Wow, just wow!

Right now it seems that every retail store, outlet, mall or anybody that ever sold anything to anybody wants me to BUY STUFF!

Every radio and TV commercial I hear or see is about extracting money from my bank account!

It's like the worse the economy gets the harder the advertisers push. We all know this year is going to be a difficult one for retailers, but will spending millions on over-the-top advertising really help the bottom line?

Wal*Mart and Target Corp. are really pushing the fact that you can get stuff for cheap at their stores, new big-screen TVs and housewares, but isn't the age of over-consumption, mass-materialism and just having a bunch of stuff somewhat outdated?

When you are wondering if you are going to loose your job and how you will feed your family if you do loose your job, isn't thinking "hey, I need a whole new 12-piece place setting for my Thanksgiving table" the furthest thing from your mind?

I think this should be the time of year that we all focus on what is really important, family, friends and loved ones rather than "getting more stuff."

Man this trend is really sad to think about, what I really need to do to make myself happy is . . .

Go shopping and buy stuff!

Employment in the "new world"

Just something to think about:

The "New Age" community

I don't live too far from Sedona and go there to Mt. Bike from time to time. Years ago some strange hippie-types said there were these "vortex" areas of energy in Sedona and from then on Sedona has been a hot-bed of "new-age" activity.

I can attest to the strange vortex energy in Sedona, because my wife and I have gotten turned around and confused several times while riding trails in the area.

The town of Sedona is very focused on tourism, lots of cheesy t-shirt shops and galleries with very over-priced art and bad restaurants that serve frozen food and claim it to be fresh, bad, bad, bad.

Then you have guys like this: James Arthur Ray, a nationally known New Age guru.

Mr. Ray charges people tons of money to go to Sedona for a retreat and then tries to kill them!

Jim Jones, David Koresh and James A. Ray what is it going to take for someone to shut this buffoon down?

Read more of the story in the New York Times

CGI gone wrong

Computer generated images (CGI) gone wrong! Only thing this is for is to separate you from your money. Don't fall for it!

It's all too much

There are just way to many things to be disenfranchised about these days. It's all so overwhelming, this person did that, and someone else did this stupid thing, my head is about to explode.



OK, OK so John Voight has gone completely 'round-da-bend on this one, and the comments from the "Young Turks" folks is just funny.

How about this: Twenty-three employees of France Telecom have killed themselves since the beginning of 2008.

Read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8252547.stm

And another story: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/why-are-so-many-france-telecom-workers-dying-1795171.html

The world is coming unglued!

Did I mention that I am afraid of heights?

I think I said this before, but when I was in my 20s it wasn't an issue, heights that is. But now, I get this strange feeling in my gut and my knees get a bit wobbly and I get a little dizzy. It's very strange, must be something to do with age?

Anyway, I not afraid of heights in tall buildings looking out windows, airplanes or bridges with railings or being in places that are high up. I'm only afraid of places where I could make a simple mistake and fall to my death.

Such a place exists, and it can be found in Zion National Park. That place is called the Angels Landing trail.


A hiking trail, seriously dude, your afraid of a hiking trail?

Oh no, not just any hiking trail, this is the grand-daddy of all hiking trails (at least for Zion it is). Kinda like taking a double black-diamond ski run.

This is a simple 2.5 mile hike, well the first 2 miles are fine, steep but fine, it's that last 1/2 mile that things get a little on the "don't mess up, or you will fall 1,700 feet straight down to your death" freaky side.



Talk about working to overcome your fears . . .

Look at the pictures, there is this chain that you must hold on to. Zoom into the pictures, you will see what I'm talking about, go ahead just click on the pictures.

You will see . . .

That was on the way to this

The "bucket list tour" continues.

Our first stop was at Horseshoe Bend (see post below), but that was just a little side deal I found on the Internet, our goal for this part of the tour was to get to this: Antelope Canyon just outside of Page Arizona.


Everyone has seen photos of Slot Canyon, aka; Antelope Canyon with it's beautiful sandstone rock formations.


We took a 2 and 1/2 hour photography tour (you must use a certified guide to visit the canyon) and the tour cost $50 each.

This is another one of those things that I think cost more than it should, but it's the only option to spend time in the canyon with enough time to play photographer.

Here are some of the results: