The Mundane Misadventures of Wolfmutt

Coast to Coast

2012-12-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

This is a map of my biking route that I'm planning on taking come March of next year. There still exists a few flaws in my plan, but I am working through them and have so far come up with a strong concept of everything that will be involved on this trip. First off, the distance that I will be traveling I cannot set to the exact mile, to do so would be completely unrealistic due to the plethora of variables along the way. However, I've estimated that the trip will run around 8,000 miles. When I rode to Salt Lake City and back for a combined 84 miles (7 hours of combined riding time), I know that I will be able to at the very least make 60 miles per riding day with a loaded bike; meaning I would need 133 days of riding. Though I'm sure I can ride 80 per day easily, I like to have a little leeway in case of the unexpected.

This is the bike that I will be using on my trip.
It is a Trek FX 7.3 commuter bike I bought a
little over a year ago. (This picture was taken
a few weeks ago during my ride to SLC.)

I would like to head off by March and September will be the longest I plan to stay out, giving me seven months and 137 extra, non biking days if needed. I will most likely return home earlier than that, but like I said, I like to keep it open just in case. I also will be spending a day or two site seeing in most of the major cities I visit, if not more depending. Include into that a day or possibly two if needed of down time per week you'll probably find that most of that extra 137 days to be well used.

Like I said, there are still some variables I am working out before I can do this, but I'm really going to gun for it and try to be totally prepared by the end of February. I will also be starting up a new blog (which will hopefully include video of my prep and progress) that will be devoted solely to this journey. Meanwhile, I will keep this blog up to date on my progress until I find a good site for my new blog.

If anyone has any comments, ideas or even criticisms they'd like to share, please feel free. I could use all of the support, information and challenges I can get!

The Voting Independant

2012-10-25T14:29:00.002-07:00

When it comes to politics, I can either be very vehement with my stances, or overly cynical. With the 2012 elections just around the corner, I've been seeing both sides of the coin in an almost continual rotation. This duality of perspective stems from my absolute hatred of the two party system. They split America by red state and blue state, bipolarize stances to the point where it's barely comprehensible and shepherds the sheep of the country into one of two ideological slaughterhouses.

Okay, maybe that last analogy was a bit over the top, but my personal opinion is that political parties shouldn't exist at all. How many people do you know that will vote for someone just because they have a pachyderm or jackass plastered on their signs and commercials? And how many of those people actually have differing ideals from their party, but just go with the flow anyway? I once met a man in the Bible-belt who called himself a "Blabtist" (meaning Baptist). He would mock the inner workings and doctrinal stances of his church all the time, but he would never leave it because it was the one thing that was familiar to him and he didn't want to deal with the inconvenience of change. I believe that there are more "Blabtists" in the U.S. than we might think. People who disagree with something but, for some reason, choose not to act, instead they fall in with what is familiar. The only thing worse than a fence sitter is someone who chooses without thought.

Though I would eventually like to see the end of the political party system, the first step is to bring third parties into the spotlight. Parties such as the Constitution, Green and Libertarian parties, each having wide, differing stances, need to be more politically and socially recognized to enhance our choices come election time. We are voting for people to represent us in government and, more importantly, people to represent you. Now I'm not saying that no one should vote Democrat or Republican. If you've studied their stances and agree wholly or mostly with that candidate then definitely vote for them.

Gary Johnson,
Libertarian Candidate

As for me, I will be voting Gary Johnson for president come November sixth. He is the Libertarian candidate and the closest I can find in representing my ideals. His platform offers real change compared to the nitpicking that both Mitt Romney and Barak Obama are offering. Changes like reforming the tax system and removing the IRS for the FairTax proposal, ending the futile Drug War and legalizing marijuana to save billions of dollars and reduce the power of drug cartels in Central and South America which are funded mostly by the American dollar. And finally, reforming the immigration laws to make legal immigration easier and increase pressure on those who just want a free ride.

Do I think he has a chance to become president? No, of course not. But I am not going to vote for someone that does not represent me. To do so would completely undermine the concept of a democratic republic. And this applies to all levels of government, what I want is for people to wake up and vote for who represents them. Gage the stances instead of the color of their affiliation. Alternative choices need media attention as well and debates need more than just the two candidates. If we can do these things then the facade will be thrown off and the real democratic republic will emerge just as the founding fathers envisioned it to be centuries before.

West Coast Vacation- Part Three: San Francisco

2012-10-22T11:01:00.001-07:00

So... I've neglected to finish up this easily writeable end portion of my coast trip for over two months now. The motivation to finish it is to get started on another brilliant idea and I need to finish this one up first. Anyways, San Francisco definitely had its ups and downs. It was fun and awesome to see sights that I've only seen in pictures and television, but unnecessary stress marred our day in the Bay City mostly because of unpreparedness. For instance, it turns out that you need to schedule Alcatraz trips two weeks in advance because there's only one ferry on the entire pier that goes out there. Another thing is that we didn't plan out our transport very well and missed the shuttle back to where we parked the RV and instead had to split up between a taxi cab and taking the bus back. Adding on the fact that my brother, Christopher had his bike stolen at pier 39 in broad daylight, the stress was definitely running high that day. Live and learn.

However, there were some great sights to see and I managed to cross one of my goals off my bucket list, which was riding my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Because my brother's bike was pilfered and my family was stuck at the pier because the bus never showed up, I rode solo to the bridge and crossed via the western side of the bridge facing the ocean. The wind was blasting from the direction of the giant puddle with the sun setting in one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen. I couldn't have planned a better time to cross it and I am eternally grateful that I at least had the opportunity to make that one ride.

After our day in San Francisco, we raced eastward back to Utah, through the beautiful California countryside and into the more barren, though still aesthetically pleasing, state of Nevada. It was a great trip all in all and a great final hurrah for Christopher before leaving to the MTC and on his mission for two years. If nothing else, there is one repercussion I have felt from this trip, being that my travel bug was reawaken. Now the twitch to run off and see the world has hit me harder than it has in quite some time. Already, I'm making some big plans for next summer with two places on two different sides of the world in consideration. I'll be posting more on this idea and hopefully get back into the swing of things with this blog...perhaps even starting a new 'travel blog' if all goes according to plan.

West Coast Vacation- Part Two: Northern California

2012-09-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

So to start off this second and second portion of my vacation blog, here are some more thought worthy sea side pictures. Now I can't remember which of these were still in Oregon and which where California, so just picture these somewhere near the border.

- This one I know was in Oregon because I'd been there before when I was twelve. Unfortunately, we didn't get out and swim around there like we did before, but it was cool seeing those rocks again.

- This one I liked because it felt very Scottish; with the misty rocks and the wavy pale grass against the ocean.

- Once we got to Northern Cali, we had to take an in-depth look at the mighty redwoods. We found a nice trail through the woods which came out to the ocean.

- The rest of my family walked the three miles, but I decided to be a little more adventurous and try riding my bike across it. (note: that is not a mountain bike.) It was a relatively nice ride except for wiping out on a downhill slope and scuffed up my arm. I didn't even get that good of a scar out of it so it's really not even worthy of mentioning.

- These flowers were covered all
over these giant boulders by the shore.

- My brother, Christopher goofing off with the flora.

My new friend, the banana slug

- There was something on top on that isle out there. I'm guessing it was a lighthouse of some sort but I all of my zoomed in pics were too fuzzy to tell.

Well that concludes the coastal views and redwood forest. My next and last post will be a little closer to civilization, of sorts...San Francisco.

West Coast Vacation- Part One: Oregon

2012-08-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

You know, I was originally going to write this big ol' blog entry detailing every aspect in my west coast vacation that my family and I took a couple of weeks ago, but then I thought: who would really care about all of that? I personally like travel stories, but I'm willing to bet that the majority out there wouldn't give a rat's bottom to hear a long winded story about someone else's vacation. So, in short here's a bunch of pictures I took while out and about with some descriptions below every once and a while.

So the first place we visited was Pendleton, Oregon. It was more of prolonged stop while on the road. Since we weren't going to be going anywhere for a few hours. I decided to take a short fifteen mile bike ride through the countryside.

St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pendleton

Above are a couple of pics taken of the Columbia River. First one in the more desert-ish east and then the much greener and mountainous west.

The left pic is the Bonneville Dam while the one with the train and mountain was right before the dam where they have a fish hatchery.

When we got to the Portland area, my brother and I rode our bikes a good eighteen miles or so from where we were staying to downtown Portland. As we were going through the suburbs, we came across some awesome street art that we had to take pictures of.

This was just too awesome! While
visiting Powell Bookstore I found
this little tribute to H.P. Lovecraft
and had to snap a pic of it.

Portland, Oregon

Tillamook Cheese factory. My mom really wanted to visit it before heading south which turned out to be an awesome drive through forested mountains and our first taste of the sea breeze. I am very tempted to move there because it's such a beautiful place. I wish I took more pictures of the area.

Got to go out and play in the surf a bit before nightfall. It was my second time seeing the ocean.

Still in Oregon, just a very scenic view of the ocean and northwest coast.

So then we had a party on the beach... haha! Just kidding. I found this bottle (already empty-why's the rum always gone?) at a view point and wanted to take a picture of it.

Well this got a little bigger than I thought it was going to be. I've still got some more pics and the rest of California to share when I get some more time to write again.

The Hobbit Trilogy

2012-07-30T17:02:00.003-07:00

Earlier today I found out that Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit double feature, is going to be extending The Hobbit duel movies into a trilogy, which of course sent me into a fit of nerd hysteria! I've been an amateur Tolkienite since I first stepped into Middle-Earth when I was twelve years old and have since read the whole collection twice and soon to be thrice. So when I heard that Jackson was finally given the green light to start work on a Hobbit movie, I was overjoyed; even more so when I found out that it was going to be a two part series. However, even with two movies based on one book, I was already calculating in my mind how much was going to be left out or squeezed to fit it all in. For instance, trying to envision the mid-point where the first movie would end and the second would begin was difficult to picture. Would it be at the house of Beorn, or the escape from the elf-kings' hall?

Now that we know there will be a third installment, here's how I believe the trilogy will flow: The first movie will end when the eagles save Bilbo and the crew from the worgs & goblins and deliver them to the Carrock. The second will pick up with the introduction of Beorn and with the departure of Gandalf from the company. Now Peter Jackson has said that there is going to be more emphasis on Gandalf & the White Council's battle against the Necromancer, so a good chunk of the second show will revolve, not just on Bilbo and the dwarves marching through the dusky veils of Mirkwood, but also on the former, less mentioned, yet just as important event Gandalf takes part in. The end of the second will be when Bilbo busts the dwarves out of the fortress of the elf-king via barrels. Then finally the third and final movie will pick up outside Esgaroth, the Lake-Town.

For those who believe that turning it into a trilogy was all about the money, you are probably only half right. Of course the film corps that are funding the movies are in it mostly for the money, but it was Peter Jackson himself who asked Newline Cinema, MGM Pictures and Warner Bros. Studios if he could extend and make a third. According to a couple of different articles I read on the subject, Peter Jackson wants to add Hobbit lore written by Tolkien that wasn't added into the published book, such as added lore concerning the dwarves of Erebor, not only the fall but the rise of the Necromancer in Mirkwood, the battle of Dol Guldur and more.

No matter which way you look at it, a Hobbit trilogy is a good thing. If it was Peter Jackson who came up with the idea, is basing completely on Tolkien's writings and enlarges the mythos of Middle-earth, the only thing that could possibly surpass this in sheer awesomeness would be. . . A SIX PART SILMARILLION SERIES! OH YEAH!!!!

Is Amon who I think it is?

2012-06-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

The first season of The Legend of Korra culminates in less than twelve hours with the possibility that Amon, the main antagonist in the story, will have his true identity revealed. If so, I wanted to quickly put up my theory on who he is and how he can do what he does without being a bender.

As for my theory on who Amon is, I am about 85% sure that it is Bumi. No, not the King of Omashu in the first series. I'm referring to the eldest, non-bending son of Avatar Aang. Both his mother (Katara) and older sister (Kya) are water-benders while his younger brother (Tenzin) and father are both air-benders (of course with his father also being the Avatar). Growing up in such a situation could have caused feelings of jealousy and eventual hatred for benders in general. One thing that supports my theory is the way Amon moves when fighting benders. He dodges and flows with the attacks, just like an air-bender; my guess is that Aang taught Bumi the forms while he was alive. Another point is that, in the last episode, Amon takes over air temple island and seems to make it his base of operations in the finale preview.
Moving along now. Amon has two very strange abilities that have thus far been revealed. First off, he can take a bender's power away. Second, he can withstand blood-bending, something that even Aang couldn't do without some help. Assuming that Amon is truly Bumi, one could reason that it was Aang himself who taught Bumi to take bending away, since Aang is the only other person known who was able to do it. While that may be the case, it still doesn't explain how Amon was able to resist blood-bending.
In the episode where Korra witnesses Aang's battle against the blood-bender, Yukone, we see that Aang was at his mercy until the Avatar spirit took control. Where I'm getting at with this is that amon would not be able to escape blood-bending by himself alone. Someone, or something had to have been helping him. During his revelation to the equalists, Amon tells his followers that he was chosed my the spirit guardians of the world to do away with benders. What if that was only a half truth? What if a powerful, ancient spirit made contact with an angry boy and promised him his strength to equalize the world. It would have to be a malevolent spirit who has an issue with the Avatar and wants his revenge. The spirit that I'm referring to is Koh the face-stealer from the first season of ATLA.
We know that Aang went to him to learn of the ocean and moon spirits, that few knew of except the most ancient of spirits. When Aang confronts Koh, he reveals to him that a previous incarnation of the avatar tried to kill him for stealing the face of his beloved. When Aang leaves, Koh tells "the avatar" that they would meet again. Later in the last season, we find out that the Avatar who fought Koh was the previous water-tribe Avatar, Korin, so how sweet would it be for Koh, to wait and take his vengeance on the next water-bender.
So there's my theory in a nutshell. Amon is Bumi with Koh the face-stealer backing him up.
Now many of you might think it's a waste of time pondering on things like this. I'll agree, it is. But so are video games, movies and books in a sense. It's all just good fun trying to figure things out like this before they happen. If you can go an entire mystery novel or Christopher Nolan film without trying to guess who's behind it all, then you don't know how to enjoy it!

New Art for Monster Mash

2012-05-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's some new stuff I've been working on in relation to my Monster Mash idea. Once again these are the main four characters that I wrote about in my previous post, but now in full color and much closer to my final concept.

Dragon Dragging

2012-04-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Another year older, another year of realizing just how foolish I am. It was my birthday last week and I thought, now would be a good time to evaluate myself on the goals I set back in January. So here’s the reader’s digest summery of my objectives and how I’m doing on each one.

1. Get my EMT- This one, unfortunately, hasn’t gotten off the ground yet. I was trying to get into a local program but the class was already in session for a couple of weeks when I called about it. I still want to get it though. Not so much to get a job with it, more so because I want know what to do if a situation were to arise, instead of standing around with a dumb look with my finger up my nose.

2. Begin learning to play the violin- I have purchased a violin, or “renting” one, but will eventually be paying it off. I’ve learned the proper hand and chin positions and can play a shaky ‘three blind mice’. I found a good site on-line that offers in-depth instructional videos and I’m planning on starting on that soon.

3. Publish two short stories or a book- I have a couple of short stories written, but haven’t finished editing them yet. Just need to push myself a little harder on that.

4. Read through the Standard Works- I’m half way through the Old Testament right now and after that my goal will be completed.

5. Overcome social anxiety/ make some friends- Honestly, I’ve sort of neglected this one. I do have the desire to hang out with friends and such every once in a while, it’s just I like my alone time even more. I’m going to get back into church institute this summer, as soon as I find out when registration is, and hopefully things will start moving then.

6. Become at least conversant in Japanese- I am happy to say I am improving steadily in this goal. I ordered the Pimsleur Approach program back in February and I’ve been working through the CDs with consistency. However, it’s only focusing on the spoken language. So later I’ll need to find something that’ll teach me to read and write it.

7. Go to Japan- Last November, I heard that the Japanese government were giving away free round-trip tickets in April to a number of people who would be willing to visit Japan and blog about the time they spent there. They were doing this because tourism took a harsh drop in Japan during the aftermath of the Tsunami and Fukushima power plant incident. However, I haven’t found anything on that since. If anyone knows any details about that, let me know, please!

8. Go back to school in the Fall- I have the money saved up, now I just need to study up so I can pass that #$@! Math exam so I can make it to a class that actually gives me credit this time!

9. Read fifty books- I’m going a little slow right now; mostly because of this new job I’m working that’s making me work 10 hour days. Since January I’ve read only five books, so I need to step up on that as well.

10. Have a fully written journal- This one has been suffering big time also. I think the reason I find it hard to keep a journal is because my life is exasperatingly boring. I’d might as well write about a day in the life of a blade of grass, that’s how dull it is.

Well, I’ve definitely got some work ahead of me. Hopefully things will start progressing a little faster here in a bit. In the mean time, I’ll just keep chugging along. I’ve got new ideas and projects I’m working on to keep me busy. Like my Monster Mash idea, that it blooming nicely in my head and on paper. More on that and other things that really don’t carry any significance whatsoever to you, after these short messages… :P

Blast from the Past: Pokémon!

2012-04-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

This is for all those ten year olds back in the late ‘90s who were addicted, and maybe still are, to the Japanese phenomenon that took America and the world by storm, Pokémon. I remember when I was in fifth grade, and we used to trade those little pocket monster cards like they were currency. If Pokémon cards were currency, many of us would have been some of the greatest entrepreneurs in existence! But as with most things from childhood, the cards and video games get thrown away, lost, or packed away in some shoe box in the attic. However, my cards from over a decade now, have remained on the bottom level of my bookshelf that my little brothers like to look at occasionally.

While on a trip to St. George, Utah, my brother and I were arguing over the finer points of Avatar: The Last Airbender compared to Naruto. . . In other words it was a geek brawl, which is always a good way to spend an evening. Anyways, we were going on with that when we got onto the subject of Pokémon. We began talking about how the critters “could” be real and what a movie would be like with “realistic” Pocket monsters. We got talking about it again last night and I decided I wanted to draw some sketches of a few Pokémon with realistic characteristics. Below are five Pokémon that I drew up combining animal concepts and draping them over the basis set up by the Nintendo creators, along with card comparisons of each one.

The first I drew was Bulbasaur because he is the first on the list of Pokemon. When making Bulbasaur I used frog, lizard and even elephant concepts to make something as close to the card as I could.

When I finished Bulbasaur, I realized I needed more of a challange, which is why I decided to try Diglett out. In the cards, video games and cartoon, all you ever see of Diglett is his head popping out of the ground. So here's my interpretation of Diglett in his entirety. I based him off ground hogs and prairie dogs with a more canine nose.

Of course Pikachu had to be in the mix somewhere. Even though the card depicts him as a 'mouse' Pokémon, I had always seen him more as a cross between a rabbit and a ferret. His tail was dificult to create a realistic version of so I came up wit hthe idea that his tail is normally soft and fox-like unless electricity is surging through his fur, then it takes on that more lightning bolt look.

My first Pokémon card was Charmander and he has always had a place in my heart ever since. The reptilian features was a no brainer but I also based his build on the pachycephalosaurus, or in other words, those head butting dinosaurs.

Now here was a challenge! Humanoid Pokémon like Mr. Mime I knew would be a problem since Pokémon are animals, not people. So I based him off a chimpanzee and a baboon. I put color to this one so that I could better picture what he'd look like.

So that's all the pics for now. I'm going to try and draw a more complete version of the three starter Pokémon in the first games, Charmander, Bulbasuar and Squirtle. Until then, give me some feed back if you'd like. Critiques are always welcome!

The Legend of Korra

2012-03-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

From nearest to farthest: Avatar Korra , Pabu the fire Ferret, Bolin,
his brother Mako and Master Tenzin.

So the first two episodes of The Legend of Korra were just released earlier this night online for a limited amount of time which will then be gone until April 14th. They were so good that I ended up watching them both twice late into the night!

Avatar Aang from the second sea-
son of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

For those who don’t have a clue as to what I’m talking about, The Legend of Korra is the follow up to Avatar: The Last Airbender, a television show that takes place in a world with four major civilizations: the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads. In each respected country you can find people who can “bend” or manipulate the elements using movements inspired by traditional Chinese martial arts. In Avatar: The Last Airbender or ATLA, the story centers around a young airbender named Aang who also happens to be the Avatar (While normal benders can only bend one element depending on where they come from, the Avatar has the ability to learn all four elements. Also, the Avatar power is reincarnated with a new host after the previous Avatar dies, passing on the experience and wisdom of all the past Avatars). For a hundred years, Aang was frozen in an iceberg, sustained by the power of the Avatar spirit. When he is awakened, he finds out that during that time, the Fire Nation has been at war with everyone else and that his people, the Air Nomads, had been wiped out. So it becomes his duty to learn the rest of the elements and defeat the Fire Lord to bring balance back.

The first promotional art for The Legend of
Korra that was released nearly two years ago.

The Legend of Korra takes place many years after the defeat of the Fire Lord, in which time Avatar Aang passes away and a new Avatar is born in the southern Water Tribe named Korra. Korra shows a natural talent with water, earth and firebending at a very young age. Years later, Korra has mastered the previously mentioned elements but must still learn air. So she travels to Republic City to learn from Tenzin, the son of Aang who is the Master of Air Temple Isle off the coast of the city. This new municipality is very different from anything before seen in ATLA. Whereas in ATLA, the time period could be comparable to the 1800’s, (only with the exception of guns and an increase in mechanical technology) Republic City is pretty much the booming 20’s. You’ve got amazing music that is best described as Chinese jazz, towering skyscrapers with great zeppelins souring between and “Sato-mobiles” being driven all over the place! Another thing that I absolutely loved about the city is that it was inspired by two real life cities: Shanghai, China and Vancouver, Canada. Last year I visited Vancouver for a week and I love how it's integrated so well with the design of Republic City. The mountains by the sea and the layout of the bustling metropolis makes me almost feel like I was back there.

A statue of Avatar Aang stands at the entrance of Republic City

Though there are major changes that have been made between ATLA and Korra, there is still that same energy and incredible art/animation that won me over in the beginning. If anyone is interested, check out http://www.korranation.com/. The episodes will stay on the site until Sunday night so if you want to get your geek fix in before April 14th, I suggest you hurry and check it out!

John Carter of. . .Who Knows?

2012-03-20T21:59:00.001-07:00

So I found out a while ago that the new John Carter movie has flopped in the box office and the worst part is that it was a really good movie! Sure there were some cinematic corners cut to fit the first book into a two hour movie, but it stayed true to the source and had everything needed to deliver an outstanding film…except for the title.

I was disappointed to see that the show was called, simply, “John Carter” using bland, block font without any real hook to grab people’s attention. I mean, if I’d never read the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I wouldn’t have had the foggiest idea of what this movie was about. It’s like painting gold nuggets brown and throwing them in a rock quarry. Everyone would pass them by not knowing the worth behind the paint, which is exactly what happened with this movie. You had action, romance, an amazing tale from a master storyteller and cutting edge CGI, but the first thing people see is John Carter and they end up confused; not intrigued or curious, just confused.

If I were at the reins of the advertisement for this movie, here’s what I’d have done differently: First off, instead of calling it John Carter, I’d have gone with "Barsoom: A Princess of Mars". In case you haven’t either read the books or watched the movie, Barsoom is the name of Mars in the Martian language and is the title heading of the chronicles written by E.R.B., while the first book of the series was A Princess of Mars. Both parts of the name would draw much more curiosity and intrigue than John Carter ever could. Would you have been just as interested in Pirates of the Caribbean if it were called Will Turner? And, of Course, I’d change the font into something more captivating and, dare I say, Boisterous instead of a font that figuratively hides back in the corner.

Secondly, I would have republished the first three books of the Barsoom series a year in advance to gain a following with the newer generations. Look at how Harry Potter and, more recently, The Hunger Games, have driven such a devoted fanbase. Republishing those first three books (A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars) would have completely changed the game opening weekend.

Another thing that ought to be considered is that movies based on older books don’t always do well at the first go because there isn’t a huge fan base accumulated yet. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, though did very well in theatres, was completely eclipsed by the following two films because of the inflated fan base. Then again, New Line Cinema rereleased the trilogy in bookstores which helped to bolster fans, unlike Disney who’ve seemed to turn a blind eye to the concept entirely with this movie.

Monster Mash

2012-03-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

You know when you have an idea and you just can’t seem to get rid of it until you put it out on paper? Well I’ve had this idea running through my head for about two weeks now that I’ve been sketching and creating story for whenever I got the chance. It’s kind of out there, but it’s been bouncing off the walls of my skull for a while now.

Until I come up with a better name, the idea’s called Monster Mash, yeah, like the song. You’ve pretty much got the entire pantheon of Halloween characters existing within a fictitious city called Walgrimm (name also in the works). The story revolves around four kids. Here's some descriptions and sketches I've made for it.

Franklin- The first and main character is named Franklin. He is a flesh construct or ‘golem’ created by the eccentric scientist, alchemist and Kabbalah practitioner, Doctor Barone. Unlike golems created by past alchemists, Franklin is self-aware and, with the exception of his sown on body parts and above average strength, is your typical twelve year old who loves baseball and making friends. Another fact about Franklin is that he was named after Benjamin Franklin and not Frankenstein.

Jezebel- Unable to remember hardly anything of her past life, Jezebel is a quiet yet dangerous vampire without pity or remorse. She is part of a sect of vampires making an “existence” in Walgrimm. She is a skilled fencer and attends a private school for girls where Mistress D’Agonia—leader of the Vampires in Walgrimm—poses as principle.

Natilee- Only eight years old, Natilee has already begun to feel the effects of her ancestral curse. Her father is a werewolf and so was her mother before she was killed by witch-hunters two years ago. Leaving the dangers of their homeland behind, Dmitri Volkov brought his daughter to Walgrimm to begin a new life. Unfortunately, the trauma Natilee experienced awoke the wolf within her early on causing trouble for both of them as well as the people of Walgrimm.

Dodger – A mischievous poltergeist with a flair for the dramatic, Dodger is the result of a séance gone wrong where the medium couldn’t control the summoning and accidently manifested the ghost of a thirteen year old boy into the physical world. Able to interact with the physical world, Dodger has been having the time of his after-life zooming around the city pulling pranks.

Right now I’ve been working out the bad guys to this idea. A society of witch-hunters is one idea that I will be using later on, but for now I’d like to focus more on Franklin’s story, his history and the source of his consciousness. My idea for the first bad guy will be another alchemist like Dr. Barone, only he wants to steal Franklin and dissect him to find the source of his self-awareness.

I want to try making this an online comic. I really don’t have a whole lot of experience with that but I’ll try drawing up a few pages and see how it goes.

Also, I really hate the set up on Blogger. I can't get these pictures organized to save my life!

The Great American. . . Conundrum

2012-02-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

Ugh!...I’ve been chewing on some serious writer’s block recently. Last week I sat down and wrote down a blog entry that was nearly a thousand words only to delete it all because it was barely coherent and jumped around aimlessly. Hopefully I’ll be able to lay out my thoughts a little better this go and maybe even say something that'll make you stop and think.

Today’s topic: The United States of America. I read a post from a friend’s blog a while back which got me thinking on my own views of the country I live in. When I was little I saw America as the greatest country in the world, as a teenager I saw it as the most corrupt, hypocritical nation in existence. Nowadays, I know that the truth lies somewhere down the middle.

Anyone who grew up in the States has learned in school of the great good that the U.S. has done since its declaration of independence in 1776. We won our freedom from the subjugation of Britain, fought against slavery in the civil war, tamed the west, were victorious in not one but two world wars, and now leading the fight on terror worldwide.

However, there is a dark side to all of these glorious conquests that have, on the most part, been ignored by history. For instance, the guerilla warfare the fledgling nation used against the British in the Revolutionary War is similar to what terrorist groups now use in the Middle-East today. When I was in the American South, I heard a completely different take on the Civil War. In this version, the South had been hammered by multiple laws that restricted rights and trade for years and that slavery was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Supposedly, Robert E. Lee, later to become the most noted generals in the confederacy, followed the law and released his slaves when the law was passed but Ulysses S. Grant, later general in the Union army and president of the United States, kept his slaves until authorities demanded the he released them or face charges. Horrible atrocities were committed against the First Nations as they were pushed from their ancestral lands and forced into reservations where treaties were constantly made up and broken by the U.S. The First World War was pointless for all countries involved, while during the Second World War, our allies called for our full support over and over but it wasn’t until we were attacked that we decided to get our hands dirty. And during the cold war, Korea and Vietnam were proxy battles with the Soviet Union.

Now before you go all out on how horrible and wrong this country is, let’s try taking a step back and look at it from a worldwide view. In comparison to other countries such as Great Britain, Russia and China we’re pretty average on the good/evil meter. The British held the second largest empire in history (that’s not counting the oceans and seas they claimed) and subjugated everyone they came in contact with. During the Soviet era of Russia, Stalin created work camps called gulags where around fourteen million people were sent to and somewhere between seven hundred thousand to millions died. And finally, Mao’s regime in China took over Tibet and ravaged Nepal when the government was coming into its own.

Once again these are just a few examples. Every country around the world has both good and bad, it’s just human nature. The most we can do is take an active part in the happenings of our countries. Vote, let your voice be heard, do what you think will help your homeland progress and become a better nation. As for me, even though it is far from perfect and there are many things in my country’s laws and history that I do not agree with or support, I can honestly say I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. It is the place where I was born and where the many of my ancestors immigrated to find opportunity they couldn’t elsewhere.

Dragon Rising

2012-01-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

The year of the Dragon is almost upon us. Even though we celebrated the Julian New Year six days ago, the Chinese New Year doesn’t begin until the 23^rd of this month, so it is still the year of the Rabbit until then. For me, the year of the dragon holds a special significance whereas it was the year in which I was born. This’ll be my second cycle through the Zodiac and in another year I’ll be at the quarter century mark. Not that big of a deal really, but it does represent a good point in time to look back and evaluate one’s life so far.

When I was still in Jr. High School, I already knew what I wanted to be and what I was going to become. Fast forward ten years and, sadly, I haven’t accomplished anything I dreamed of when I was a kid. I had fully expected that by now I would be a published author. Yet the only thing I’ve ever published outside of cyberspace has been a poem I wrote back in High School. I wanted to see distant lands and learn languages from every corner of the world; but the only place I’ve visited outside the States has been Vancouver, Canada and the only language I’ve been able to pick up has been Spanish; and I’m not even fluent, barely conversant even.

This was taken a small ways from Vancouver, Canada when
I was walking to the UBC museum of anthropology.

Now, I’ve this horrible tendency to blame all of my failures on external factors. But when I really open my eyes, I see that the root of the problem is entirely internal. When I fall, I have a hard time picking myself up and I end up reverting into my own world, cutting off myself from everything else; and I’ve fallen quite a lot since finishing high school. Whether it be school, work, friends, girls, I can’t seem to succeed with any of it. And though I’ve given into despair numerous times, I have to keep trying. As the great Chinese philosopher and religious leader, K’ung Ch’iu- later known as Confucius- said: Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in getting up every time we do.

This year, it is about high time I pick myself up again, dust off the failures of the past and give it another go. So here is a list of goals I want to achieve before the year of the serpent comes in twelve months time:

1. Get my EMT.

2. Begin learning to play the Violin.

3. Publish two short stories and or a book.

4. Read through the Standard works.

5. Overcome social anxiety/ make some friends.

6. Become at least conversant in Japanese.

7. Go to Japan.

8. Get back to school in the fall.

9. Read fifty books

10. Have a full journal written

These are just my year round goals. I've also made daily ones and other short term goals to help me reach the above plan. So why publish my list on the web? Mainly because I heard that if you write your goals down and put them up somewhere people can see them that you have a better chance of doing it. So here’s my test on the theory and, throughout the year, I’ll post what I am working on or accomplished.

The Krampus Before Christmas

2011-12-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas and I had been bad,

How was I to know that Santa might get mad?

The house was locked tight every door and every sill,

The fireplace closed shut to ward away the chill.

The night was all dark and I slept peacefully at ease,

Until my window blew open by some strange breeze.

I awoke with a start and went to close the panes tight,

Imagine my surprise as to what caught my sight.

From on high came a jingle and the crack of a whip,

I glanced up for a moment and nearly bit my lip.

Aloft rode jolly St. Nick on his reindeer drawn sled,

And below clung a creature with eyes that burned red.

The elf landed on my roof but stirred not from his seat,

Instead he drew his pipe and stomped with his feet.

“Krampus, oh Krampus, go forth you little blight,

And remind this young fellow to do what is right!”

Amazed I watched by the light of the moon on the lawn,

As the fiend crawled away with fangs that were drawn.

Like a shadow of shadows he edged to the smokestack,

And head first stole down the shaft, ready for the attack.

My first instinct was to hide and bar the door shut,

But I had to do something though I knew not what.

Between my door and the wall leaned my old baseball bat,

And thus an idea shaped to deal with this sneaky rat.

Quick as a flash, I took up my weapon of war,

And, clothed in my blue silk robe, I made for the door.

I flew down the stairs and alit upon the inglenook,

Waiting and watching for the beast to take the hook.

A moment passed with shaking knees and head that spun,

Yet neither claw nor soot fell from the hearth, not a one.

Then I saw it, charcoal footprints of the strangest sort,

Dread filled my soul then behind me came a snort.

I whirled about, brandishing my bat in the air,

Instead I was knocked off my feet, caught in the snare.

And then the thing pounced with animal ferocity,

Though I fought back with all my might and audacity.

As we grappled and clashed upon the fireplace rise,

I could not help but see those glowing ember eyes.

He was covered in oily black hair from head to toe,

And with large curving horns he delivered a blow.

I swayed where I stood but returned again to the brawl,

Lashing out like a madman I threw him at the wall.

The creature’s strength was that of three full grown men,

But I held my own as we sparred throughout the den.

Battered and bruised I strove to my very last breathe,

And fell to the floor awaiting my coming death.

For a moment I lay then opened my eyes to see,

A tattered and beat demon sprawled beside me!

“Good show my young friend, we’ve come to a stalemate,

I’ve never been beaten until this very date.

So I’ll give you a warning, one you should heed,

If you are naughty again the Krampus will succeed!”

Like a smoldering flame, he then vanished without a trace,

And I vowed that next year I’ll bring some aerosol mace!

To all you bad children, I have but one thing to say,

Beware the Christmas Krampus on this festive holiday!

- T. A. Nicholas

Apples and Oranges Occupying the Tea Shop

2011-11-22T21:54:00.001-08:00

I have a real bone to pick with today's politics. In the United States, all you have are apples and oranges: one side of the political spectrum fighting against the other. Why can't there be any pears or peaches that get into office? It's always Democrat this or Republican that. Did you know that many of the founding fathers were against a two party system? It was said that if the country were to become a two party system that the nation will divide itself. Isn't that what is happening?

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy

In 1780, John Adams wrote a letter that says: “There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.”

George Washington actually takes it a step further condemns parties of any kind in his farewell address as the president in 1796, “It (parties) serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.”

This may sound a little off topic but if anyone knows anything about Protestantism you'd know this one fact. Typically, when someone doesn't like what their preacher is saying, they'll either find another Protestant church out of the thousands; or they'll start up their own church. Now I do not believe in that philosophy when it comes to religion, but it makes perfect sense when that theory is applied to politics. If you don't agree with everything your party says, go join one that does, or if you have the time and money, start your own.
By fractioning politics up like this, I believe people would become more united because then we are not all on one side or the other. Very rarely in history do you find wars with three or four factions all fighting against each other. Usually, they will fall in with either one of the main factions. Is that what we're doing; falling in with crowd? Despite having views and opinions that differ from the larger parties, we join them simply because we might agree with one or two sentiments and then hate the opposing faction because they aren’t supporting your ‘colors’.

As our representatives continue to fight this "bloods and crips" styled war in our capitol buildings over whose ideas are better than the others, how much is actually getting done? Now I know that the phrase ‘nothing ever gets done in Washington’ is a laughable stereotype of our government, but in regards to the near government shut down that took place last spring and again during the summer, I really have to wonder if people’s views are getting in the way of doing what needs to be done.

From what I’ve read, the major obstacle that congress had was with a group of people who were so stubborn and unmovable in their views that a compromise between the two factions could not be realized until their demands were met. The group I am talking about is the Tea Party; an extremist right wing political movement that now dominates the Republican Party. In the end, the Government came close to a screeching halt all thanks to obdurate mind-sets.

More recently, the Liberals are getting their very own extremist group, known nowadays as the Occupy Movement. Though not nearly as well organized as the Tea Party was, it has gained followings throughout the world and continues to grow in both popularity and leadership/organization.

In truth, both causes, the Tea Party and the Occupy Movement have good intentions; however, it is the unyielding attitudes of both of these extreme groups that could plunge our country into stagnant waters. Imagine if the debt crisis in Washington, concerning the government shut down, were to have happened now with the Occupy mind-frame that the Democrats are adopting. I’m no soothsayer or prophet, but I’m willing to bet that no compromise would’ve been struck and we would find ourselves in a very difficult situation.

Extremism in any form, whether it is ethnic, religious or political, ought to be shunned and yet we welcome the political aspect with open arms. The way events are unfolding, I worry that things are slowly spinning out of control. We’ve been warned by our founders and now we’re seeing the result of the ‘greatest political evil under our Constitution,’ and the only way I see to halting this, as I’ve stated before, is to break down the political structure into smaller parties, bringing in some pears, peaches and grapefruits to the collection of apples and oranges, so that fringe politics cannot conquer so easily as it has today.

War of the Pandas

2011-10-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Here’s a little something that’s been on my mind ever since I heard about it and I want to regurgitate this so my brain can move on to other things. This past weekend was Blizzcon. A gathering of the nerdiest of the nerds to see what Blizzard Entertainment (i.e. the Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft computer game series) has in store. The most anticipated revelation was what the next World of Warcraft expansion was going to be. One thing you need to know about me is that I used to be a huge WoW nut and still am to a degree. I don’t play it anymore mainly because the storyline or lore has grown stale and that, more so than the attraction of better virtual gear or constant reruns of the same dungeons, is what interests me most about the franchise. However, this fourth expansion into the gaming universe may temporarily reignite my interests. The name of said expansion is called The Mists of Pandaria, which will feature the anthropomorphic pandas called the Pandaren as the new playable race along with the all new monk class that other races will be able to play as well.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. A heavily Chinese inspired race of Kung Fu fighting panda bears sounds really familiar. But here’s something you might not know. In 2003, Blizzard released Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne, which was the last installmentof the Warcraft strategy games that preceded the MMORPG. In that game, you eventually run into Chen Stormstout, the first time a Pandaren is introduced in the game. Interestingly enough, DreamWork’s Kung Fu Panda launched production one year after said computer game was out and another four years afterwards until the movie hit theatres. I haven’t found any quotes of Dream Work’s executives saying that the movie was inspired from ol’ Chen, but it is a definite curiosity that the one springs up after the other. Now, I'm not trying to dis against DreamWork's movie. I loved the show and am really looking forward to the third one when it comes out.

In conclusion, the only point I am trying to make is that, despite what people may say about the new WoW expansion being a rip off of Kung Fu Panda, it was Blizzard who came up with the earliest published idea in the first place. It would be comparable to Seth McFarlane of Family guy claiming that Matt Groening of The Simpsons stole his idea. All I'm trying to do with this post is to show that the Chicken came before the egg, but that doesn't make the egg any less as appetizing than the chicken. So pass the KFC, pour me some of that egg drop soup, sit back and enjoy both renditions of an endangered species kicking back.

Games in the Desert

2011-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Oy vey. . .what a week. My family and I headed down to St. George last Wednesday to visit my grandparents who own a home there. As it goes, I had this huge plan to ride my bike all the way to Zion National Park and take some awesome pics of the red rock scenery and write this giant sized essay on my travels. Unfortunately, I have this little known problem called chronic laziness disorder that shuts my limbs down and turns my brain to mush at the most inopportune times.

Instead of a long ranged, grit and spit bike ride, I sat around at the house using my brother’s new 3DS system playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when he wasn’t using it. It is such an addictive game; you would have no idea unless you’ve played it before. It consumed me when I was ten years old on the Nintendo 64 and it has once again plunged me into the world of Hyrule with all of its crafty dungeons, memorable characters and foot-tapping music. The thing that reinvented the classic game for me was the clearer graphics (completely remade character models that look amazing!) and usage of the 3DS motion targeting system. Everything is pretty much the same with those exceptions but that’s all I needed!

I did, however, get about five or so miles ridden while I was in the St. George area. The trails are fun, if not a little confusing at points, while the scenery evoked memories of Edger Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars. On Friday, we took a cruise up to Grafton. A little known ghost town just a small ways from Zion N.P. where they filmed a portion of the old Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie. The real fun came when we visited the cemetery and I was able to hike up the path a ways and get some pretty nice pictures of the countryside. Those and a few I nabbed while on the road are displayed below.

Well, that’s about it for my trip. Sorry it wasn’t as exciting and interesting as I aspired for it to be in my last post. One thing I can promise is an account this coming week as I ride my bike to Salt Lake City via Antelope Island and back. My brother, Christopher may decide to come along with me so it might have to wait until Saturday, but it will be happening this week guaranteed.

O Brigham, Where Art Thou?

2011-10-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ben Lomond covered in clouds outside my house in Plain City.

Today I took my bike out for a spin to see how it would handle on a quick journey. At first I was only going to ride to Willard Bay which would have been only a little less than seven miles, but when I came up on the turn that led to the bay park area, I just couldn’t call it quits yet and so rode on with my new goal being Brigham City.

With the exception of a saddle sore rear end, the trip was flawless. The hills of the fruit road, which runs at the base of the mountains, was arduous for someone from Plain City where the largest hill is more like a bump. I stopped twice on the way there and on the way back for no more than two or three minutes; just enough time to stretch out and drink some water.

The main stop I made in Brigham City was to see the newly erected LDS (Mormon) temple and took a couple of pictures there. Brigham City isn’t exactly ‘exotic’ for me so I didn’t take too many pictures while I was there.

Here's my proof that I made it to Brigham.

On the return journey however, I had to snag a few of the road and scenery that I passed. I really need to get a more professional camera, I've been using my iphone’s camera for all these pics and want to upgrade to something with better focusing capabilities. If anyone knows about photography, I could really use a recommendation on an amateur camera.

This pic is my favorite. It was taken a small
ways from the I-15 overpass.

My family’s taking a trip to St. George in southern Utah this coming Wednesday to visit my grandparents, so I’ll try figuring out a good route somewhere around there with some awesome scenery of the Martianesque landscape! So if not tomorrow or the next day, expect an account from me again by Thursday at the least.

This was the path I took from Plain City to
Brigham City.

Country road.

The Will of the Wheel

2011-10-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

The bike is here! I rode it ten miles to a Halloween party today out in Hooper and it rode like a dream the whole way. On the return journey my brain seemed to be racing against my body, as visions of far distant places and beautiful vistas rose before my mind's eye. If you want to know what utter freedom feels like, ride a bike. It's faster than running, there is no gas or oil that you need to constantly be badgered by and you don't need to worry about insurance or getting your inspections taken care of. If you have a basic knowledge of bike mechanics, which I am currently working towards right now, you could be completely self-sufficient with only your own strength and wits to rely on.

The Trek 7.3 Disc

As you might be able to tell, I'm pretty excited about this! I've already begun planning out small trips into Ogden and to Salt Lake City. Hopefully, before the first snowfall, I'll do an overnighter to Evanston, Wyoming. I do have one conundrum I'm trying to work out though. Come next spring, I was going to try my hand out traveling the States, however, I recently received news that the Japanese government is giving out ten thousand round trip tickets to Japan and back for free, the only catch is you have to blog about your trip and basically send a resume as to your blogging past and what your planned itinerary is in Japan and they will be taking applications this April. So if I want to go to Japan, I need to step up on this blogging game and get more people following my blog.

Here's a pic of the book I've got and how thick it is.
Not some flimsy manual to say the least.

The Stateside venture can wait. Japan could quite possibly be a one time chance for me. Who else would be able to say they've rode a bike from Hokkaido to Kyushu? Which, actually, would probably be round about the distance from Ogden to Los Angeles. I've already decided that, as soon as I figure out a way to make some money, I'm going to buy me a Japanese Roseta Stone program and try to become conversant before April. (Giving my application in Japanese would definitely turn some heads I think.)

If anyone has any tips or advice they'd like to give, I'm all ears; unless you try telling me not to do it, in which case you'll just be wasting breathe. Anyone who would be interested in following me, please click that little button. With your guys' support the misadventures of Wolfmutt will become much less mundane and more . . . intrepid.

The Purchase and the Journey.

2011-10-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

The 2012 7.3 FX Disc. . .Oh yeah. In the next week or two I'll be receiving this beautiful creation of mechanical imagination that I will use to traverse a continent. Granted, I spent more money on it than I'd like to admit, but the possibilities that this little bike opens up to me are beyond the cost and is greater in worth.

Now many of you may ask, why a bike? Why not just drive a car to where you want to go? It would be much faster and much easier to get around. My answers are simple. First off: money, money, money. Gas is just too much nowadays for a poverty-stricken individual, such as myself, to get anywhere on such a budget. Not to mention probable maintenance issues that could jack the price up exponentially. While on a bike, the only fuel you need to worry about is for your own body and the maintenance is much smaller, cheaper and easier to accomplish by yourself

Secondly, I want to be a writer and blogging while traveling is a great way to, not only get good practice but also to record and learn from my experiences and utilize them in my stories.

To be honest, the first two reasons are the only ones people would understand. Reason number three is a little more different of a perspective that not as many will probably share. I’m not one who likes to rush things. I like to take my time and enjoy the sights and places I visit. When I went to Vancouver last spring, I walked all over that city which gave me a much more intimate look at the city than if I were only to have driven through it. Biking, though I’ll have a set schedule on my travels, will allow me to have more time taking in the views and there are places I can go on a bike that I couldn’t in a vehicle.

My last reason is for the sheer freedom and adventure of it! I want to be able to look back on my life and say that I didn’t live the routine that everyone else lived. Not saying that the routine- school, work and family (of course, not necessarily in that order) - is a bad thing, it’s just not my thing. Eventually I’ll get to it, but I really need to satisfy this nomadic itch first. To ride hard for hours on end, sleep under a starry sky each night, and learn of the cultures around the world first hand.

Oh, and just to clarify what my next trip is going to be; I will be traveling the width of these United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic which will be starting off next May. I expect to be visiting most of the major cities from east to west and will be gone about six months by my current reckoning. But don’t think I’ll be doing a half-baked job on my preparations or anything. As soon as I get my bike, I’ll be taking “short” trips to nearby states until I learn from enough mistakes on what to bring and what not to bring that I’ll be ready for the long haul in May. I’ll be sure to keep the updates coming.

Alright, I guess that’s enough yap out of me tonight. Happy trails then, until my next post.

Wolfmutt's First Run

2011-09-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you feel like every ounce of energy has been sapped from your useless form and no matter what you try, nothing seems to pull you out of that slump all day? Yesterday I had one of those moments. Along with my newfound unemployment came a large amount of time that could have been put into great use and productivity if only gravity didn’t decide to double in pressure on top of me. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t draw, heck; I barely had enough strength to go on a four mile run which turned out to be one of my worst times in over a year.

So thus I’ve decided to write a blog. How on earth did I come up with that conclusion, you ask? Well the answer is very simple. I haven’t the foggiest idea. Well, okay, maybe the fog has a bit of shape to it. There will come a time when I will be traveling around for a while and I want to keep a blog during my sojourns. So I figured it would be a good idea to start writing one now so that when I finally get things moving I’ll know my way around a blog. I was planning on keeping a blog when I visited Vancouver, Canada last spring but I never got into it soon enough and just ended putting updates on facebook the whole time. But it was a lesson well learned on several accounts and on my next trek, I’ll be ready.

Now here’s a list of things you can expect when reading through my blog: drudging memoirs of my past day, week, or month, random thoughts that can span from politics to my favorite book or movie quotes, current story or art projects and updates on the progression towards my next travel destinations.

Alright, I think that about covers it. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes. As the title of my blog states, this is going to be my mundane misadventures until I finally take off on my next trip. Wolfmutt was a name that popped in my head when creating the title that sounded like a good name for me. My favorite animal is a wolf and I’m a mutt, so there you have it.