with words like 'I want to do-things-to-your-mother-that-will-get-me-arrested-in-38-states-and-banned-from-95-countries' and we were cool."

I'll let you know how that one works out. Looking forward to it. Really. :)

And cut.