The Individual blog, No. 95 for the week starting July 21, 2008.
Just Another Exciting Day As A Bureaucrat
August 1st is My Last Regular Day of Work
Tired After Canvasing for Phil Steck
Went Out to Five Rivers, Ice Cream Stand
Boondocks is about farms, rural life, and power toys.
Energy looks at high energy prices and our future.
Enviroman looks at man and the environment.
Hayseeds looks at politics and life in our nation.
Outblog is all about my outdoor experiences.
Transit looks at the changing ways we get around.
Truck gives you stories and trips in my Ford Ranger.
I don't know why I always get sick lately, although some may have my tendency to suck pens, or sit buck nude in the state forest in the pouring rain.
At any rate, did some canvasing and phone calls for Phil Steck and rode my bike home. I need to run to the store and pick up a few things up in a little while (the library is closed now and I'm sitting on the park bench using the WiFi).
More about the past week camping on the outblog. Endless hours of work today, which did seem to finally come to a rapid conclusion.
Please pass the date stamp to me, I have more papers to stamp and more memorandums to write. Grin.
It's raining out. I decided to ride a mile in to the bus stop, simply because I was hoping to take CDTA 3113 bus, which is the cool 30-foot Gillig hybrid bus I rode in yesterday. It was an NOVA 9309 bus—a 1999 35-foot non-hybrid. Beats riding all the way in the rain and getting totally soaked.
Feeling better this morning. A bit tired, but feeling much better then last night. Maybe I just was tired and somewhat hung over from the previous extended weekend.
Went shopping yesterday, and go some beautiful red-bell peppers for dirt cheap. I guess that latest agricultural-scandal is benefiting me, even if it's screwing pepper growers.
I'm looking forward to when they will be selling peppers in the Schoharie Valley. Picking up lots of great fresh food when I go camping out there will be truly great.
Also, I got some squash from my parent's house. Cooked some of that up with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Talk about good and easy. Corn is out, but the early sweet corn, a different variety from the later stuff doesn't taste as good.
My parents also now have blueberries. They rock. There bushes have gotten so big that they've had to buy more blueberry netting. Also, not far from there house is the nature conservancy Bear Swamp a good place to join others in muck boots and deep in muck getting free blueberries.
I need more pictures for the blog. Maybe this weekend. I'm staying in town the next two weeks so I should have some time.
Starting in August, I plan to extended leave from work until December or January, and go out to Western New York in the Finger Lakes region, guzzling $4.15/gallon gas and many gallons of it, camp, and explore some beautiful mountains and farm country.
I also plan to spend a fair bit of time exploring the state this fall, doing grassroots political work and other activities, and end up the weekend before Thanksgiving in Phoenix, Arizona to visit my elderly grandmother, see grand canyon, and some of life out west in the desert. I'm kind of horrified to see what like must be like in the booming south-west, without many of the values we cherish so much.
So in other words, don't expect me to necessarily be at any events regularly until December. I never know when my path will cross Albany. Also, there will be less posted to the blog as I won't always have internet access where I will be.
It's a fairly warm evening out there, and after stopping by headquarters on Central Ave, I went out for about and hour and half walking (actually biking) a spread out election district in suburban Albany.
I am still fairly divided on the whole Congressional race. I still like both Paul Tonko and Phil Steck. Indeed, if Paul Tonko had gotten in earlier, I would be tempted to support him. It's not like Tonko is qualified, as he is well qualified, and has a lot of good people working for him. Steck is a new voice, and is young, refreshing, and can bring a new voice to Washington. Rather then a career politician, we could have a talented civil rights lawyer as our next congressman.
I then rode my bike back to my apartment in Delmar (4.9 miles away out New Scotland Ave in Slingerlands), had some dinner, and off to the library. It was a lot of fun though, as was it nice to cool off in the library for a bit.
Other then that, life is pretty much the same. No exotic plans for the weekend, although I may go out canvasing for Phil this weekend, and out to my parents farm on Saturday to camp out back by the creek—this time without the rain, and with my clothes on.
On Friday evening, if the weather is decent, I plan to go out to Ice Cream stand on New Scotland on the Route 19/Voorheesville bus, then to Five Rivers on my bike, then home. A good evening.
Blessed Are... - Joan Baez
I took the Route 19 Voorheesville Bus out there. It was a lot of fun but warmer then I expected. Walked around Five Rivers for a bit.
The bus ate my 10-trip ride card again. Oh well, I've gotten enough free rides lately that it's worth it. I'm not going to get all bent out of shape over 3 or 4 four dollars. It was my fault for getting the card all wet and fucking it up.
Tomorrow I'm helping out on Steck's campaign in Rensselear and going out to my parents house to camp, sit out, and read. Should be a lot of fun, once I've sobered on up. I picked up Son of Mountains, the book of Yassin Aref from the library to read over the weekend. Good stuff.
I'm hot and sweaty. I'm drunk. I don't really care much one way or another. Good night.
