The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

I was sick all week, so I planned a quiet weekend. The problem is that I always think that's what I want, and then when I get it, I have trouble appreciating it. Sometimes I think I stay busy to distract myself from being lonely. But then I think about dating, and I'm just not in the mood. To be honest, there's only one person I want, and if I can't have him, I don't want anyone. I've had opportunities to date and it's just so unappealing. Anyway, it was still a good weekend. I ran errands on Friday night and felt very productive. I had brunch with Kristin at Vovomeena on Saturday and delighted in al fresco dining in January. I spent some time that afternoon hanging out with Denise and Brian and supporting my friend's brownie business. I really enjoyed watching "Lizzie Borden Took an Ax" on Saturday night, especially because my mom was watching, too, and we texted each other throughout the movie. I've been missing my parents a lot lately.

Bernie painted a picture of the KOFAs as this mystical place where you could lose yourself and explore for days without seeing another soul. Jenna and I ventured out there a few months ago, and I was less than impressed. We did see a few interesting things... The panty bush: Some graves: ... And it was fun to spend the day with one of my favorite people. But I felt a little... let down. I decided that this was my fault. Clearly I just didn't know where the cool stuff was. Bernie went on and on about these beautiful cabins you can sleep in and how it's one of the most remote places in AZ. Bernie knows all the best places, so I wanted to give the KOFAs another chance. Kristin and I had a three day weekend, so we decided to spend it relaxing and exploring in the KOFAs. We left on Saturday morning. Before heading into the KOFAs, we stopped in Quartzsite for lunch. And it was at this point that things started to go wrong. We were trapped in Quartzsite FOREVER. We had l

So okay, I've been reading a lot about bears to prep for solo backpacking in Glacier's backcountry. And none of the websites say what happens AFTER you use your bear spray. Does the bear run away? Does the bear fall to the ground, and it's on YOU to run away before the bear reocovers? This seems like a bad idea, because what if you only run a 13 minute mile and you're like, 15 miles away from your car? I know you're not supposed to run away from bears, but if you spray it with bear spray and it's just staying in one spot like, "OMG, my eyes, my eyes," don't you want to get the heck out of there while it's recovering? And I'm conflicted on whether or not I should wear a bell. Because most sources say you should, but then I was reading this one guy's site that says they're pretty useless because they're quiet and annoying, and I tend to agree. Well, unless it was like, a cowbell. But would it be wrong to just belt out Taylor Swi

Last time I hiked Picketpost Mountain, it ended with the sheriff's department showing up. I did not summit. Three years later, Kristin and I faced down my nemesis. And you know what? I feel much better about what happened last time I was there! The navigation wasn't especially complicated, but it wasn't simple and straightforward, either. I mean, it's easy because you know you have to go up (or down). And a lot of it is just common sense that comes with hiking experience. But there was a lot of scrambling and route-finding that would have been so confusing to me several years ago. I didn't feel so stupid for having trouble. It was a steep hike (1900 feet in 2 miles), but the summit was worth it. "Suck it, Picketpost!!!!" I yelled when I was finally on top. It was beautiful; I love the Superstitions. I fell several times on the way down. Once, right into a cactus. The rocks of Picketpost Mountain are stained with my blood. As good as it felt to conqu

I was a little disappointed to be back in Phoenix, but it worked out well because my friends Todd and Veronica were in town and wanting to go hiking, so we did a New Year's Eve ascent of Vulture Peak. I love this mountain! It's so close to Phoenix, and relatively easy for the payoff you get when you summit.  Our New Year's Eve was pretty low-key. Bernie came over, and we kissed at midnight and watched the Best of Will Ferrell on SNL. A highlight of the evening was when Bernie came in yelling, "Ghetto bird! Ghetto bird!" and dragged us outside to see the helicopter circling about a block away with its spotlight tracking someone on the ground. (Phoenix frequently uses this method to catch criminals.) I've heard the helicopters a few times, but never noticed them so close to home. It did not help my case for my neighborhood being a safe and happy place... Nancy wasn't feeling well on New Year's Day, so she spent the day relaxing on the c

This is gonna take a while to write about. :) Nancy and I LOVE to road trip together. After the nightmare drive from Phoenix to Chicago, I was so thankful to have her company for the drive back. On our first day, we fulfilled my month-long dream of visiting George Washington Carver National Monument. I am on a quest to collect stamps in my Passport to the National Parks book , and this seemed spot seemed so obscure and mysterious. After perusing the website, I still wasn't sure what there actually was to SEE at this monument, which meant we HAD to go and solve the mystery. Well, the reason the website was so vague is that there really wasn't much to see. However, we did learn that George Washington Carver came up with over 300 uses for the peanut. He was trying to convince Southern farmers to grow peanuts instead of cotton. He also invented peanut butter! Peanut butter is my favorite food, so clearly it was destiny that I visited the site of the inventor's birth. U