K is for Klamath Falls

I'm liking this little town. I wish it would quit raining though.

It was great to start work this week without dreading each day.

Go Klamath Falls.

Klamath Culture

I saw Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the Ross Ragland Community Theater on Sunday. Being in their presence brought me to tears. I'm proud of Klamath Falls for having them, and selling out the wonderfully small venue they played at.




These men have been singing together for 45 years. Apartheid only ended 12 years ago. That apartheid existed, and ended, in my lifetime seems extraordinary. Ladysmith's traditional style of music is called ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya), which was born in the mines of South Africa. The mine workers were, and are, poorly housed and paid worse, being taken by train far from their homes and families. It is a dangerous and often violent life. I decided then that I would never want a diamond that comes at such grave human cost. These miners work 6 days a week, and entertain themselves into the wee hours of Sunday morning by singing and dancing. They call themselves Cothoza Mfana, or "tip toe guys" referring to the way they dance. They were forced to alter traditional Zulu dance (which includes loud stomping of the feet) to soft steps so as not to awaken the camp guards. They brought this type of music out of the mines and back to their homeland where it turned into a fierce social competition (perhaps the first "Idol" type competition) where you could win the adoration of fans, and a goat.

The creator and lead singer of Ladysmith had a dream in which he heard the harmony that he wished to create. "I always heard the harmony from that dream and I said 'This is the sound that I want and I can teach it to my guys.'" He recruited friends and family, taught them the harmonies from his dreams, and began the group and sound that is Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They became so good that after some time of winning, they were forbidden to enter the competitions, but always invited to entertain at them.

In 1985, Paul Simon went to South Africa. He and Joseph Shabalala wrote the song "Homeless" (on Simon's Graceland album) after Simon saw the shantytowns that were a direct effect of apartheid. They sang the song at the concert, and I thought of the plight of so many gulf coast hurricane survivors. The tears came again.

They sang "Mandela" in honor of the man who spent the majority of his life in jail for working to bring peace to South Africa. They sang a song about the diamond miners, the violence they endure, and the hope for a better life that they hope to provide their families.





When the concert was over, we gave them a standing ovation. One singer came back to the stage, joking that the other were so homesick they had gone to the airport and only he had come back because he loved us, and that we surely loved him best. He taught us a song to sing to the others that would show them we loved them too and would make them want to come back. It started slow and soft. Come on, we don't speak any African dialect! But with repetition and encouragement we grew stronger, first echoing his words, then singing along with him. The rest of the group ran back to the stage and sang with us. I was singing with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and I couldn't hold back the tears.

I cried when they thanked us for coming. These men, who endured years of apartheid, now tour to spread the message of peace, love, and harmony from the African nation. They thanked us for being another step in the journey to peace.

It was amazing.



This is my copy of their wonderful new cd, Long Walk to Freedom, which I highly recommend.

And it doesn't stop there!!!!!!!!

Here are some views from OUTSIDE the apartment... this is the front of the house... it has potential.







Ya, potential to be politically incorrect. I have my very own lawn jockey!!!!











As if the heart lamps weren't enough, here's the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland! You know I'm going to have a lawn party just so I can dress up the rabbit!










Can you see the heart shape to the hot tub? Notice it's squarely in the backyard, not hooked up to anything! I'm tempted to bucket some hot water out there and turn on the red light just to see what happens.





Here's my door. 623 1/2 High Street (there's a sign for that too). It's actually nice to have the metal grate on it so I can let some sun and fresh air in, without letting in any unsavory characters! Hell, who am I kidding? Unsavory characters are my favorites.

So, there you have it. A fairly complete look at the Klamath Falls apartment. I'll carry my camera around town next so you can get a better glimpse of my "big picture" surroundings!

Winnemucca...

Mitzi renamed it Winnefu#*a, and Mom calls it "Runamucka". I call it, "Glad I'm not assigned there!" Of course, with a Casino on every corner (literally) and in most gas stations (not kidding) maybe I would have won my million after all!


My Shady McGrady Motel 6... where I impressed the truckers by backing the U-haul into a parking spot right in front of my motel door. Hey, if somebody's going to break into that thing, they'll have to deal with Pooh King. Or I could at least throw Oz at their faces.




The great salt flats of western Utah were interesting, but BORING to drive across! NV-140 is a beautiful drive though, and there are about a million newborn calves to look at this time of year.







One of the great views from NV-140.










Of course, on the open range, you have to watch for charging bulls... and perhaps a bullfighter or two.

This s#@t cannot be made up.

I welcome you to the newest edition of "You live WHERE?" Klamath Falls, Oregon might be out of the way and a little behind the times, but this apartment takes you BACK in time. The owner claims to be an interior designer. Let's hope she's unemployed.
I have a headache just looking at it.
The grapes of wrath?
This is real. Real scary. I had red nightmares.
These are not retro loveseats. They're the originals.

You know what's coming next...

I'LL DIE WHEN HE DIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no heat in Grand Dysfunction

"Dang, it's cold this morning. I don't think the heat is working."








"I know how to warm up. I'll microwave my clothes again. Let's hope this time Chris Baker doesn't make any al dente panty jokes."







"oooooooohhhhhhh, I can hardly wait!"









"Ding! My panties are warm! My t-shirt is warm! Soon, I will be warm too! Let's all do the warm clothes dance!"







She's so special.

This dog's life

Some days, it would be nice to be Pooh King. No job, no bills, healthy fear of vaccums. Here are some shots I took of Pooh and his cousin Teva out at the lake today.

Amanda's at work tonight, so I've been busy hooking up my old wireless router for her. Now she can take her computer away from the desk and still get online. This should improve her ability to IM with me while doing such things as cooking (she won't burn her food running back and forth to the desk in the bedroom), watching television (it's hard enough to fit in IMs during commercial break, you shouldn't have to waste precious seconds running to the bedroom), and well, I shouldn't interrupt her studying except to answer very important anatomy questions!

Travelin'

A quick note from Grand Junction, or as Amanda likes to call it, Grand Dysfunction. I made it through the mountains with barely any snow... hooray! The doomsayers at the weather channel made it sound like Pooh King and I would have to break trail through the snow drifts while Oz drove. Thankfully, not the case!

Amanda and I went out to her friend's house this morning (she's housesitting while they adventure through Europe) and the dogs got to go for a dip in the lake and a good run. Both are sleeping at my feet now. Amanda is off to a study group and then to work. I'm boring!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

uuuuuugggggggghhhhhhh

I'm still packing.

Granted, I didn't do much the last two nights, and it would be better if I could move what is packed into the U-Haul already, but I still hate it. I feel like no matter what I get packed, when I turn around it is back in the apartment. Keeping what goes in the U-Haul seperate from what has to go in the truck isn't too bad. Keeping what needs to go in the suitcase out until the last minute is driving me nuts. I want to put it in a box and not look at it anymore. I know once I get the trailer on Sat morning it will go fast, and that's good since I'll be racing a snowstorm. Got to get loaded, get cleaned, and get going.

Good news? The digital camera stays in the truck so I can adequately record the details of the trip! Stay tuned.

uuuuuugggggggghhhhhhh

I'm still packing.

Granted, I didn't do much the last two nights, and it would be better if I could move what is packed into the U-Haul already, but I still hate it. I feel like no matter what I get packed, when I turn around it is back in the apartment. Keeping what goes in the U-Haul seperate from what has to go in the truck isn't too bad. Keeping what needs to go in the suitcase out until the last minute is driving me nuts. I want to put it in a box and not look at it anymore. I know once I get the trailer on Sat morning it will go fast, and that's good since I'll be racing a snowstorm. Got to get loaded, get cleaned, and get going.

Good news? The digital camera stays in the truck so I can adequately record the details of the trip! Stay tuned.

SuperGirl Underpants

Some days are made for SuperGirl underpants. I think Friday is that day. After sticking with this assignment for 13 weeks, I might just be tempted to drop trow, bend over, smack my butt Mango style, and yell "Kiss it!" on my way out the door. Better that I'm wearing SuperGirl underpants than none at all.

Movin' on Up!

So, here I am, packing again. After yesterday's setback due to illness (I hit the wall and just couldn't do anymore) today is rolling right along. Clothes - packed. Shoes - I'm getting there. Dog and cat? Well, they have their own methods of making sure they come along.

Pooh King? He just follows me everywhere, figuring if he doesn't lose sight of me, I can't leave him. Since the path of least resistance is to literally have to step over him, I think he'll make it into the car.
















The Great and Powerful Oz? She takes a much more direct approach. If she's packed in the suitcase, she'll make it all the way to the next stop. Guaranteed.

I'm sick

According to the doc I saw this morning (yes, it's bad enough I went to the doctor) I have "Head cold with sore throat" and will probably lose my voice. Well, thanks. Apparently there are about 5 strains of colds terrorizing the greater Denver area, and I have one of the more unpleasant ones. My tonsils are the size of golf balls, my ears are full of fluid, and my sinuses are backed up. There's not much I can do but ride it out. So, one trip to Wal-Mart later, I'm stocked with stuff to help ease the pain. I guess it goes to show you...


Starve a cold,


















Feed a retriever.

Scary

Okay, so I can still pass 8th grade math, but I have no clue which one I got wrong.

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Payin' the man

Taxes. Ugh. Good news? I got cash back from the state (2 states, actually). Bad news? I'm in a higher tax bracket this year, and my student loan interest can no longer be deducted. Result? Payin' the man. The tax man. Booooooooooooooooo!

On a lighter note, I took my bi-annual drug screen today. The name of the lab I went to?

Wiz-Quiz.

True story.

brushing... it's not just for chipmunks

The funniest thing about today?

I brushed Pooh King's and Oz's teeth. No kidding. After having invested more than a new-pair-of-shoes-worth (actually lots of pairs of shoes worth) of cash in Pooh King's dental cleaning and tooth pulling (more on that in a minute) I have started brushing their teeth (as the vet recommended to avoid more of this in the future). Did you know that animal toothpaste is poultry flavored? I smelled it and it smells like chicken butt. Apparently, that's appetizing to dogs and cats alike. Amanda asked if I tasted it. I didn't, but now I'm thinking about it. No, probably not. That's the equivalent of parents sniffing their kids' butts. I love them, but not poultry-toothpaste-love.

The vet says Pooh's other tooth doesn't need pulled. The enamel is all that broke off, no invasion into the root pulp (as the other tooth had) so at this point it's a very viable tooth and shouldn't come out. She poked it and prodded it, with no pain reaction from him at all. She doesn't know why he didn't want to eat the other night. "Maybe he wasn't that hungry," she says. Well, that's a first. So, there's no extra tooth to be pulled. I do, however, have to brush it extra. Fun fun fun. They want him to have dental cleanings every year. I say, it took him 9 to get his first one so he probably won't be making a second appointment (unless they figure out how to keep him alive forever.) I'm brushing his teeth for god's sake, give me a break.

It's snowing in Denver today. Scroll down to remember the 60-70+ degree weather of the last 2 weeks. Snow, snow, snow. 7 days of work left. I will pack almost everything this weekend so I can roll to Grand Junction next Saturday. Then on Thursday it will be a day trip to Winemucca, NV. I'm stopping there just because I like the name. Then on Friday I'll make it into Klamath Falls, OR, my next port of call. I am REALLY looking forward to being there. I've had the chance to talk with the manager on a couple of occassions and I think it's going to work nicely. Plus, I'm just really happy to be getting back to a not-for-profit community hospital setting. And, Klamath Falls should provide me with a lot more of the outdoor recreation opportunities that I have really enjoyed over the past two weekends. Overall, I'm ready for the change!

Oops, I did it again...

Well, he did it again. And by he, I mean Pooh King. The vet warned me that after his first tooth fractured, it would be very likely that the same one on the other side (the left in this case) would also fracture within a year or so. It turns out that dogs, much like people, chew their food primarily on one side of their mouth. (I never paid much attention to it before, but it's true.) When they have a molar pulled on their dominant-chewing side, they just switch to the other side. Now, considering Pooh's age, a spry 9, his teeth are getting on the brittle side anyway, it only took 8 days to fracture the other side. I thought it would be okay, he was still eating with no problem. But today, not so much. Poor guy was licking his food and swallowing it whole. Not so good at all. So, one bowl of warrior gruel later, he is sleeping at my feet... with no clue that tomorrow morning I call the vet to move his Friday check-up appointment to a Friday tooth-pulling appointment. Poor guy.

And now, for more hiking pictures from Garden of the Gods.


I don't know the name of this one, but it was really cool. If you look close, you can see holes in the rockface, where birds fly in to nest. Leads to the age old question, which came first, the hole or the bird?










This is the back side of Cathedral rock. Can you believe how different it is? The difference in teh sun alone makes it look an entirely different color. It's cool how the different faces of the rocks look entirely different. Maybe that's why they're called faces.
















More from the crazy climbers!

too many pics

I guess there's a limit to the number of pictures you can post! So, let's act like this part is at the bottom of the next part. Read the next post first, then return to the top!










This is White Rock. It's right at the entrance into the central garden.












Grey Rock, which looked grey when I looked at it, but not when the digital camera did. Weird.














Three Graces. I thought it was one of the coolest formations in the park.

We (and by we, I mean me and Pooh King, of course) had a great day running around. My white tennies aren't so white anymore. It was definitely a lot more fun than packing. We'll fill next weekend's "wintery weather" with staying inside and filling boxes!

a day close to the gods

Hmmmmm, what should we do today Pooh King? I know, we should pack. Let's save Garden of the Gods for next weekend. Hey, maybe we should check the weather forecast for next weekend first. Yuck, it's going to be a snowy/rainy wintery mix next weekend. Not so good for hiking. Let's put off packing until next weekend, and go to Garden of the Gods today. What do you think?

Bark!!!

And so started our morning!

The entry of The Garden of the Gods.

This is called "Kissing Camels". Can you see it?

I was going to go rock climbing...

And then I saw this sign. Better stick to the sidewalk!

Cathedral Rock

As I climbed around the park, the sun did funny things with the rocks... "Gray Rock" looked red, and in the pics the very red rocks look gray.

Coming around a corner, there was a stunning view of Pike's Peak.

The famous "Balanced Rock".