Riding the Wind

I did it

Mike — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:56:31 +0000

So only one person replied to my previous post, but I guess I decided to shave my head today after being super hot and sweaty in our house (no air conditioning) today while I was drying dishes. I thought about how nice it would be to have no hair and so right after I finished up, I shaved it all off. I did a bit of playing around for the heck of it. I went for a biker look, an intellectual biker look, and then the finished job with and without glasses. Pictures below!

The evolution of my appearance

Mike — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:43:20 +0000

So, I’m thinking about shaving my head. I used to do it occasionally when I was in the military because it was convenient and took a while to grow back. I used to tell people that my head was actually my negative energy reappearing and that I had to shave it off to get rid of it.

I haven’t had my hair cut since I got out of the military, and it has grown quite long. In some ways, I quite enjoy having my long hair because I’ve wanted to have it this long for many years. In other ways, it is quite annoying. Until you have long hair you never quite realize how much shampoo you have to use to clean long hair. It is way more than I used before. I’m also finding it quite annoying during hot weather. When I sweat it wets my hair and it gets very gross. I do not enjoy that at all. I also find it difficult to sleep on my hair, so I kind of tuck it up underneath my head.

For years I saw beards and long hair as symbols of some freedom I could only have outside of the military. Now that I have them, I realize that the freedom I wanted was inside of me, and I’m still seeking it. Having a beard is more of a convenience thing rather than a fashion statement for me at the moment, and the long hair only remains until I decide to get rid of it. My question for you is, should I shave my head and beard? I’ll attach a 9 picture evolution in appearance below. It starts before I got out of the military last year and ends today.

The good thing is that I don’t see any hair loss so far, and it only took me 8 months to get it this long, so it isn’t as if I’m giving up something I can’t get back. Oh, by the way - the second picture is my interpretation of someone with “bling” and a “grill” in case you’re confused.

Camping

Mike — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:01:23 +0000

I know I haven’t updated in ages. I plan on trying to be better with that, but I know that I say that all of the time.

I just thought I’d write a quick update because we got back from camping on Sunday. We went down near Crieff to a campsite called Comrie Croft and stayed camped there with our friends Ryan, Theresa, and Chris. We had a lot of fun. One day we went for a circular hike to see Deil’s Cauldron, which is also called Devil’s Kettle. I read something online which said, “In Gaelic it is Slocha’n Donish and legend has it that it was the favourite haunt of a brownie or water elf called Uris-chidh who enticed victims down into the huge natural pothole.”

I thought that was pretty cool and it was a cool looking waterfall but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera on the hike. I did take some pictures while we were at and around the campsite, though. I’ll put those below. The other day we took our friends to Loch Lomond and to eat at a pub near Callander. It was a fun time. Steph and I stayed in our 2 person tent, which is quite snug for both of us, but wasn’t too bad. It kept us warm and dry despite the rainy weather. I just wish we could have stayed around for longer, even though my neck was aching from the sudden change in sleeping environment.

Anyway, here are some of the photos I took. I can’t be bothered to post them all.

My Etsy shop

Mike — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:00:42 +0000

I’ve been told by a few people that I should sell prints of my photos, so I decided that I’ve give people the opportunity to buy some. I don’t really expect much from this, but I’ve made my own Etsy shop. I’m willing to do prints of many of the photos on my flickr account in a variety of sizes, but I’ve listed some of the photos I prefer on my Etsy shop. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, have a look. Steph and I may be doing prints of our HandRooster comics soon as well, if everything goes as expected. Anyway, I’ll put the some of the photos I’ve listed on Etsy below.

Etsy listing

Lambs and Loch Ness

Mike — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:47:38 +0000

We went up to look at a house for someone and then since we were up North, we took the opportunity to go and see a bit of Inverness and the Loch Ness. The Loch Ness area was a bit tourist filled, but it was pretty anyway. I took some photos which I’ll post below, but the light was extremely harsh and taking photos was a bit hard. I tried to do a bit of software fixing on them, but some of them didn’t turn out as well as I’d like.

The photo at the bottom is actually from near our house. There are fields full of nice little lambs around here and I finally got a semi decent picture through one of the fences. I might post some more later, if I get a chance.

Things a-growing

Mike — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:35:44 +0000

Things are finally growing here, so I recently took some pictures around our house. While most of the days continue to be rainy and grey, it is still nice to see flowers and all of the new lambs running in the fields. Hopefully warm weather is coming, bringing some sunshine and more green things with it. I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing more of the scenery around here. Anyway, I don’t have much time to write but I’ll be back soon with a better update on what I’m doing. Until then, I hope you’re all well. Enjoy!

A Brief Analysis of the Battle with the Self

Mike — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:39:52 +0000

While I worked for the military, it was easy to blame my problems on my job. As I saw it, I worked for an evil entity - a regime which destroys hope and ruins lives worldwide. I realize that the military is just a tool to be used by an entire country, I still believe that the tool itself has flaws which must be corrected in order to fall in line with the collected interest of all of the world’s peoples. By no means am I suggesting that the US government is the sole baddy out there, but if you look at history objectively you can’t claim that it is the sole goody either.

As I said, it was easy to blame everything on my job, but when circumstances in life change and you face yourself in the mirror and find little has changed in your attitude, you must pursue the most obvious path of reasoning - the problem is not with my circumstances, it is with me. I knew this all along, but the battle with the self is endless. It is almost impossible for me to avoid blaming suffering on the immediate catalysts in my life, though I know full well that I lie at the heart of every problem. In the battle with the self, can we really win? Many philosophers and religious leaders have claimed to have solved that problem, but could the truth at the heart of it all illuminate yet another ego based claim? Can we not appear benevolent to others with only ego in our hearts?

I always fall into a certain trap of thinking. I always imagine that my mind will calm and my heart will fill with the next change I wish to make. In reality I just look forward again, to some other goal which may never be realized. I am also obsessive. I tend to focus on one thing at a time, throwing all of my effort and focus into that sole purpose until I am disheartened by the lack of progress. In the end, my ego still controls me. I wish the world to bow down to my glory - a man more than a man, a personality worth the fame they bestow upon me. They should see me as an enlightened being and worship me as a god, but not in a way that would annoy me or subtract from my self enjoyment. I want everything and with no effort.

And if I ever got it, I’d be miserable. Then again, the day after I’d be really excited by something else.

Looparounds and the Scottish outdoors - video

Mike — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:27:21 +0000

Video Blog update for the 2nd of March. I talk about my house, doing looparounds, and show you my back yard.

Video Blog #2 - Addiction

Mike — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:02:12 +0000

This is just another video I made a little bit ago regarding my addition to certain things.

EDIT: Finally, the video works - or at least it does here. You can watch it now, if you have any interest left in you to do so after this long ordeal.

Leap Day Video

Mike — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:54:18 +0000

I made my first Youtube video today. Take a look if you want.