why hello

so, it's been a long time since I updated the blog, which I am going to remedy right now. Since the last post, a lot has happened including running a 10k, going to the telluride bluegrass fest, visiting california, and all kinds of other happenings.

To get back to the blogging, here's what I've been listening to these days:

Switchfoot - Oh Gravity. This is album is awesome. It rocks, it's meaningful, and makes me want to live a deeper richer life. "American Dream" is a song to live by. Here's a sample of the lyrics: THIS IS MY AMERICAN DREAM, I WANT TO LIVE AND DIE FOR BIGGER THINGS, TIRED OF FIGHTING FOR JUST ME, THIS IS MY AMERICAN DREAM... " check it out."

Page McConnell - Page. In case you're unfamiliar, Page is the piano player from the band Phish. This release is friendly, easy going, sometimes funky, but mostly smooth with some groovy songs that just sound familiar, soulful, yet jazzy.

The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism. They're bluegrassey, but songwriters and rocking performers. Their performance is like MMJ unplugged - they bring it. They're songs can be sad singalongs or hopeful barnburners. Check out the songs: Shame and Paranoia in B Major.

Chris Thile - How To Grow A Band. This man might be the best mandolin player to ever live. He is crazy good. And his cover of the White Stripes "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is insanely amazing. If you need some pick and grin, check it.

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky. They kind of jam like the Dead on this album, but write songs that are unDead. I like Wilco. This is my second favorite after Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Good shit!

OK, I promise to blog more. I like it. It's fun. More to come on Telluride and lots of pictures and all that.

-RUSTAFARIAN

The Learner Never Stops... but he does on this blog...

Contact me for the first hard cover book ever detailing the Learning Process - the first for the LEARNER!

italiano

"italian onion"

check out this picture... click to enlarge. it's an italian variety of an onion that my neighbor grows. notice the green layers and ridges on the top, the detail in the roots, the shiny coat of the purple, and the juxtaposition on my wood-grained table. how's that for an explanation?

green plants, rain showers, and sun rays

When Spring decides to make a strong
showing of lots of moisture and lots
of sunlight, the plants just pop!
Check out the garlic chasing the sky...

Unlike the garlic, which is planted from a bulb,
I also planted some things from seed. Of them is
the Kale. In case you've never eaten Kale,
it's a wonder veggie of sorts.
It's like spinach on crack.
it's one of the most vitamin-rich plants.
Here is mine sprouting in a little row,
with my flagstone walls and a
neighborhood in the background.

That's all for now.
-rustafari

filiberto's fish tacos: encinitas,ca

"fish tacos"

by rusty.

click to enlarge.

Mutemath at the Fox Theatre

Mutemath might put on one of the best live shows around right now... and they've been doing it for a couple years. If you haven't seen them, go ahead and check them out soon. I can't write any more at the moment, so check out the pictures I took from their show on Monday night.

Here's the link. Try the slideshow option, they are viewable at a bigger size.

And thanks for the hook-up, Tim.

fly fishing in wyoming

there are many amazing fly fishing streams in america, and most of the best fall out here in the west. luckily, a blue-ribbon stream and one of the best trout streams in america sits 4 hours north of boulder in casper, wyoming. even luckier is that this weekend my dad and i embarked on an epic trip to the grey reef section of the north platte river. to say the fishing was great is a complete understatement: the fishing was ridiculous. our guide garrett hooked us up with his knowledge of the river and we killed the place. fish after fish. several 21 inch, 3-4 pound fish. it was unreal. on saturday we caught between 50 to 60 fish. we fished one particular 75 yard run for over 3 hours and several times my dad and i would both have rainbows or cuttbows simultaneously on the line. it was just amazing... my dad and i had an incredible trip. we saw vultures, a bald eagle, muskrats, a loon, an antelope racing a car (not even kidding), and some gorgeous fish.

check out the pictures on my photo album (link on top right of page).

easter weekend

last weekend was punctuated with several major events... well, more than that.

my good friend darin was in town from michigan. lucky for us coloradoans, he is moving our way in june... which will make another rad addition to the colorado clan. darin spent the weekend in boulder and the weekend included:

incredible hulks (for those of you who don't know, this is a drink taught to me by money mark brown from harris teeter's in nashville, tennessee. combine hypnotiq and courvousier and please stand back. instant party.)

making easter dinner with darin and my sister. who can put together a full easter dinner in 3 hours? we can. garlic chive mashed potatoes, bacon and onion green beans, and a spiral sliced glazed ham.

drinking the champagne of beers in the middle of the street at midnight. yes, hmm, that was us. we were strolling through the neighborhood trying to go to laurie's birthday, and we happened to debate the whereabouts of her house while knocking back some high lifes in the middle of 19th & Grape St. It made complete sense at the time.

meeting rip van grizzle at the boulder farmers market. boulder is one of those places filled with epic locals. rip van grizzle (pictured above) is truly a boulder legend. check out the open collar shirt in the 40 degree weather.

there are too many other things to list... let's just say it was an epic weekend.

check out my photo album for more pix, link is at top right of page.

vultures of doom

my company was recently bought out by a rival tech company, and today happened to be the day we started learning the new quoting & booking sales tool. i started the day optimisticly... i really thought this new system was going to be a welcome change. but as the day went on, bad omens crossed my path. what looked like a bright future, a land of pristine beauty, turned into a dark ominous land on the brink of disaster. as my mind drifted away from the relevant training, i found myself sketching the situation. the land at the bottom of the sketch represents happiness and hope... mountains, streams, cliffsides, pine trees, and a moose enjoying his day. but above are vultures of doom getting ready to steal, kill, and destroy. rape and pillage is the name of their game. this is obviously seen with their sickles and masks. scary vultures, i tell you. behind them are dark clouds, lightning, and god knows what will come next. you could say it's the future of the company, or you could say i was bored out of my mind. you be the judge.

click to enlarge.

best rock album in the past 12 months?

Could it be The Slip? I believe it is... their album called Eisenhower. So, if you haven't heard this album and digested it, please go buy it.

Also, by best I am already ruling out bands that sound like Coldplay or Franz Ferdinand. This is best ORIGINAL sounding rock album.

Here are a couple reasons to buy this album:

1. It's the first creative rock album I've heard in a while... really fresh.
2. They write catchy well-crafted songs that range from modern influences to classic rock.
3. They meld Jazz and Rock. Jazz Rock Fusion, if you will.
4. They once were a jam band, now they are considered an indie band. Does it get any better? That means great songs and musicians that can really play. Speaking of that genre...
5. Jim James, from My Morning Jacket, thinks they are incredible. Even asked them on tour.

So, get off your uninspired arse and go buy this album. If you don't like it after 5 listens, I'll send you some of my latest homebrew... some hennajenna steam beer.

You can buy the album here.

Peace.
-jBR v

spring is nice

if it weren't for such a disastrous winter, spring wouldn't be so appreciated. here in boulder we now have had a taste of what is to come: sunny beautiful days in the 60's and 70's. i must say that i am completely stoked for the spring and summer in boulder. to be honest, i don't think you can beat colorado at this time of year anywhere else in america.

first off, the temp is usually perfect... almost always in the 70's and low 80's in the summer. it's perfect. sure, it might warm up to the nineties for a couple weeks in august, but you still have those cool evenings and nights.

second, there is no humidity to be found. this is no ohio or tennessee summertime. no days of 90% humidity where you can slice the air, forget about it!

thirdly, we get as many sunny days as southern california. however, we have no traffic problems, no overcrowding here on 9th street, and our roads and sidewalks aren't flooded with trash.

so there you go, spring and summer do not get better than when in boulder. this wonderful weather calls for some outdoor activities, so here is what i have going on right now:

i'm still training for the boulder bolder 10k run. running has been a good experience for me. i'm up to running 2 1/2 miles or so, and not feeling like death is imminent. I've also found that everytime jay-z's "show me what you got" comes on, i develop a running swagger and feel like i can go another mile... sometimes i swing my fists or move my head back and forth like muhammed ali... or at least i run with gusto until the song finishes. but then lupe fiasco, kanye, or keane comes on and i kick it in gear once again.

the other current activity is gardening at the community garden plot. i've already spent several evenings enjoying the sunset and working hard unloading compost, digging beds, and preparing to have one kick-ass organic garden. peppers, tomatoes, and other assorted veggies will once again be in abundance for summer '07. i could go on about the importance of peat moss, organic soil, compost, and sheep shit... but i will spare you.

there it is... going to call it a night early and rest up for the next couple days. tommorrow, dinner with jenna at frasca for her birthday, then to see raq at the fox theater with friends. on friday, jenna's birthday party at d'napoli's bar. should be an epic night. wait, definitely will be an epic night. no question.

peace
-rusty

southern cali trip

Until I write more about my trip to California,
here are a few pictures from the voyage.
-rusty

"a deceptive hue"
this was taken in manhattan beach as the sun set over the pacific ocean. the glow was magnificent, but notice the golden brownish color over the water. that's what you call smog, blown in from los angeles by the santa ana winds. how delicious.

"the dream"

a vw bus, parked at swami's self realization center (a center for eastern monks), and looking over the ocean. i can guarantee this is someone's dream and they are living it. notice the seahorse on the door. rad.

"the end is near"

as if you needed to know that the road ends here. but it's more than the road, it feels like the end of the world. it kind of is though, in a way. it's the end of america. that's what i loved about living on the coast, that feeling of being on the edge, perched west with nothing in sight except for the mighty ocean.

"encinitas 101"

southern cali has it's high points and low points, and i think encinitas is one of the best things around. it's like lemonade on a hot day. encintas embodies the socal beach town. yes, it's busy these days. but man is it chill. and the fish tacos at filibertos... don't get me started.

"the learner"
after all the scenery pix, i figured it would be best to show you one of our nights around 2 am. so, you say "learner" is not a word? well, the definition is above. i have a feeling this is going to be an album cover. just imagine "the learner" hand written in the top left hand corner. "the learner" might learn the hard way, but he learns in the process. sometimes the process is several pitchers of stella for two, sometimes it means scheduling a 7 am hike after a night on the town. both things "the learner" does and kicks ass doing them... even if it hurts. "the learner", don't forget it.