Anyone want to get together for the 4th or 5th of July for beers and gamin'? I don't have a barbecue, but I do have a delicious Popeye's Chicken nearby!

| Kayak Report

I went! It was hard and/or awesome. I ended up going to the Long Beach one because I have a big meetup group going in a couple of weeks, so I wanted to get the lay of the land. It's far into Long Beach. Like, getting to Long Beach Airport from my house is like 20-25 minutes, but this place is DEEP in there away from the freeway, so kinda too far. I didn't roll! At the end, when I was getting out of the kayak I had gnarly wobbly legs and fell to my knees in waist deep water. Madness. Otherwise, I was SO paranoid of flipping the whole time, I just played it cool. Lasted about an hour then called it quits cuz I was spent. I def need to work on my form - couple times I slammed into the sides of some rich people's boats - yikes. Then I'd paddle all fast away trying not to get caught. That area is really nice - has these canals and it's called Naples and feels like Europe. No waves, most of the time the water was like glass. I had to cruise through some people taking sailing lessons, so that was cool.

You guys should try it!

So tired.

| Dollars = dollars

$49.95 = $49.95!

(I think)

How much does that crazy price translate into american-bux!?

Fuck man, I don't wanna roll over EVER! Dude, it is cold as ALL shit out here! Now I'm scared... (And I'm hella hung-over, so might just hafta go to the gym instead!)

| BAM!

Pre-order, bitches.

I ain't gonna wait until the US only release happens sometime in September, f that. I will however pick up my DS and possibly PSP versions then. And then there is the 360 version to think about...

I say we all get the international version June 26th! Digital download, so you will be missing the kewl box that it comes in, and possibly some advertisements for other games stuck in the box too, and the media itself, and you will be paying the same price as full retail, but hey, you save an entire tree with each digital download.

I have already ordered mine, so I will see you on the pitches come the 26th, bitches!

KAYAKING

I went with Leslie and her cousin around King Harbor (which you might think about over Long Beach, dude) and had fun for sure. It is tranquil as F, certainly fun to see the harbor from a different view, nice to be connected to nature a little bit, and a little bit of a workout to boot!

My core was the most worked out part of my body because of the balance issues. A lot of stabilization from over-thinking my balance, not so much rockin arm workout because I think that comes later once the balance is second nature.

I only rolled once and it came from out of nowhere. It was just one of those things where my mind wandered and I think I forgot what I was doing so my body just decided to lean the wrong way and into the drink I went. I avoided Jaws, but I assume he was close because that is who lives in water that is murky.

And remember to either rent a locker for your keys, wallet and phone, or get one of those waterproof, floating bags to go around your neck! No unnecessary sacrifices of personal belongings to Poseidon!

| Whoa... better use the wayback machine

This Outlook reminder popped up today. I thought it was pretty sweet.

well just be wary he doesn't hide the paddles in some obscure hole in the ground that there is absolutely NO clue as to how to find the paddles! Then you'll KNOW who he is.

8 bucks is an awesome deal! I think i had to pay $100+ for the lame lesson. But you sure you have all the floatation and safety gear and shit like that? Your not going with anyone? I'm sure they'll tell you where the beginner zones are.

You will be flippin over at least once. Dude, well, ok... be safe man. It's probably better if you had an instructor on the first time out. Or I'm sure you can drag a lady friend who knows how to float your kayak! har... yeah, kayaks all uppor torso and arms buddy.... unless its the kayaks for armless vets.

enjoy!

That'd be hilarious if I got stuck begging for change on a KAYAK! Ahahaha. :) Yeah, this is just in the harbor so I don't think I'll have to worry about gnar gnar waves or anything epic. But the weather is crummy - not rainy, just overcast. Oh, I'm trying to find more interesting ways to work out other than the gym. I'm hiking about 3-4 days a week but thats just my legs. Seems like kayaking will be good for the upper body - let's see how it goes when I try it once :) NO LESSONS! I'm just renting one and going!! $8 bucks an hour, should be fun. kayakrentals.net

Ken Williams was the guy in charge of Sierra Online along with his wife/punching-bag Roberta Williams. Probably just Jon might remember that.

| Kayaking!

What made you decide to do that? Cool... I kayaked once before at long beach, signed up for the Intro class. I don't think it was a Ken williams... who's that anyway? Anyway, kayakings okay, i'd say. I enjoyed river rafting much more, mostly because we were using 1 man kayaks and it's not much fun paddling alone. You'll spend most of the time learning the basics, turning the boat over, then you just row about 45 minutes till your back. Just remember to bring some change for the toll bridge towards long beach. Coming back i had no change and asked some lady for 1.25 to get across.

Gonna go rent a kayak tomorrow and tool around the Long Beach Harbor like an asshole. Never done it, maybe I'll drown to death. Anyways, I email the guy from the website asking about thier hours and he responds - his name is KEN WILLIAMS!!! You think!? COULD IT BE!???

Blood Bowl should be coming out soon, sorta. The international version which you buy via download is supposed to be coming out in about 2 weeks. It has an english language option in it. The North American/USA version that's specific to us is supposedly being delayed until the console versions are ready sometime in September. Should we just go for the International Version or wait!?

That's a chilling vision Enron. I think you may be gifted with "the Shinning."

Just saw this on FFG's site: Battlestar Galactica expansion coming out. I didn't know that they had Pegasi in the universe of BSG. When do you think they will come out with the Leprechaun expansion?

There's also something about a Capri Sun planet. I can only assume that a Cylon-controlled Kool-Aid man can burst through the walls of the ship.

Looks cool -- hopefully it increases the complexity of the loyalty deck in ways that makes it even easier to screw up!

| Kill all the Haoles day

Ry, maybe that's the whole conspiracy conundrum with an all white school. On the one hand there are no Hawaiian natives to beat and kill the Haoles. On the other, all the Haoles are individually told that they will be accepted as a native if they kill all of the other Haoles. Often in a bid to fit in outside of class, all of the Haoles kill each other and a huge Haole Day carnage festival ensues. Leaving the native Hawaiians a win-win of less Haoles, staunch loyalty with those remaining and they didn't even have to lift a finger. You are Doomed my friend, so you better start working on your new unstoppable fighting technique so you can at least be top dog at the end.

D>M>

| Aww, forget it! Just call me Bobby!

"Call me Knife."
"Nice? You want us to call you Nice? Okay. Nice hair, Nice."
"No! I want you to call me Surly."
"Shirley? Shirley? Bobby's a way tougher name than Shirley."
"Awww, forget it! Just call me Bobby!"

Has anybody ever seen Back to the Beach? Terrible movie.

Sadly, I don't think my students will kill me on kill a Howley Day since I will be teaching mostly white kids. But maybe. I wish Blood Bowl was out already.

| double H

There was this dude who worked at my job who was from Hawaii, and also he liked wrestling when he was a kid, so this other guy was like: "Hey, man. You know that wrestler? Triple H? I'm gonna call you Double H. Hawaiian Homo." Which he did continuously for the next week until the Hawaiian dude told him to stop being a natchface. I guess we could call Ryan that until something better comes along.

PS I am almost positive it was me that gave Enron's character the surname Smoxakahk. Not to be a jerk about it. Cruel jibes and psychological torment = Rudy, obnoxious cursing = Jon, put 'em together in a campaign and you got a winnar!

PPS Actually now that I think about it he kept calling the Hawaiian dude Double H until he got fired.

| Intermission

Real quick break in the congrats for RyRy (Cograts again! Kill Howly Day can't come soon enough!)

You guys ever seen this series, Freeman's Mind? Series Link
Basically now we can hear what Gordon Freeman's thinking throughout Half-Life 1. It's pretty funny. Slow to start and seems pretty stupid but I think that's the brilliance of it. Try and check it out.

Ryan, great news. Congratulations!!

Just please don't make your students stand on their desks and yell "Oh Captain! My Captain!"

Haole looks a lot like Ahole mispelled. is that a credible wiki article or seems rather coincidental? If it is, then hats off to the Hawaiians!

| That's Rad!

Now the big question: What should we call you now? It's either gonna be 'Rick' or 'Turtle', but you need to stake a claim now because if you don't, Rudy will name you Smoxacox or something like that and that will be the end of it.

Remember to treat friends mo' betta, and stay away from native girls, Haole!

Finally, thanks to the interweb, it will be like you never left!

EDIT: OH SHIT!!! Look out for this!

| Oh shit!

That is awesome Ry. I didn't realize you were still thinking about moving to Hawaii. It totally sounds like something that will fit your personality. And you did it the right way, Unlike jr0n and I. Both of us floundered in the bay area with unemployment due to less than ideal employment conditions during our moves. Congratulations sir!

D>M>

| holy fuck!

You know, I was just thinking yesterday that I hadn't seen you on the blog in a while. Now this stupendous update! Congratulations dude. That is fantastic news. I think island life will suit you well.

Wow man, can't get over how great that is.

I love those mini-sirloin burgers from Jack and CONGRATULATIONS! That is the most awesome news Ryan, good luck with the move and new job. Sounds like it's gonna be fantastic. :)

| Aloha, Bitches!

The short version: I am slipping the surly bonds of Redondo Beach and moving to Maui.

The long version: I have always been half-assed searching for a teaching job in Hawaii, ever since I first went there 5 years ago. I felt a kind of spiritual connection to the place that I can't explain. I love it there- the culture, the people, the slow pace, the weather, the water... it is amazing.

I always told myself that if I moved there, it would have to be the perfect situation, because let's face it, I kind of have it good here. I have tenure at Torrance High School (job security in this day and age is valuable), I love the kids where I work both when I coach and teach, I pay a mere pittance in rent thanks to Heather's generosity, my family lives 6 minutes away, I have a strong friend base, and truthfully, southern California ain't all that bad for my lifestyle. The perfect situation in Hawaii to me was: something comparable in pay, at a private school (the public schools on Hawaii suck ass), on Maui, teaching middle school English. The other part was that I had to feel comfortable with the people and the students. Basically, the stars had to align.

The perfect situation presented itself about a month ago. From time to time, I check this website called www.hais.com, which is an independent schools site with a jobs posting on it. There was a job posting on it for a school on Maui called Seabury Hall Academy teaching 7th and 8th grade English. On a whim, I sent out a cover letter and my application, fully not believing that I would get a call of interest, let alone a job offer. Two weeks later, I got a call from this woman who was the head of the middle school (the school is grades 6-12) who said she loved my cover letter and was intrigued by my resume. Still, I thought that it was almost a courtesy call, until she called me the next day (Friday) that the headmaster would like to have a conference call with me on Monday.

The conference call went very well and they asked me to film a class that I was teaching and send it to them, which I did. Long story short, they offered me the job. This was not an easy decision for me to make. I have never lived more than 45 minutes away from my parents' house, and it is scary stepping out of my comfort zone, and taking a leap of faith. I am not much of a risk-taker.

To make my decision easier, I decided to actually go there (they paid for it!) and experience the school, meet the staff and some of the kids, and see if it was something I could do. I was almost in tears while my mom was driving me to the airport, as I was wondering what the hell I was doing. Once I got there though, all anxiety went out the window.

The school is amazing. It is up-country, which means it is up in the base of the volcano on the edge of a rain forest. When I go out of my classroom, I can see the ocean. The school has everything that a school should have: digital projectors, smart boards, four computer labs, they issue me a Mac Book, the feed me breakfast and lunch every day for free. The kids and the staff is amazing, and I can develop my own curriculum since I am not confined by state content standards and compulsory novels and other requirements. I feel as though I have been liberated. I even got hooked up with a place to live. A teacher is moving to Peru, and is leaving his cottage apartment that has an amazing view, and I will be paying less than $1000 a month.

Everyone says how expensive it is to live there, but day to day life is no more expensive than living here. Sure, gas is more expensive, and eating out costs more, but there is a Costco where you pay mainland prices, and I will save money by eating at school twice a day. I will be fine.

I am going to take a break from coaching if I can afford it financially. My life will slow down considerably. It will be a major downshift, comparable to taking a handful of Quaaludes, I hope. It is something that I have to do, and as the end of July approaches (that is when I am moving), I am getting more and more excited. Even though it is a long shot for action team members because of jobs, families, fear of traveling too far away from home, fear of the sun, etc., any AT member always has a place to stay if they should come to Maui. My next step is starting to ship my crap.

By the way, if you haven't tried the mini-sirloin burgers from Jack in the Box, do yourself a favor and try them. Delicious.

Yeah, I think I played the demo for 58 minutes, hah.

I rented Valkyrie on Eric's old recommendation. Better be good...